Avella, the ancient city of hazelnuts

Avella - Avellana, avellana, avelã, avelana and nux avellana: these are the names by which hazelnut is known in Catalan, Spanish, Portuguese, Occitan and Latin. The common root originates from the name of a delightful village located in a basin on the Partenio Mountains: Avella. Center of ancient origin, since the times of the ancient Romans it was renowned for its luxuriant hazelnut groves, a true local pride.

The Avellano territory was already populated since prehistoric times; it is therefore not surprising that the village can still host monuments of historical importance. We start with the Castle of Avella (or of San Michele), built in the seventh century AD by the Lombards and constantly modernized and reinforced by subsequent rulers. From the archaeological point of view we must mention the monumental necropolis of Avella (1st century BC) and the Roman amphitheater; the whole complex punctuates the green vegetation that surrounds the town. The mountain landscape that surrounds Avella is indeed remarkable from a naturalistic point of view: the land shows signs of karst phenomena and hosts numerous sinkholes, as well as places of important speleological importance such as the Camerelle di Pianura cave.