Avellino

Avellino: cathedral

Avellino, city, Campania region, southern Italy, on the Sabato River surrounded by the Apennines, east of Naples. Its name is derived from Abellinum, a stronghold of the Hirpini (an ancient Italic people) and later a Roman colony, the site of which lies just to the east of the modern city. Conquered by the Lombards in the 8th century and destroyed by the Holy Roman emperor Otto I the Great, Avellino passed in turn to the princely families of Balzo, Filangieri, and Caracciolo. In the rising of 1820, the first attempt was made to obtain a constitution from the king of Naples. The city became part of the Italian kingdom in 1860. Avellino is largely modern, for it has suffered from numerous earthquakes in its history, the most recent in 1980. Notable landmarks are the 12th-century cathedral, which was rebuilt in 1868; the provincial archaeological museum; and the ruins of the Lombard castle where in 1130 the antipope Anacletus II conceded the titles of king of Sicily, Apulia, Calabria, and Capua to the Norman Roger II of Altavilla, duke of Calabria. On the nearby Monte Vergine is the famous Benedictine monastery and sanctuary of Montevergine, founded in 1119 and visited by thousands of pilgrims annually.

An agricultural trade centre, Avellino manufactures food products, wine, felt hats, and woollen cloth. Sulfur is mined in the district. Pop. (2006 est.) mun., 56,928.