Montella Explained

Montella
Official Name:Comune di Montella
Coordinates:40.85°N 16°W
Region:Campania
Province:Avellino (AV)
Mayor:Rizieri Buonopane
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:83.32
Population Total:7699
Population As Of:30 November 2017
Population Demonym:Montellese
Elevation M:546
Saint:St. Roch
Day:16 August
Postal Code:83048
Area Code:0827

Montella is an Italian town and comune (municipality) in the province of Avellino, Campania, with a population of 7,699. The zone was inhabited already in the neolithic period. The town was founded by the Samnites in the 1st millennium BC, to become a municipality of the Roman Empire and a town under the Lombards.

Culture

Montella is a production center of chestnuts, and the comune organizes the Sagra Castagna di Montella (Montella Chestnut Festival) each fall.[2] An eco-museum dedicated to the chestnut, the Museo della Castagna Montella, opened in 2014.[3]

Part of the comune of Montella is also encompassed by Monti Picentini Regional Park, a mountainous natural preserve in Campania which is host to many types of mushrooms as well as cave systems.

The Convent of Saint Francis at Folloni is nearby. According to tradition, it was founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in AD 1221-1222 when he was turned away from the town due to fears of leprosy. The saint and his fellow travelers slept under a tree and were miraculously protected from the snow. After this event, they founded the friary and it remains there today.

Twin towns

People

The grandparents of American actress Maria Bello came from Montella.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Montella. Comuni Italiani. it.
  2. Web site: Pro Loco Montella . 7 November 2016.
  3. News: Montella nasce il primo Eco-Museo della castagna . Museo della Castagna Montella . 6 November 2014 . 7 November 2016.
  4. News: Holy Saviour Feast in Norristown celebrates Italian heritage . Montgomery Media . 11 August 2015 . 7 November 2016 . Puleo, Gary . Montgomery, Pennsylvania.