Why Avellino
Avellino is a city and provincial capital located in the Campania region of southern Italy. Home to over 51,000 residents, the city rests in a valley plain completely encircled by mountains. Situated roughly 47 kilometers east of Naples, it serves as a central transportation node along the inland route connecting Salerno to Benevento.
Originally inhabited by the Samnite Hirpini people at a nearby site on Civita hill, the town was later refounded by the Roman military commander Lucius Cornelius Sulla in 82 BC. Established along the Sabato River, this ancient settlement featured heavy defensive walls and a grid-style street layout. Over the following centuries, the city weathered major earthquakes, volcanic eruptions from nearby Mount Vesuvius, and invasions by Goths and Vandals. Following the Lombard era, the inhabitants relocated to Terra hill, laying the groundwork for modern Avellino, which eventually came under the control of various noble families, including the Caracciolo princes in the late 16th century.
Visitors to the area can explore ancient and historic architecture throughout the city and its immediate surroundings. Just four kilometers east, the archaeological site of ancient Abellinum contains the remnants of a Roman forum, temples, thermal baths, an aqueduct, and a domestic residence. Within Avellino itself, the main cathedral features a Romanesque crypt built atop the remains of an ancient Roman villa. Other notable landmarks include the 17th-century Fountain of Bellerophon, the 1580 church and convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, and the ruins of a medieval Lombard castle situated in Piazza Castello. The municipality also hosts several cultural venues, including the Provincial Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Art, a gallery inside the former Borbonico prison, a diocesan museum, and specialized natural history collections focusing on marine life and invertebrates.
Avellino experiences a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. While agriculture—specifically tobacco cultivation, viticulture, and hazelnut production—traditionally formed the core of the local economy, substantial investments following a major earthquake in 1980 led to modern economic diversification. Today, multiple industrial zones operating on the city's outskirts support small and medium enterprises, including automotive engine manufacturing facilities.
Roadways provide the primary access to Avellino, supported by the A16 highway linking Naples to Bari, as well as dual-carriageway routes toward Salerno. Within the municipality, public transit is operated by AIR Campania, which includes a trolleybus network introduced in 2023. Air travelers can access the city via Naples-Capodichino Airport, located 53 kilometers to the west, or Salerno-Pontecagnano Airport, situated 51 kilometers to the southwest.
01 Weather
78°
67°
☔ 49% 
81°
66°
☔ 74%
82°
62°
82°
64°
83°
62°
71°
61°
☔ 30%