Paternopoli
An Introduction to Paternopoli
Hello friends, today I will talk to you about Paternopoli, an Italian municipality in the province of Avellino in Campania. This small town is home to a population of 2133 people and is located among the hills of central Irpinia, in the middle valley of the Calore Irpino.
Physical Geography
Territory
With its hills and breathtaking landscapes, Paternopoli is a place where nature reigns supreme. The town is surrounded by beautiful countryside, rich in forests, wildlife, and flora.
Seismicity
Paternopoli is located in the seismic district of Irpinia and was hit by the Irpinia earthquake in 1980. This earthquake caused 4 deaths, 18 injuries, and 406 homeless people in the entire municipality of Paternopoli.
Origins of the Name
The name of the town comes from the Latin "paternum" and the Greek "pòlis", meaning "city of the paternum", the hill of the hermits in the area known as "pater".
History
Take a breath of fresh air and prepare yourself for a dive into the past! Paternopoli has a long and complex history that makes it a place rich in charm and legends. The first information about the history of Paternopoli dates back to the pre-Roman era, around the 8th century BC. According to some scholars, the presence of human settlements in the current territory of the municipality dates back to this period. The Sabines colonized the territory at the end of the 5th and the beginning of the 4th century BC.
After some archaeological discoveries from the period of the 4th-3rd century BC to the Roman age, during the third Samnite War in the 3rd century BC, the Sabine settlement was razed to the ground by victorious Roman legions who consolidated their presence by building a fortified center that expanded continuously until the middle of the 4th century AD.
Over time, the territory became a refuge for true hermits called "Pater" who, due to economic and demographic crises caused by plagues and earthquakes, chose these places as their dwellings, becoming an important reference for the local people. The hill on which the Pater settled was called "Paternum". The fall of the Roman Empire led to a rapid decline of the territory due to the incursions of the Vandals (455), Ostrogoths (495), and Goths (545), until the Lombard occupation which, starting from 570, restored conditions of stability, albeit with levels of extreme poverty.
In the second millennium, a new non-hostile attitude by the Lombards towards the Church favored the birth of monasteries in the territory, which were granted tax benefits, privileges, and donations that helped economic recovery. With the Ceprano treaty of 1080, which ended the struggles between Lombards and Normans, the territory of Paternopoli became the property of Roberto d'Altavilla. The Normans favored economic recovery and built the castle between the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century. In 1139, the fiefdom was assigned to the lord of Gesualdo, Guglielmo, illegitimate son of Ruggero Borsa, duke of Apulia.
Although involved in the power struggles that characterized the late Middle Ages, the dominant geographical position over the valleys of Fredane and Calore favored the economic and demographic growth of ancient Paternopoli.
Conclusions
In conclusion, Paternopoli is a municipality full of ancient history and legends. The city of paternum has seen the rise and fall of different civilizations and has a long and complex history. After a difficult beginning, it found its way and developed thanks to its geographical position. Paternopoli is a city worth visiting, not only for the beauty of its landscapes but also for the richness of its history and the hospitality of its people.
