IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE GREEN HEART OF IRPINIA

Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi , La Promessa's home town, is located near a spur that insists on the watershed line of the Apennine ridge. It divides the Ansanto valley, and the left side of the Ofanto valley in its initial stretch. According to the theses of some historians the name of the town reflects the cult of San Michele Arcangelo, to which the Lombard populations were particularly devoted after their conversion to Christianity. The Lombards gave rise to the town during the High Middle Ages.

The complex of the monastic citadel of the Santissimo Salvatore al Goleto was built in 1133 by Guglielmo da Vercelli.
By the will of the founder, the vast primitive building was destined to house a mixed community of nuns and monks, who were entrusted with the liturgical service and the care of the administrative part.
Since 1990  the  Jesus Caritas Community takes care of the spiritual animation of the complex, which becomes a reference point for  those who are thirsting for the absolute.

 Seat, in the pre-Roman era, of a temple dedicated to the goddess Mefite, it was conquered by the Romans in 311 BC. In the Lombard period they erected a fortress used to defend the borders between the principality of Salerno and that of Benevento, around which it developed shortly after an urban agglomeration.

The ancient city of Compsa appears in the testimony of the historian Livio who narrates of his defection in favor of Hannibal in 216 BC and of his reconquest, two years later, by Fabio Massimo.

The remains of the Roman city re-emerged beneath the ruins of the modern village of Conza, which was  completely destroyed by the 1980 earthquake. An excavation, restoration and enhancement project is bringing to light a complex building stratification that sees the schedule of over 2000 years of history.

Virgil is the first in history to talk about the "Mefite",so called because it is dedicated to the homonymous divinity that was venerated in ancient times. The area is characterized by the presence of sulphurous gases coming from the subsoil and which, in contact with water, generate a boiling of toxic and smelly fumes. Sulfur is the master of this place, where there is no vegetation except in the distance and typical is the presence of tufts of broom before arriving at the Mefite.

The fortified village of Quaglietta, located in the municipality of Calabritto, is home to a castle that according to legend was born as a military garrison, Longobard organizational and defensive work, certainly favored by its strategic position on the rocky outcrop on which it stands, in the middle of the Valley. The fort created a barrier against the attacks of the Saracens who, heading towards the inland areas, carried out raids and devastation in the Valley.

In Montella, a village in the Terminio-Cervialto Community, there are three splendid waterfalls that enrich the local landscape in beauty. The first, the most loved and known, is undoubtedly the Lavandaia Waterfall, which is almost inside the village The Maronella waterfall and the Fascio waterfall are instead a little more hidden. Despite this, they very popular, especially among fishermen and those who, in the summer, want to take a dip in total relaxation that only the mountains can give. 

Laceno Lake is located at about 1000 meters above sea level, surrounded by numerous peaks that exceed 1500 meters. 

Organized excursions and mountain bike routes are available, as well as tennis courts, five-a-side football pitches, a children's playground, horse riding facilities.
In the Laceno area there are the beautiful caves of Caliendo, a destination for thousands of tourists.
The Laceno offers a all-year experience thanks to the variety of hiking trails, the ski slopes and riding stables.

Walking along the "nature trails" that wind along the Acquabianca stream, you enter a generous and almost surreal environment in an intact area for millennia, dotted with caves to be explored.
Admiring the play of light and shadow of the "cave of moss", you can enjoy a unique and extraordinary natural spectacle that culminates in the crystalline water of the waterfall that descends down, in a split of the mountain, from the slopes of a rock broken and smoothed by the pulsating power of the water.

Since 2011 Nusco boasts the title of one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. It has been defined the "Balcony of Irpinia" due to the amazing panorama. Nusco is rich in history: it owes its origins to the castle built in the Lombard period in the 9th century. In the center you can admire remarkable sculptural, pictorial and architectural beauties. Known for the hospitality of the population and its gastronomic specialties, it's a destination for those who love peace and good food.

Beech trees cover most of this plateau located in the municipality of Montella, at the basis of the Monte Terminio, at about 1200 meters above sea level. The tourist offer is wide, ranging from hiking trails to riding stables, all surrounded by a uinque, pristine natural scenery which, during summer, hosts hundreds of cows that graze undisturbed through the plateau, waiting to go back to the valleys in September.

