TUFO

Tufo is a Valle del Sabato village which is 16 km far from Avellino and 20 km far from Benevento. It is crossed by the river Sabato and it is situated 250 m on the sea level. It is extended for about 6 square Km and divided in an urban centre and the hamlets San Paolo and Santa Lucia for a total of 930 inhabitants. Along the river Sabato on the slopes of Monte Gloria. About X century a.C. the first core of Tufo was built together with its first settlements, thanks to the precious volcanic rock present in the subsoil of this area.

This centre became important for its observation strategic position which enabled to control the whole valley from Monte Terminio to the Sannio. For this reason Tufo was immediately fortified and became the theatre of important battles during the Middle Ages such as the one between Svevi (Suevians) and Angoini (Angevins of House of Plantagenet) in 1226.

THE MINERALS

Tufo was under Sanniti rule until the second decade of XV century to return under Avellino's jurisdiction with Queen Giovanna II of Naples when Sergiovanni Caraccciolo was appointed captain to life. As Di Marzo Mine employed about 800 workers, Valle del Sabato agricultural centre became a small industrial town.

In 1960's, after a century of activity there were the first crisis signs caused by the opening of the international market and the lack of technologic innovations in the area of Mezzogiorno in Italy.

THE WINE

In 1972 the caves used for the extraction of minerals were closed and at the beginning of the 90's the transformation and sell business were closed, too. In the main time, wine became an important resource for Tufo DOCG area. As a matter of fact, in the last 20 years the famous product has become more and more important on the international market as a high quality product thus promoting an important transformation and evolution of the local agricultural entrepreneurs

Despite the typical difficulties of a small village situated in the Southern inland and the disastrous earthquake, it is full of new ideas such as the Greco di Tufo Docg area intervillage program for the agricultural touristic and environmental development...