What is Zungoli known for?

Byzantine-era cave network under the centro storico, hand-dug, used today to age Caciocavallo Podolico cheese at constant temperature. Castrum Curoli built by Leandro Curolo in the eleventh century, gave the village its name, three of four cylindrical towers still standing. Città dell'Olio for Ravece variety extra-virgin olive oil, harvested from groves on the slopes between the Ufita valley and the Daunian hills.

Zungoli is a comune in the province of Avellino, Campania region of Italy, about 69 kilometers from Foggia.

Campania · Avellino

Zungoli

An Irpinia ridge at 657 meters between the Ufita valley and the Daunian hills, with Norman walls above and Byzantine tuff caves below the houses.

657m

Elevation

69 km / 43 mi

Nearest hub (Foggia)

942

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Zungoli is one of the highest villages in Irpinia, perched at 657 meters between the Ufita valley and the Daunian Mountains, on the eastern edge of the province of Avellino. The settlement dates to around 900 AD; under the Normans in the eleventh century, a captain named Leandro Curolo built the first castle, the Castrum Curoli, and the name of the village descends from his. Frederick II made it a universitas in 1232. The Castello dei Susanna still stands above the houses with three of its four original cylindrical towers, after the fourth fell in the 1456 earthquake. The unusual feature is underground: the whole centro storico sits over a network of tuff caves dug by hand in the Byzantine era, now used to age Caciocavallo Podolico cheese and store the DOP extra-virgin olive oil. Zungoli is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia and a Bandiera Arancione.

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Gallery

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Known for

Castello dei Susanna
Norman castle begun in the eleventh century by Leandro Curolo, three of its four original cylindrical towers still standing after the 1456 earthquake.
Grotte Bizantine
Network of tuff caves dug by hand in the Byzantine era beneath the centro storico, used today to age Caciocavallo Podolico cheese and store olive oil.
Centro storico medievale
Stone alleys and stairways around the castle on a 657-meter ridge, a Borgo più Bello d'Italia and Bandiera Arancione with views toward the Daunian Mountains.
Convento di San Francesco
Sixteenth-century Franciscan convent on the edge of the village, founded after a visit attributed to Saint Francis himself in 1222.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the dry months on the Irpinia ridge, when the Ufita valley is green and the cave temperature stays even for cheese tasting. July and August touch the low thirties, lighter than the coastal heat but still drying the surrounding pasture; the tuff caves below the houses become the cool refuge. November through March is cold, with rain and occasional snow above six hundred meters, the castle silhouette appearing through low fog. The Sagra del Caciocavallo Podolico happens in early September and the Festa della Madonna delle Fratte falls in early May, pulling the diaspora home.