Felitto is situated in the highest part of Valle del Calore. The Middle Ages part of the town is made of narrow charming streets. Matteo De Augustinis, a great economist who studied in Naples with Antonio Genovesi was born there. He was a liberal and a free trader, he supported the necessity to free economy from customs duties, thus valorising the free competition and the development of markets.
The Middle Ages castle is very interesting, with its seven towers. In the walls on Belvedere square there are the typical loop-holes. Mastio or Maschio is very interesting, too: it’s an embattled tower almost 25 m high. Between the baronial palace, the square towers and the door there is the garden. There are still two octagonal stone drinking troughs.
There is a protected oasis near the river, where the otter lives. Woods are made of Mediterranean bush and chestnut groves. The most charming part is that of narrow gorges crossed by the waters of Calore Salernitano River, between Felitto and Magliano, the rocks are called “Marmitte dei giganti”. The Patron, San Vito, Feast on the 15th of June is very nice.
Monuments and natural beauties...
Castello feudale, it is very interesting, with its seven towers. In the walls on Belvedere square there are the typical loop-holes. Mastio or Maschio is very interesting, too: it’s a embattled tower almost 25 m high. Between the baronial palace, the square towers and the door there is the garden. There are still two octagonal stone drinking troughs. The towers have a Guelph battlement, parapets for the archers, loop-holes to launch arrows. On the tower situated oh the Western door there are still the “beccatelli”, they supported a small platform, from which water, boiling oil and stones were launched on enemies
Assunta Church. In the southern part there is the irregular apse, with the niches, the central nave is dedicated to Our Lady of Assumption. There are three big windows with white and green glass forming a cross. The entrance hall has four wonderful arcades that allow the sight of a beautiful panorama. The bell tower is 40 m high. There are the wood statues of Saint Joseph made in 1733 and of San Ciriaco, made before 1728
Madonna del Rosario Church, built in 1200. The cult of Our Lady of the Rosary began after Lepanto battle fought on the 7th October 1571, in which a league formed by Spain, Venice and the Pope defeated the Turks. During the battle Our Lady intervened to help the league
Santa Maria di Costantinopoli Sanctuary built in 1591
Madonna del Carmine Chapel, it is really degraded
San Vito Chapel, maybe it was built in the place where the Saint died near the mouth of Sele River. The first chapel was destroyed and in 1850 the inhabitants of Felitto supported by an Italian-American woman, built a new chapel
San Ciriaco Chapel. There is a wood statue of the Saint. In the past, on the day of the feast (8th August) there was also a cattle fair where the prices of cereals for the whole valley were decided
Museo della Civiltà Contadina ed Artigiana. This museum keeps the tools and the objects used in the rural life. Inside the museum the traditional rooms of a rural house were recreated, using original ancient furniture and objects and the tools used by farmers and for handicraft
History...
Felitto is of Greek origin. The name maybe comes from fiix (ferns) or from folictum. The name is first mentioned in 1191 in a bull by Pope Celestino III. Then the town is mentioned in a letter by Innocenzo IV of 1248 to the abbot of San Pietro da Eboli monastery. The Pope asked to the abbot to give a military feud to “dilectus filius Johannes de Philecto, miles Caputaquensis diocesis”, that was in exile with him in Lyon. So, there was the constitution of Cuccaro and Felitto barony.
In 1269 king Carlo gave the feuds castrum Cuttoli [Cuccaro] et Fleoti [Felitto] to Guglielmo di San Luca. In 1300 the ruler was Giacomo Marra.
In 1308 the baron of Felitto, San Cipriano and Coperchia was Riccardo Domnusco from Salerno and in 1309 Pandolfo Domnusco. In 1336 the baron of Felitto, Santomagno and Piedimonte was Traiano Santomagno. After 1380 the baron was Nicola Sannazzaro from Pavia (he descended from the family of the famous poet, Jacopo). Then the feud passed to Filippantonio Maramaldo, to his son Francesco, that sold it to Lionello Sanseverino, father of Roberto, count of Caiazzo. In 1465 Roberto Sanseverino donated to his son Giovan Francesco, with the consent of king Ferrante, also Felitto.
In 1531 Michele Serra from Nocera dei Pagani became the baron of this territory; in 1542 he sold the barony for 8.000 ducats to Enrichetta Sanseverino, who married Gerolamo Carafa, second-born of Antonio, the first prince of Stigliano. In an act by the notary del Vincenzo Paolino from Polla of 30th June 1534, we read that in the area there was very little drinkable water.
On the 14th September 1654, Gerolamo Carafa became the prince of Castel San Lorenzo and feud of Felitto. His family ruled for many years. In 1796 the governor of Felitto, Tommaso Montesano, was processed for guiltiness against the state.
Video
Weather forecast
