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Data
Sheet of S. GREGORIO MATESE
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| Aerial
view of Mount Matese |
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| The
historical center |
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San Gregorio Matese at the beginning of XX Century |
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San Gregorio Matese at noon: warm and sunny. |
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| Murals
inside San Gregorio Matese |
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| Living
Christmas mangers in San Gregorio Matese |
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| Panorama
from San Gregorio Matese, with the Vesuvio far away. |
Altitude 750 m above sea level
C.A.P.(Italian Zip Code) 81010
Population approx. 1200
Dialling code 0823
Public Telephone place: Alimentari Boiano, via G. Del Giudice,
0823-919030;
Local Police Station: Carabinieri, via Nazionale, tel.
0823-919187;
Town Hall Municipio, via Ginevra 23, tel. 0823-919019;
Post
Office via Ginevra 18, tel. 0823-919031.
Catholic Parish
S.Maria delle Grazie, via G. Bojano, tel.0823-919138.
State
road 158 ascends with numerous hairpin curves, from Piedimonte
Matese towards San Gregorio Matese. The village rises on a
spacious mountainous spur, bordered by two ravines.
To the right the gorge of Val Paterno, while to the left is
the passage of Vallone
dell'Inferno (Hell Deep Valley), one of the deepest
gorges of Europe.
The ancient city center was developed around the ancient parish
church (1596) dedicated to S. Maria delle Grazie (Our Lady of
the Thanks). It was formed by two parallel lines, both in a
slight
ascent,to different heights due to the downward
slope. Because of this suitable disposition the exposure of
the sun at noon gives a sunny
and panoramic view. This makes up for the cold
winds from the north.
Around the 1960s a building development of tourist type -residential
homes (Village Correra) began towards the east and along the
west ring road (today G. Bojano road). More recently there have
been constructed new roads and a typical city planning development
is seen in the west part of the village. This has caused a partial
abandonment of the small, old houses of the historical
center .
The ancient Chapel of the Sacrament with its rich baroque decoration
which existed in the past, today is completely destroyed. It
is known the site where was rising the ancient Benedictine
church dedicated to the worship of San Gregorio,
giving it's name to the village. It definitely collapsed at
the beginning of 1700.
The worshipping however was not lost, so on the first Sunday
of August the people still celebrate the festivity of San Gregorio.
In the village there are the ancient villas of the rich families
of the 19th century: the villa of Del Giudice (G. Del Giudice
street), the villa of the family Caso della Calcarella (Ginevra
street), the villa of the delegate Beniamino Caso (Caso square),
the country house of the governor Gaetano Del Giudice (Ginevra
street, now the Town Hall). In the neighborhood there is the
thriving town park "Villa Luisa". A few kilometers
from the village there are seen the evocative ruins of the cistercensis
monastery, on to the precipice of the ravine of Vallone dell'
Inferno.
In the 1960s the ancient little chapel of S. Croce was restored:
it contains two bas-reliefs dedicated to the Victims of the
mountain. In the 1970s the modern New Church was built, with
stained glass windows and a large relief, "Jesus Among
the Disciples to Emmaus", works done by Master Vittorio
Tirrito.
The appearance of the feminine custom folk wear is known. It
consisted of a dark blue wool skirt, white color stripes around
the lower part that rose towards the chest to the vest with
blue wide strips of material around the shoulders. It had an
embroidered low neckline, a big colored scarf to cover the head,
complete with different necklaces and a black work apron.
In the past the country had a good touristic
season. Today it has almost entirely disappeared.
Along the alleys there are still some of the murals
visible that were done in the 1980s by the Local Tourist Association
to benefit the village. Also, San Gregorio at one time was famous
for having one of the most beautiful Living
Christmas Mangers of the southern Appennines.
For some years now it has been suspended, truly a shame because
it was so real with live animals and shepherds.
From the landscaped point of view, the village enjoys a splendid
panorama
. It ranges from the Volturno Plain, with a horizon
line from the east towards the west to the Taburno massif, Vesuvius,
the Isle of Capri, the massive mountains of Roccamonfina and
then on to the sea with the Isle of Ponza.
There is an eventful but very panoramic road, which climbs a
few kilometers to the Miralago Pass. Here is another splendid
panorama, with the long mirror of water, the Lake
Matese and the mountain range of the highest
tops of the Matese massif, Mount Miletto, the Gallinola, Mount
Porco and the Mutria.
From Miralago, there are pleasant excursions to the Campobraca
Plain, the Chapel of S. Michele Archangel (celebrated the 3rd
Sunday of July) and to Lake Matese, where the road continues
towards Letino and Gallo Matese. Another road leads to the Acqua
di S.Maria. Then continuing along state road 158, you come to
the Perrone Pass, a place that borders Campania and Molise.
This crosses the watershed crest of Mount
Matese and then comes down on the Molise slopes
towards Guardiaregia and Bojano, or to the beneventano slopes,
then to cross through the ski station of Bocca della Selva,
towards the villages of Pietraroia and Cusano Mutri. |
|
The Bojanos