Castelpoto
Castelpoto, a historical town
Castelpoto is a beautiful town located in the province of Benevento, in Campania, with approximately 1,115 inhabitants. The town dates back to the Samnite-Roman era, as confirmed by the inscriptions and artifacts found in the area. Over the centuries, the town has been influenced by various dominations, including the Longobards, Normans, Angevins, Aragonese and Spanish, while still maintaining its political and administrative identity from the Kingdom of Naples to the unification of Italy.
Monuments and places of interest
Castelpoto offers numerous monuments and places of interest to visit. One of these is the historic center, a typical Longobard town with narrow, winding alleys and houses made of worked stone. Additionally, there are the castle and the Ducal Palace, which belonged to the Bartoli dukes, as well as the parish church of St. Nicholas of Myra, built in 1698 and blessed by Cardinal Vincenzo Maria Orsini, future Pope Benedict XIII.
The town also hosts the sanctuary of San Laureato, a martyr and unique saint in the world venerated only in Castelpoto, where his relics are kept. He is the protector against cholera. The Sant'Andrea park contains the remains of the rural Church of St. Andrew the Apostle, which was built on the ancient temple of the goddess Juno and was deconsecrated in 1692. Additionally, visitors should not miss the ethnographic museum of Castelpoto and the Roman bridge of Maurelle, located near the Calore River and which was once part of the Via Latina, the ancient road connecting Rome and Benevento. Among the most important monuments is the National Monument to the Valani.
Society
Demographic evolution
Over the years, Castelpoto has undergone a demographic evolution that has seen the number of inhabitants grow.
Ethnic and foreign minorities
As of December 31st, 2016, there were only nine foreign citizens residing in the municipality, equivalent to 0.73% of the population. The two groups present are Romania, with five people (0.41%), and Ukraine, with three people (0.24%). Despite this, the town is very hospitable and welcoming to foreigners.
Culture
The red sausage of Castelpoto
The red sausage is one of the peculiarities of Castelpoto, and one of the most representative, so much so that at the end of April the town dedicates a popular fair-market to it. The processing is particularly laborious and complex. It begins by selecting choice cuts of pork (ham, shoulder), removing the nerves and fat, and coarsely grinding the meat. The same operation is carried out on the lard and bacon. The two ingredients are mixed together and added to sweet or spicy chili powder, grown locally, called "papauli" in the local dialect.
The powder is prepared by grinding small peppers, which are strung with needle and thread onto necklaces and left to air-dry in a shady place. After toasting in a wood-fired oven, fueled with olive and oak wood, they are manually ground until obtaining a very fine powder. To these ingredients an infusion of garlic heads in water is added to prevent the meats from drying out too much, along with salt and wild fennel, and everything is kneaded together again. This is followed by a rest period and then the stuffing into natural casings, a practice still carried out completely by hand to this day.
Castelpoto is a wonderful town, rich in history and culture, with ancient and typical traditions that still make the experience of travel and discovery of the area a real adventure. If you want to visit an authentic and welcoming town, you must definitely come to Castelpoto!
