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.

When is the best time to visit Zungoli?

Apr–Oct. 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.

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

How do I get to Zungoli?

From Foggia, Zungoli is roughly 69 km by road.

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.

Known for

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

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

The festa: Sant'Anna, 26 July

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.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Zungoli’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

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What to see

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.

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Living here

Population 942
Off the beaten pathi
Pharmacy: none mapped
High school within a 30-minute drive
Nearest airport Naples / Salerno, 1 h 48 min drive
Regional capital Napoli, 1 h 52 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

Elevation: 657 m
Population: 942
Surface area: 19.22 km²

On the map

Google Maps Apple Maps Directions from Foggia

These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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