Discover Taurasi: Wine and History

Taurasi brings together DOCG wines and a rich historical heritage. Highlights for your stay include a sensory wine trail in the Castello Marchionale, a medieval town center, church art, and early archaeological traces. Depending on whether you are especially interested in wine, architectural history, or settlement in the area, you can focus your plans on different themes.

Wine and local products

The “Percorso Sensoriale Tau” in the stables of the Castello Marchionale introduces visitors to the wines Taurasi DOCG, Fiano di Avellino DOCG, and Greco di Tufo DOCG. The focus is therefore not only on the wines named after Taurasi: the introduction also includes Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo. Taurasi DOCG is a wine with a long tradition, made from a grape variety with very ancient origins. As visiting arrangements for the Percorso may change, check the current conditions before your visit.

The Fiera Enologica Taurasi is also part of the wine experience: it takes place every year in August. If you would like to plan your stay around the event, check the specific dates before you travel. The Ciliegia Maiatica is also considered a typical product of the Agro Taurasino. Wine and cherries thus offer two different ways to explore Taurasi’s regional products.

Townscape and early settlement traces

The medieval town center is surrounded by a city wall. Its layout resembles a herringbone pattern: regular side streets branch off from the main axis, which runs east to west. Together, the city wall, main axis, and side streets describe the structure of the town center; they offer a different way to explore Taurasi’s history from the individual works of art in its churches and palazzi.

Località Caselle contains Taurasi’s earliest archaeological traces. A Late Antique or Early Medieval settlement dating from the 5th to the 8th century AD was located there. Località San Martino offers another perspective on early settlement: it is a high-lying plain with abundant water and fertile soil. Its location is interpreted as evidence of a small agricultural settlement. Caselle thus points to specific settlement traces, while San Martino draws attention to the landscape conditions that may have supported a small settlement.

Castello Marchionale and church art

The Castello Marchionale was probably built in the 7th century AD. Carlo Gesualdo was born in 1566 in the Stanza del Principe of the Castello. These details trace a path from the building’s probable early origins to a specific historical event in the 16th century. The Palazzo Marchionale also contains a barrel-vaulted chapel with Baroque stucco decoration and a polychrome marble altar.

The Chiesa Collegiata di San Marciano Vescovo brings together several noteworthy features: the single-nave interior has a frescoed vault and six marble altars. The Baroque high altar dates from 1747; its artist is unknown. The furnishings also include a wooden organ from 1726 and a wooden statue of San Marciano Vescovo. It was made by Giacomo Colombo in 1708. The architecture, furnishings, and dated works of art each offer their own historical point of reference for a visit to the church.

River and historic bridge

The Calore River runs through Taurasi. A bridge between Taurasi and Torre le Nocelle was probably built in the Late Middle Ages, between the 12th and 15th centuries. The remains of its stone piers are visible when water levels are low. The bridge adds another chapter in architectural history to the evidence found in the town center and historic buildings; its construction date is explicitly described as probable.

When choosing the focus of your stay, you can weigh Taurasi’s different themes against one another: wine and the Fiera Enologica, held every year in August; Early Medieval settlement traces; the architecture of the town center; or the art in the Collegiata. Be sure to check specific event dates and the current visiting conditions for the Percorso Sensoriale Tau in advance.

Discover more destinations: Orneta, Castelvetere Sul Calore, Solofra, Manocalzati, Nusco, Serino, Calitri, Montefusco.

For the broader travel overview: Avellino.