Carovilli and Castiglione

Carovilli

With a population of about 1500 or more, Carovilli is located in the province of Isernia, which is in the region of Molise, in Italy. Situated around Monte Ferrante, the town’s name originates from the Roman era. Throughout the ages, Carovilli was owned by different dynasties until the 1800s.

As far back as it is known, Carovilli was inhabited by the Sanniti Pentri. They frequently fought with the Romans and ultimately lost. You can still see ruins of their fortress today on Monte Ferrante. Around the turn of the 19th century, a monastery was built at Creta Rossa and the town grew around it.

Every July 19, the town celebrates La Festa di Santo Stefano. A procession and mass, including fireworks, are conducted in the morning. Then at nightfall, a huge party occurs in the piazza with a live band, vendors, and a lot of fun.

Carovilli is also has a thriving truffles (tartufi) industry. The area in and around Monte Ferrante is in abundant with delicious truffles.

Santo Stefano
The patron saint of Carovilli is Santo Stefano del Lupo(lupo means “wolf”) who lived in the late 12/early 1300s. At 16, he joined the monastery and became a Benedictine Monk. He followed the doctrine of Pietro DI Murrone who became pope Celestine V. It is said that Santo Stefano travelled with him to Rome when he was elected.

There are many different stories about how he got his name del Lupo. Here are a few versions:

1. One day he was chopping wood and a wolf ate his donkey. Santo Stefano made the wolf carry the logs back home.
2. 2. Stefano Cinocco was the priore of 2 monasteries in Manoppello, Abbrruzzo (this is fact). There was a wolf in the area that was disturbing the herd of sheep. He prayed to God to make the wolf be friendly to the herd which ended up happening. That is how he got his name Santo Stefano del Lupo.

Castiglione

Castiglione got its name from the fact that a church, it is believed, was built on top of ruins of a castle on a hill. This church was built around the 1600s. It has broken down over the centuries and still stands today known as la chiesa sul monte or, in the dialect, la chiesamond.

At the turn of the 20th century, a new church was built in the piazza at the bottom of the hill, but quickly became too small for the population of 900 so the construction of a new, bigger church was beside it was started.

The building of this new church (nicknamed La chiesa nuova which means, well, “the new church”!) was directly influenced with the first emigration of Castiglionesi to the US. It was also a factor in the relationship of Castiglionesi and Carovillesi. With great sacrifices, they built the church in a span of about 50 years. Many modifications to it’s design were made during construction to accommodate the decline in population which decreased to 400 by completion. By then, the church was too large for the shrinking population due to emigration. (for more information, see Emigration History).

San Nicola di Bari
The offfical name of La chiesa nuova is Chiesa San Nicola Di Bari which is named after their patron saint, San Nicola Di Bari, who is the famous St. Nicholas. His bones are sealed in an airtight display case in Bari where it is said that they appear to sweat. �