Taburno Camposauro is a massif located in the Apennines , to the west of Benevento , in the Campania region of Southern Italy . Its highest peak is the Taburno, at 1,393 m. It is composed of two groups of calcareous mountains separated by a plain. The fauna is affected by human activities, but the birdlife is very diverse. Several historical structures, mainly religious, are located on the massif. A DOC wine is produced in the area.
24-730: The Romans knew the mountain by the name Taburnus . It lay in the Caudine part of the Samnium , near the location of the famous Battle of the Caudine Forks . The name seems to come from the Oscan language . The mountain was mentioned by Virgil in the Aeneid and in the Georgics , where he described it as "mighty". In his Cynegeticon , Gratius Faliscus described the mountain as "craggy". Bands of brigands used
48-563: A convent, a cloister and a bell-tower. After falling into disrepair, it was slowly restored starting in 1892. In the Taburno group, there are the ruins of the Casina Reale , a hunting lodge used by the Bourbon royalty. The rocky southern mountainside hosts several caves, among which is Saint Simeon's cave, with frescoes dating back to 1600. In the northeastern part of the massif, high above Vitulano,
72-408: A human listener, unless the calling frog is only slightly below the surface. Three different calls are known: a low repeated "grongron", a modulated "squack", and a short "uh". The natural habitats of R. italica are rivers , intermittent rivers, swamps , freshwater marshes , and intermittent freshwater marshes. R. italica is threatened by habitat loss . This true frog article
96-600: A prevalence of evergreen oak in the northwest and on the peak, and the presence of downy oak and maple on the northern slopes. The European silver firs found on the Taburno were planted by the Bourbons around 1846, and are now part of the State-Owned Forest of Taburno ( Foresta demaniale del Taburno ), which extends for 614 hectares and hosts mostly beeches. The ruins of the abbey of Santa Maria in Gruptis are located in
120-470: A semicircle thus shaping the Vitulano Valley in the center. Its territory is shared by fourteen comuni : Bonea , Bucciano , Cautano , Foglianise , Frasso Telesino , Melizzano , Moiano , Montesarchio , Paupisi , Sant'Agata de' Goti , Solopaca , Tocco Caudio , Torrecuso and Vitulano . The tallest peak is in the municipality of Bonea. Seen from Benevento the profile of the mountain resembles
144-487: A sleeping woman; for this reason it is referred to as “Samnium’s sleeper” ( la dormiente del Sannio ). The massif is protected as part of the Regional Park of Taburno-Camposauro, which extends for 12,370 hectares , with a total population of about 25,000. The fauna of the massif is varied. Although the pressure from human activities led to the disappearance of rare species from the area, and the lack of water courses limits
168-749: Is composed of two groups of mountains, the Taburno in the south and the Camposauro in the north, separated by the Prata plain. The Valle Telesina separates the Taburno Camposauro from the Matese mountains, while the densely settled Valle Caudina separates it from the Partenio massif. The highest peaks are: Taburno (1393 m), Camposauro (1390 m), Alto Rotondi (1305 m), Gaudello (1226 m), Sant'Angelo (1189 m), and Pentime (1168 m), which are placed in
192-488: Is produced under the Taburno DOC from a minimum 60% blend of Coda di Volpe and/or Falanghina with other local white varieties permitted to fill in up to 40% of the blend. Taburno wines labeled as Riserva must attain a minimum alcohol level of 12% and be aged for at least three years prior to release. Caudium Caudium (modern Montesarchio ) was the main city of the ancient Caudini tribe in Samnium situated on
216-585: Is the Hermitage of Saint Mennas built in the 9th century. On the exact point of the tallest peak of the massif is a large cross with a CAI summit book. Italian wine , both red, white, rose and sparkling, under the Taburno DOC appellation comes from vineyards in the foothills around the mountains in Campania. Grapes destined for DOC production must be harvested up to a maximum yield of 13 tonnes/hectare, with
240-461: Is uncertain: they are thought to pass through the area during their movements, but a stable population has never been observed. Hares and boars found on the massif were originally introduced for hunting reasons. The number of amphibians is affected by the lack of water. The common toad and, more rarely, the European green toad can be found in the gullies, while near the springs at a lower altitude are
264-571: The Appian Way between Beneventum (modern Benevento) and Capua , in what is now southern Italy . It was 21 Roman miles from Capua, and 11 from Beneventum. It, or nearby Arpaia , became the seat of an early bishopric, which is now a Latin Catholic titular see . In early times it was an important site, either the capital or chief city of the Caudini . Grave goods, found in the necropolis nearby, show that
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#1732870031590288-515: The Italian tree frog and the Italian stream frog . The presence of two snakes is known, the four-lined snake and the Aesculapian snake , while several smaller reptiles inhabit the massif, among which are the Italian wall lizard and the gecko. Under 800 metres above sea level, the impact of human activities is strong, and the vegetation is mostly olive trees in the Taburno group and vineyards in