Impressive and majestic, the Gesualdo Castle rises in the heart of Irpinia on a hill overlooking the wide valley of the Calore river. For centuries it was the fulcrum of the power of the vast possessions of the Gesualdo Family and, with the advent of the Prince of Venosa Carlo Gesualdo, home of an illuminated and sumptuous musical court. It is one of the most significant monuments in the history of Irpinia and of Campania.

In January the Irpinia winter is warmed by the huge Nusco bonfires, lit every year on the following weekend or before the recurrence of "Sant'Antuonu", on January 17th. The event represents an opportunity to fully enjoy the gastronomic, historical and cultural offer of the Irpina, condensed into a two-day event full of shows. Nusco is just 10 minutes away from La Promessa.

In October and November Irpinia celebrates its typical products, above all truffles and chestnuts, through festivals held in the municipalities of Montella and Bagnoli Irpino. Both are 15 minutes away from La Promessa and will offer you a unique food and wine and cultural experience. 

The Taurasi wine, the diamond of our province, is praised by the best winemakers and producers of the world. In August and December in the town of Taurasi, 30 minutes away from La Promessa, hosts one of the largest wine fairs in southern Italy is organized, during which Taurasi is exalted through couplings with the best foods our province can offer.

The "Carro" of Fontanarosa, 20 minutes away from La Promessa, is an extraordinary obelisk in wood, 28 meters high, covered with a rich decoration in straw and mounted on an agricultural wagon which, on August 14, is pulled by oxen in honor of the "Madonna della Misericordia".

In August the splendid medieval town of Irpinia becomes the scene of the now famous historical re-enactment, where it's possible to relive the fascinating atmosphere of the medieval world.  Each house is decorated with drapes and banners, everybody wears tunics and stoles, each lady will be adorned with velvet and jewels to revive the visitor's suggestion of a time gone by. A medieval market is enriched by exhibitors and refreshment points where it will be possible to taste foods of medieval inspiration. 

The history of Sponz fest, organized by the famous Italian singer Vinicio Capossela, is that of a festival created to invent an opportunity to do "community"  Starting as a party on the rites of marriage, it has expanded to the themes of union, the relationship with the earth, the encounter and exchange with other cultures. Every year more than 50.000 people go to the Sponz Fest in Calitri to enjoy concerts, camping and poetry in a unique scenery.

Magically suspended between the blue sky and the iridescent colored sea, the Amalfi Coast seems to be born from the palette of a painter who wanted to use the warmer color gradients for creating a landscape that enchants the visitor at the first shot, giving such evocative view to doubt, for a moment, it is real. The vertical landscape is characterized by a picturesque labyrinth of stairways and narrow alleys, connecting the two main elements of this landscape: the mountains and the sea.  

Pompeii is one of the most significant proofs of Roman civilization and, like an open book, it provides outstanding information about art, customs, trades and everyday life of the past.
The city has re-emerged from the darkness of centuries precisely as it would have been when it was unexpectedly buried in the thick layer of ash and lava which poured down from the devastating eruption of Vesuvius in the year 79 A.D.

The charming town of Sorrento sits on a long cliff among lemon and olive groves overlooking the sea on the Sorrento peninsula south of Naples. A ravine divides the town with the old town on one side and suburban area with hotels on the other. The old town, still retaining its Roman grid of narrow streets, was an important trading post in the middle ages. 

Mount Vesuvius, on the west coast of Italy, is the only active volcano on mainland Europe. It is best known because of the eruption in A.D. 79 that destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, but Vesuvius has erupted more than 50 times.  Mount Vesuvius is considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of its proximity to the city of Naples and the surrounding towns on the nearby slopes. 

The list of attractions and places in Naples that you must see is very long: just stroll around the historic center to understand that the points of interest in Naples are in every street, corner or alley.

Many squares, museums, art galleries, churches and museums to visit make Naples a rich destination. But  a real traveller who visits Naples is not content to know it with detachment, wants to live Naples as a real Neapolitan and to experience the magical flow on Neapolitans.

The Royal Palace of Caserta, the largest palace in the world, revolutionized the world of architecture thanks to the work of Luigi Vanvitelli, the greatest Italian architect of the XVIII century. He designed a new city, Caserta, whose palace was its centerpiece, and his style was so ahead of its time that it laid the foundation of contemporary architecture.