The existence of the first settlements in Volturara Irpina dates back to Roman times: it is assumed that, following the destruction of the legendary Sabatia, guilty of having given its support to Hannibal during the second Punic war against Rome, part of its population moved between the Upper Sabato Valley and the area of the Picentini Mountains, creating numerous settlements, including the original one of Volturara.

This hypothesis seems to be supported by the fact that, throughout the municipal territory, some tombstones have been found, of which, today, no trace remains, but whose content was wisely described by the priest Pasquale Di Meo, grandson of the great historian of the Kingdom of Naples Alessandro (1726-1786).

The Castle was the property of several lords in its history, among them Guglielmo de Tivilla who sent troops in the Holy Land during the crusades.

Once it lost the duel, the monster sank into the bowels of the earth, creating three holes dug by its three heads, giving rise to the natural sinkhole, called Dragon’s Mouth and still visible today.

Known as the Quarantino due to the length of time it takes to mature—quaranta (40) days—the Volturara Irpina bean is small, irregular and has a thin, ash-white skin.