What is Frigento known for?

First-century BC vaulted water complex at 911 meters, the largest preserved Republican cistern in Irpinia, linked to villas of Aeclanum. Ridge summit with views over the Ufita, Fredane, Ansanto and Calore valleys; the local nickname for Frigento is the balcone d'Irpinia. The Irpinia earthquake of 23 November 1980 hit the centro storico hard; reconstruction has been slow and is still partly underway.

Frigento is a comune in the province of Avellino, Campania region of Italy, about 79 kilometers from Salerno.

Campania · Avellino

Frigento

An Irpinia hill village at 911 meters with a Republican-era Roman cistern complex on its summit and four valleys at its feet.

911m

Elevation

79 km / 49 mi

Nearest hub (Salerno)

3,462

Population

May–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Borghi più belli d'Italia

Why come

Frigento sits at 911 meters on a ridge in central Irpinia, 40 kilometers from Avellino, on a hill that overlooks the Ufita valley to the north, the Fredane to the south, the Ansanto to the east and the Calore to the west. The summit holds an opus incertum water complex from the 1st century BC, the Cisterne Romane, a vaulted chamber system probably built to serve a cluster of rustic villas linked to nearby Aeclanum on the Via Traiana. The medieval village grew on top of the same ridge in the late Lombard period as a defensive site between the bishoprics of Benevento and Conza. The 1980 Irpinia earthquake hit the centro storico hard; reconstruction has been slow but most of the old village still stands in stone above the cisterns. From the summit the view runs from the Apennines to the Daunia hills on a clear day. The commune is a Borgo più Bello d'Italia and a hazelnut and grain area, with cheese from the surrounding pastures.

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Gallery

5 photos · scroll →

Known for

Cisterne Romane
Opus incertum water complex from the 1st century BC at the highest point of the village, the largest preserved Republican cistern in Irpinia.
Centro storico di Frigento
Medieval stone village on the summit ridge, partly rebuilt after the 1980 Irpinia earthquake, with the four-valley panorama from the upper streets.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta
Former cathedral of the Diocese of Frequentum, reconstructed after the 1980 earthquake, with a Renaissance baptismal font and a crypt.
Belvedere del Limiti
Panoramic terrace at the edge of the ridge, with views over the Ufita, Fredane, Ansanto and Calore valleys at the four cardinal points.

When to visit

Best months · May–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through October is the comfortable window at 911 meters. June and September are the prime months: the temperature sits in the low twenties when Avellino below pushes the upper twenties, the four-valley views are clear, and the cistern site stays accessible. July and August can run warm at midday but the ridge cools off after sundown. November through April is mountain weather: cold, fog and rain, occasional snow above the village; many small businesses close for the winter. The grain and hazelnut harvests fall in late summer. The Festa di Santa Maria Assunta on 15 August is the patron feast.