Overview
Between the valleys of the Trigno and Sinello, at 264 meters above sea level, lies Cupello, near Molise. It is one of those towns with a peaceful air, popping up among the hillsides of which the province of Chieti is rich.
Its name is sympathetic to you: it seems to come from the presence in the area of large clay quarries, which were suitable for the manufacture of tiles (the "cuppelle") to cover houses. Another hypothesis would trace the term back to the Greek "to kupellon", which means cup, or to the Latin "capella", little goat.
Whatever its meaning, the hamlet presents itself pleasing to your eyes and has a relatively young history. In fact, news of the present village dates back to the 16th century when the d'Avalos, marquises of Vasto, encouraged agriculture after the terrible earthquake of 1456 by using colonies of Slavs. They were Slavic peoples driven out of the Balkans by Turkish incursions and forced to land on the opposite Adriatic shore (from which probably originated Cupello's old name, Villa degli Schiavoni).
Nevertheless, in the locality of Colle Polercia, about 2 km from the center, were found the remains of a large rural residential complex, connected to agricultural activity, whose original structure would seem to date back to the first decades of the Roman imperial age. The complex was later enlarged in the 3rd-4th centuries AD with the addition of a private thermal facility, which was supplied by a cistern, whose remains can be seen.
Take a leisurely walk through the streets of the village, which we have defined as seraphic, but about 80 years ago, during World War II, it paid a painful tribute of blood and was awarded the Bronze Medal for Civil Merit for this.
Then visit the churches of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with a beautiful bronze portal, and the Madonna del Ponte, also called the "Old Church", in memory of the religious building damaged by bombing in 1943, which was demolished and rebuilt in 1956 as it appears there today. Inside, you can admire in a marble niche the 15th-century wooden statue of the Madonna del Ponte, while on the lunette above the entrance door there is an artistic Florentine mosaic depicting the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.
If you are in the right season to eat, taste the excellence product of the territory, the "Mazzaferrata" artichoke, so called because of its shape that reminds you of the ancient medieval weapon. This is an indigenous cultivar with great nutritional value, which derives from the Campagnano, a variety of late-cycle Roman artichoke that reaches ideal ripeness between the end of March and April.
A festival is dedicated to the green "lord" of the area between late April and early May, offering you the chance to taste dishes that exalt its flavor.