312-477: The family Ranidae . The species is endemic to Italy and San Marino . Adults of R. italica have a head-body length of 7–7.5 cm (2.8–3.0 in). The hind legs are long, but not extremely so. If the hind leg is pressed forward along the body, the "heel" (tibio-tarsal articulation) does not extend beyond the snout. There are pearly granules on the ventral surfaces of the hind legs. The male R. italica calls only underwater. Calls are usually inaudible to
336-697: The Campanians (Liv. 9.27). Caudium is not mentioned during the Second Punic War , but the Caudini are repeatedly mentioned. Niebuhr supposed that the city was destroyed by the Romans in revenge for their great defeat at the Caudine Forks, but there is no evidence for this, and in a later period it was known as a stopping place along the Appian Way, both in the time of Augustus (Hor. Sat . 1.5.51; Strabo 5. p. 249) and in
360-561: The Camposauro group, on the side of a gorge overlooking the Valle Telesina. It was founded in the 10th century and used by several monastic orders , before being deconsecrated in 1705. On the southern slopes of Mount Taburno, in the comune of Bucciano, is the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Taburnus , built at the end of the 15th century and used by Dominican friars . The complex includes a church,
384-405: The Camposauro group. Between 800 and 1000 metres of elevation the flora is mainly Fraxinus ornus , Carpinus orientalis , Ostrya carpinifolia and field elm . Above 1000 metres of elevation, the trees that dominate the Taburno are the European silver fir and the beech , accompanied by plants such as common holly and belladonna , while the Camposauro has a mixed woodland, with
408-543: The finished wines fermented to a minimum alcohol level of 11%. The Taburno DOC is currently a subzone of the Sannio DOC label. Red and rose Taburno is a blend of 40-50% Sangiovese , 30-40% Aglianico with up to 30% of other grape varieties (both red and white), such as Barbera del Sannio , permitted to fill in the remainder of the blend. The whites are made from 40-50% Trebbiano , 30-40% Falanghina and up to 30% of other local white grape varieties. A sparkling spumante
432-404: The late empire. In the triumviral period Caudium received a colony of veterans; and it appears from Pliny, as well as from inscriptions, that it retained its municipal character, though deprived of a large portion of its territory in favor of the neighboring city of Beneventum. (Plin. iii. 11. s. 16; Lib. Colon. p. 232; Orelli, Inscr. 128, 131.) The period of its destruction is unknown:
456-540: The massif as a refuge and a base for their activities, especially immediately after the unification of Italy . Taburno Camposauro is an isolated calcareous massif in the Campanian Apennines whose formation dates back to the Mesozoic . It lacks superficial waters. Karst phenomena including hollows and caves are frequent on the massif. The southern slopes are much steeper and more craggy than the northern ones. Because of
480-455: The name is still found in the 9th century, but it is uncertain whether the town still existed at that time. The ancient bishopric of Caudium is considered to have had its seat at what is now the village of Arpaia rather than at present-day Montesarchio. Felicissimus, in 496, is the only ancient bishop of the see whose name is known. In the 10th century its territory became part of the diocese of Sant'Agata de' Goti . The diocese of Caudium
504-635: The site was inhabited from the 8th to the 3rd centuries. Caudium is first mentioned during the Second Samnite War , when in 321 BC the Samnite army under Pontius Telesinus encamped there just before their great victory over the Romans in the nearby mountain pass called the Caudine Forks (Livy 9.2), whose exact location is disputed. A few years later, the Samnites used Caudium as a place from which to watch
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#1732870031590528-570: The type of clay and the fossil sand found there it is believed that in the mid- Pliocene there was a shallow sea in the area. The oldest limestone rocks in the province are found on the massif. At the foot of the southern group is the Fizzo source, that provides water to the Royal Palace of Caserta via the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli . It is located west of Benevento, and it falls wholly within its province . It
552-610: The variety of species, the Taburno Camposauro hosts the most diverse fauna in the province of Benevento, due to the many different environments. Because of this diversity, bird species are abundant: 94 have been observed, of whom 75 nesting species. The common raven , the common buzzard , the Eurasian nuthatch , redwings and several Passerine species can be seen on the massif. Mammals are affected by human encroachment and extensive road infrastructure. Most common are rodents, bats, European hedgehogs , moles and foxes. The presence of wolves
576-474: Was nominally restored in 1970 by the Catholic Church as Latin titular bishopric . of Caudium (Latin) / Arpaia (Curiate Italian) / Caudin(us) (Latin adjective). 41°03′40″N 14°38′00″E / 41.06111°N 14.63333°E / 41.06111; 14.63333 Italian stream frog The Italian stream frog ( Rana italica ), also called the Italian frog , is a species of frog in
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