Tufo

The municipality of Tufo lies in the Sabato valley, at an altitude of 250 metres, and has around 800 inhabitants. The name comes from its first feudal lord, Raone Del Tufo. The Grotto of San Michele Arcangelo is an ancient religious site between Samnium and Irpinia. The Soprintendenza has recognised its historical, artistic and monumental value, highlighting its distinctive character among the sites dedicated to the cult of St Michael. It is a natural cave once crossed by a stream of milky water, believed to be miraculous and in any case beneficial for healing treatments, given its calcareous and sulphurous nature. With the coming of Christianity and the conversion of the Lombards, it was dedicated to St Michael the Archangel, their protector, and used as a place of prayer and a baptismal font. From the Middle Ages until the end of the 19th century it served as a hermitage and as a temporary resting place for the relics of the protomartyr St Stephen and St Maurus. The site was finally consecrated for worship by Cardinal Orsini, the future Pope Benedict XIII. The frescoes, forming a triptych dedicated to St Francis of Assisi, are medieval. The statue of St Michael, the patron saint of Tufo, dates from the 17th century and is one of the rare examples of polychrome stone sculpture. Also of interest is the open-air area beyond the vault that closes off the grotto, with large stone slabs arranged like an altar, where finds probably dating from the early Christian period can be glimpsed. At the grotto, on the feasts of the patron saint (8 May and 29 September), the centuries-old novena celebrations are held, attended by the people of Tufo.

Worth visiting are the Grotto of the Archangel Michael (the end point of Stage 1 of the Cammino), the former sulphur mines and the historic wine cellars in the imposing Palazzo Di Marzo; at the highest point of the town stands the Lombard Castle. In nearby Prata di Principato Ultra (Avellino), 5 km from Tufo along the route of Stage 2, don't miss the early Christian Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata.