L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano I n t h e f a r e a s t e r n corner of Campania, w h e r e t h e r e g i o n r u n s u p a g a i n s t Puglia and the hills of Irpinia begin to feel like the edge of the map, on the o l d b o r d e r b e t w e e n t h e Irpinia and Daunia, we find Zungoli, a small stone vil- l a g e i n t h e p r o v i n c e o f Avellino, about a two-hour drive inland from Naples. It i s t h e k i n d o f p l a c e m o s t t r a v e l e r s n e v e r r e a c h , perched on a hill of soft tufa a b o v e t h e U f i t a v a l l e y , a t a n g l e o f c o b b l e d l a n e s , stairways, and honey-col- o r e d h o u s e s , b u t i t ' s t h i s very remoteness that kept it so wonderfully whole. E v e n i t s n a m e h o l d s a secret, since nobody is quite sure where Zungoli comes f r o m : s o m e t r a c e i t t o a Norman captain, Curulo or J u n c o l o , w h o r a i s e d t h e first fortress on this hill, the Castrum Curul i that stil l figures on the town's coat of arms, while others hear in it the old word for "giunchi," the rushes that once grew in the damp ground below. Z u n g o l i ' s s t o r y p r o p e r begins with the Normans, who built a fortified rocca here in the eleventh century to fend off Byzantine raids; that stronghold grew, over the centuries, into the great castle that still crowns the v i l l a g e , k e p t i n e a r n e s t defense until 1525, when it passed to the Loffredo of Trevico, and owned since 1825 by the Susanna fami- ly, whose name it now car- ries. Through the Middle Ages, Zungoli was a busy f e u d a l m a r k e t t o w n , t h e sort of hill village whose fortunes rose and fell with i t s l o r d s , a n d w h i c h h a s since been gathered, with a n O r a n g e F l a g f r o m t h e Touring Club and a place among I Borghi più Belli d'Italia, into the small com- pany of Italy's loveliest vil- lages. Wander up through the old center – and do look out for the narrow lane the l o c a l s h a v e s e t a s i d e f o r l o v e r s ! – a n d y o u c l i m b , past stone arches and the d o o r s o f o l d c h u r c h e s , toward the castle and its long view across the valley; but the real marvel at Zun- goli lies beneath your feet: c a r v e d i n t o t h e s o f t t u f a under the houses is a whole n e t w o r k o f B y z a n t i n e caves, running across sev- e r a l c o n n e c t e d u n d e r - ground levels, which fami- lies used for centuries as cellars and storerooms, and w h i c h h a v e e a r n e d t h e p l a c e i t s n i c k n a m e , i l borgo delle grotte, the village of the caves. T h o s e c a v e s a r e n o museum piece but still very much at work, because it is within their cool and humid walls, which hold tempera- ture steady the year round, t h a t t h e v i l l a g e a g e s i t s caciocavallo podolico, a f a m o u s s t r e t c h e d - c u r d cheese drawn from the milk o f t h e h a l f - w i l d P o d o l i c a c a t t l e , a h a r d y o l d b r e e d that grazes the wild herbs of these uplands. The cheese is left to mature anywhere from four to nine months, u n t i l i t t u r n s s h a r p a n d deep, the taste of the cave itself somewhere in it. Set beside it the local Ravece olive oil, one of Irpinia's great extra-virgins, and a t a b l e o f h o n e s t c o u n t r y cooking – fusilli, polenta, the humble vegetable stew t h e y c a l l c i a n f o t t a – a n d you have the whole flavor of the place in a single meal. In 2026 Zungoli enjoyed a rare turn in the national spotlight, finishing third in Rai's much-loved Borgo dei Borghi contest, a fleeting moment of fame for a place that has spent most of its l o n g l i f e h a p p i l y o f f t h e beaten track. Perhaps that is just where its charm lies, since Zungoli asks little of a visitor beyond a little time: time to lose yourself in its stone lanes, to climb to the castle for the long view over t h e v a l l e y , a n d t o t a s t e a caciocavallo that still ages, as it has for centuries, in the cool dark beneath the h o u s e s . B e c a u s e Z u n g o l i kept its stone, its caves, its food through all the long c e n t u r i e s , a n d r e m a i n s , s i l e n t l y b u t s t u b b o r n l y , entirely itself. E v e r y J u l y , f o r eight days, the l i t t l e h i l l t o w n o f O f f a g n a , a s t o n e v i l l a g e (and one of the Borghi più Belli d'Italia) in the Marche about twelve miles inland from Ancona, stops being a quaint borgo of the twenty- first century and becomes, with remarkable conviction, a town of the fifteenth. The Feste Medievali di Offagna, which began in t h e l a t e 1 9 8 0 s a n d n o w draw visitors from across I t a l y , h a n d t h e l a n e s a n d p i a z z a s o v e r t o c o s t u m e d processions, craft markets, duels, falconry, jesters, and fire-eaters, all of it unfold- ing from late afternoon until well past dark beneath the g r e a t f i f t e e n t h - c e n t u r y Rocca crowning the village. T h a t f o r t r e s s , r a i s e d between 1454 and 1456, is the heart of the whole expe- rience, a stronghold built at t h e v e r y m o m e n t w h e n armies were turning from sword and lance to gunpow- der, and the festival keeps faith with that history down to the smallest detail. Its centerpiece is the Contesa d e l l a C r e s c i a , a c o n t e s t unique in Italy, where the town's four rioni do battle w i t h t h e f o u r w e a p o n s o f the age – bow, crossbow, flail, and lance, according to statutes laid down in 1485 – while on the closing Sun- day, a procession of more than three hundred figures i n p e r i o d d r e s s w i n d s t h r o u g h t h e s t r e e t s t o drums and flag-wavers. One evening of the event is dedi- cated to a full medieval ban- q u e t w i t h m u s i c i a n s a n d tumblers, for anyone who wishes to dine as the towns- folk once did. A n d t h e n , b e c a u s e n o Italian festival is complete without something to eat even in the street, there are the taverns, where the peo- ple of Offagna serve crescia, a warm, blistered flatbread cooked over coals, with a g l a s s o f t h e l o c a l w i n e , much as it might have been offered six centuries ago. During the Offagna cele- brations, the whole commu- nity gives itself over, year after year, to the pleasure of remembering who it once was. In 2026, the Feste run from July 18th to the 25th, w h e n O f f a g n a , a s i t d o e s e v e r y s u m m e r , l i g h t s i t s torches and turns back the clock. Medieval games and re-enactments are part of the fun in Offagna for an entire week every July (Image generated using Adobe Illustrator AI) Offagna turns back time for eight medieval nights Zungoli, the Irpinia village built above a labyrinth of caves Listed among I Borghi più belli d'Italia, Zungoli preserves the timeless charm of medieval Irpinia, with its pale stone houses, winding alleys, and Norman castle that has watched over the village for nearly a thousand years. © Giambattista Lazazzera | Dreamstime.com LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE TRADITIONS

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