Alfedena

Alfedena was founded by the Samnites. The town is built around the medieval castle of prince Caracciolo di Cellammare: the castle walls, as well as the Norman octagonal tower, can still be observed.
Stonecraft is an important local tradition: stone pavements, jambs and external staircases can be observed in the town's narrow streets. To pay tribute to the importance of these craftsmen, a monument to stonemasons was created by sculptor Sandro Pagliuchi at the Villa Comunale.
The Villa Comunale was defined as Botanical Garden by the University of Naples at the end of the XIX century, because of the great botanical variety it houses.

Population: 768
Elevation: 914 metres asl

Walks and excursions:
(L1) Campitelli - Passo dei Monaci
(L2) Campitelli - Rio Torto
(L3) Campitelli - Lago della Montagna Spaccata

Historic sites
The Acropolis with its ancient walls and the Samnite Necropolis; the medieval town with its doors; the castle, whose octagonal tower still exists.

Interesting facts or places
Alfedena was known in the past as "Town of doctors" because of the high percentage of graduates among the local population.
Stonemasons and stonecutters from Alfedena decorated Rome's streets and squares, such as St. Peter's Square, with the famous "sampietrini" (i.e. San Pietro's cobblestones) they cut from stone.

Celebrations
San Pietro Martire, the town's Patron Saint (April, 29th); Santa Maria Salomè (second Sunday of July); Sant'Antonio Abate (January, 17th); A te Pumba mé (last day of February).

Traditions
Fiasca, a serenade to bride and groom on their wedding night.
Sant'Antonio Abate, a traditional Christian festival: bonfires are lit in the early afternoon in all the town streets, and then a procession follows to bless them. The celebration goes on around the bonfires with typical foods (lullitte e faciule, panonda, ciceranate), potatoes baked under the embers, and wine.
A te Pumba mé, a celebration dedicated to the goddess Pomona, a rural deity: groups of young people walk the town streets to celebrate the incoming spring, and invoke the goddess by words and sounds, with horns and bells.

Gastronomy
Pizza fritta: long dough spirals, kneaded with eggs, flour, yeast, rosemary, anise seeds, water and salt and then fried. In the old times they were offered to the whole town's population on occasion of a wedding.
Zuppa della sposa (bride's soup): meat broth with endive, fried bread bits, diced scamorza cheese and meatballs. It was traditionally prepared on the day after wedding.
Lullitte e faciule (flour dumplings with beans); agnello cacie e ova (lamb with cheese and eggs); frittata con la curatella (omelet with lamb liver, a traditional course for the Easter Day), Ru pezzelocchere (bread dough with eggs, sugar, anise and lemon skin).