Overview
Passing through the remains of the ancient Porta Coluccia or Porta Nocicchia, also known as Porta Grande and part of the ancient city walls, you can get in Carunchio, a characteristic mountain village with medieval origins.
The centre of the village is the heart of its ancient spirit, recalling old times of ladies and knights. It is characterised by a staggered concentric ring layout converging at the highest part of the village – right where the castle was located and you can still see the ruins of the fortress.
A stroll through the streets of Carunchio will take you to the Church of Santa Maria della Valle, Palazzo Turdò and Villa Castelli, with its wonderful and large park where you can linger, relax and enjoy the natural beauties. You can also visit the Church of the Purgatory, with its characteristic portal surmounted by a peculiar rose window and its typical single-nave structure with a rounded vault, and the Church of Stan Giovanni Battista, where we recommend staying a little longer and go inside to admire the fine Baroque organ dating back 1692 and rebuilt in 1775. The wooden organ is entirely carved with rich gold and green frames and cymatia. It has an impressive mechanism enriched by water pipes imitating birdsong (i.e. uccelliera, the italian for nightingale).
There are many times to visit Carunchio, for example in August, during the fairs, or in May, for the feast of Santa Maria in Valle, but the real best moment is in June, during the Corpus Christi Infiorata. This local celebration consists of the creation of Eucharistic and religious themed designs on the street, made with crushed petals and leaves, decorating the route of the Corpus Christi procession with flowers, altars, sheets and blankets. The aim of the event is to keep alive the deep religious faith towards the Eucharist and the cultural prestige, through floral paintings and spreading “new meanings” of friendship among peoples, too. The real “infiorata” takes several hours, from morning until late afternoon, and it is the truly collective moment of the event, where a large number of people work with much enthusiasm and patience.
Carunchio preserves and returns to its visitors distant traditions and centuries-old history, which have delineated its beauty and distinctiveness.
If this is not enough, let yourself be tempted by taste! Why don’t you savour the Ventricina Vastese? We assure you that it is mouth-watering.