Pontelandolfo

Infobox CityIT
official_name = Comune di Pontelandolfo
name = Pontelandolfo
img_coa = Pontelandolfo-Stemma.gif
region = Campania
province = Benevento (BN)
elevation_m = 510
mapx=41.3|mapy=14.69
area_total_km2 = 28
population_as_of = 2005
population_total = 2457
population_density_km2 =
coordinates = coord|41|17|0|N|14|41|0|E
frazioni = Acqua del Campo, Carluni, Ciccotto, Giallonardo, Grotte, Guitto, Lena, Malepara, Marziello, Pianelle, Pontelandolfo Scalo, Pontenuovo, Santa Caterina, Santillo, Sorgenza
telephone = 0824
postalcode = 82027
gentilic = Pontelandolfesi
saint = St. Anthony of Padua
day = June 13
mayor =Cosimo Testa
website = [htpp://www.comune.pontelandolfo.bn.it www.comune.pontelandolfo.bn.it]

Pontelandolfo is an Italian town and commune of 28.91 square kilometers, in the Sannio Hills in the province of Benevento halfway between Naples and Campobasso, with around 3,000 inhabitants.

History

The area of today's Pontelandolfo was settled since very ancient times. The name of the village comes from the legendary "Pontis Landulphi", or the "Bridge of Landolpho", who died defending the bridge against the Romans while the villagers fled to safety, an event memorialized in the village's crest. The bridge is believed to have spanned the L'Alenta River.

Pontelandolfo is mostly remembered as the location, along with Casalduni, of a massacre of largely innocent population by the Piedmontese occupation troops in 1861.

Many villagers emigrated to the United States, with a large community settling in and around Waterbury, Connecticut, where they founded the Pontelandolfo Community Club.

Geography

Pontelandolfo is located on a mountainous area of Italy. The area that surrounds Pontelandolfo has a wide range of altitudes (400-1,017 meters), with the center of population situated at 525 meters.

There are three prominent mountains that surround Pontelandolfo. These include Mount Calvello, which has an altitude of 1,017 meters, Toppo Mangialardo (917 m) and Mount Forgioso (850 m).

Main sights

*Medieval tower (12th century)
*Church of "Annunziata Antica" (15th century)
*Chapel of "San Rocco" (17th-18th centuries)

Economy

Much of the surrounding area of Pontelandolfo (14.91 km²) is used for agriculture thanks to the fertility of the ground, which was already well known by the ancient Greeks. The primary use of the land is for olive-tree orchards, pastures and for the culture of cereals.

External links

* [http://www.comune.pontelandolfo.bn.it/ Official website]
* [http://www.pontelandolfonews.com/ Pontelandolfo News]