San Nicola Manfredi: Hills, Churches and Olive Oil Tradition
Accommodation in San Nicola Manfredi
Hilly Setting and Landscape
San Nicola Manfredi is a medieval town set in the hills. The settlement lies on a hilltop, from the summit of which the outline of Benevento and the valleys of the Sabato and Calore rivers can be clearly seen. Vineyards, chestnut groves and farmland extend around the settlement and across the landscape of San Nicola Manfredi. The surrounding landscape also includes oak woods and forests with numerous Mediterranean maquis plant species. The Bosco di Montefusco Irpino area also extends across San Nicola Manfredi; extensive coppice woods of chestnut grow there, mixed with Quercus ruber.
History of the Town and Ancient Traces
The main town of San Nicola Manfredi first developed in the early Middle Ages on the plain around the Church of San Nicola. Numerous archaeological finds from antiquity were discovered in Santa Maria Ingrisone, including two valuable bronze statuettes of Hercules. San Nicola Manfredi is included as point 30 on the Via Appia Regina Viarum. Thus, the townscape brings together a medieval origin and a history of ancient discoveries with a connection to a traditional route.
Churches and Historic Buildings
The Santuario di San Nicola houses a statue of the saint. Palazzo Sozi-Carafa has halls and gardens. This palazzo also includes numerous rooms that were formerly used as a prison. The Chiesa di Santa Maria del Fosso has a central nave that ends in an apse. The Chiesa di San Nicola Vescovo belongs to the parish territory of the Parish of Santa Maria del Fosso in San Nicola Manfredi. Several religious sites and Palazzo Sozi-Carafa provide concrete starting points for exploring architecture, religious history and former uses.
Olive Oil and Regional Products
Frantoio Zampelli maintains a tradition of olive growing passed down through generations and highlights the indigenous varieties Ortice, Racioppella and Olivella. The oil mill produces an exclusive blend of Ortice, Olivella, Leccino and Racioppella, as well as a single-variety oil made exclusively from Ortice olives. Anyone interested in visiting the oil mill is asked to contact Frantoio Zampelli to arrange this. The various varieties and the traditional cultivation practices make olive oil a tangible way to explore the agricultural side of San Nicola Manfredi.
Fusillo Tradition and Pagliara
The Sagra del Fusillo places handmade fusillo pasta at the centre of the event; it is prepared by women from the local community using a single shaping tool. The 35th edition of the Sagra del Fusillo was prepared in Monterocchetta. San Nicola Manfredi is considered a municipality with numerous DOC and DOP products, as well as high-quality food products and good food. In Pagliara, a hamlet of San Nicola Manfredi, the parish celebrates its patron saint, San Nicola vescovo.
Other destinations: Melizzano, Forchia, Pino, Baselice, San Marco Dei Cavoti, Cusano Mutri, Morcone, Montesarchio.
To the higher-level travel overview: Benevent.
