Castelpagano
Castelpagano: The Municipality of Campania
Hello everyone! Today I want to talk to you about Castelpagano, a charming municipality in the province of Benevento in Campania. This small town, which houses around 1350 inhabitants, is located in the northern part of the province, on the border with Molise. The territory of Castelpagano is rich in unique scenic features, both of the Puglia reliefs and the southern Apennines.
Physical Geography
Territory
The territory of Castelpagano presents a vast extension of Quercus cerris and Quercus robur forests, which are the remains of the forest that extended from Tammaro to Fortore and Irpinia in pre-Roman and Roman times. The village is located in a depression north of Monte Freddo and south of Croce del Cupone, between the Torrente Torti and Tammarecchia.
History
The history of Castelpagano begins in the Norman period, when the fief was first entrusted to the county of Buonalbergo and then to the county of Civitate in the province of Foggia. Later, the town passed to the De Caude, Del Balzo, who held it until 1624, Brancia, Mormile, and Capecelatro of the Siano branch. This latter family was successively decorated with the titles of Duke of Castelpagano and Marquis of Ripalimosano.
Antiquity
The territory of Castelpagano also contains some prehistoric and pre-Roman finds, including a post-Chellean ax, evidence of a transitional period between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic in Sannio. The Museum of Sannio also hosts other findings, which attest to the subsistence of a type of Heraclean cult, particularly similar to that of the areas of Vacri, Palombaro, and Montenerodomo.
Curiosities
One curiosity about Castelpagano concerns the date 1087, engraved on the left corner of the wall that leads to the mother church and the ducal palace. This date is written in Indo-Arabic characters, but it is very likely a forgery or an engraving made at a later time. The use of Indo-Arabic characters in Italy can be attributed to Leonardo Pisano, also known as Leonardo Fibonacci, an Italian mathematician who first introduced in Europe the nine Indian digits and the symbol 0, adaptation of the Arabic "sifr", which was, in its turn, taken from the Indian term "śūnya", meaning zero.
And with this, I conclude my story about Castelpagano, a small Campanian gem that I recommend you visit if you want to discover the beauties of southern Italy. Until next time!
