Rocca San Felice is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in the

province of Avellino The province of Avellino () is a province in the Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea ...

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

, southern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Geography

Located in the central area of

Irpinia Irpinia ( Modern Latin ''Hirpinia'') is a geographical and cultural region of Southern Italy. It was the inland territory of the ancient '' Hirpini'' tribe, and its extent matches approximately today's province of Avellino. Geography The territ ...

, the municipality borders with

Frigento Frigento is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, Italy. It is located in the Ansanto valley and bordered by the municipalities of Carife, Flumeri, Gesualdo, Grottaminarda, Guardia Lombardi, Rocca San Felice, Sturno, and ...

Guardia Lombardi Guardia Lombardi (), known as ''La Uàrdia'' () in the Irpinian dialect, is a small town and ''comune'' in the Province of Avellino in Campania, Italy. At an elevation of , it is located in Irpinia in the Apennine Mountains of Southern Italy. It h ...

Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It has been a historical site of significance in the history of Southern Italy. Geography Just on a hilltop near the Fredano Ri ...

Sturno Sturno is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, in the Campania region of southern Italy. The town, located in the valley of the Ufita river, is bordered by Carife, Castel Baronia, Flumeri, Frigento and Rocca San Felice. History ...

and

Villamaina Villamaina is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsul ...

. It counts no hamlets (''

frazioni A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'') but some localities as Carmasciano, Fontana dell'Olmo, Palombaia, Santa Felicita, Serro del Bosco, Taverna Bruciata, Toriello and Valli. The town is from Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, from

Lioni Lioni is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. Located in western Irpinia, in the Monti Picentini natural park, the municipality borders with Bagnoli Irpino, Calabritto, Caposele, Morra De Sanctis, Nu ...

, from

Avellino Avellino () is a city and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...

and from

Benevento Benevento ( ; , ; ) is a city and (municipality) of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the Sabato (r ...

Main sights

Among the main sights of the town there is the Castle and the old town, the Church of St. Maria Maggiore, the Chapel of Mary of Constantinople and the Sanctuary of Santa Felicita, in the homonymous locality.

Mefitis

The archaeological site of Ansanto Valley (''Valle d'Ansanto''), better known as "Mefite", is a sulphurous lake valley, few kilometres from the towns of

and

Torella dei Lombardi Torella dei Lombardi is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. History The town was firstly mentioned in the 9th century as ''Turella''. In 1980, along with many other settlements in the province and the neigh ...

. It was named after the ancient Italic goddess

Mefitis In Roman mythology, Mefitis (or Mephitis; Mefite in Italian) was a minor goddess of the poisonous gases emitted from the ground in swamps and volcanic vapors. Overview Mefitis was the Samnite and Oscian goddess of the foul-smelling gases of th ...

, venerated by the people of

Hirpini The Hirpini (Latin: ') were an ancient Samnite tribe of Southern Italy. While generally regarded as having been Samnites, sometimes they are treated as a distinct and independent nation. They inhabited the southern portion of Samnium, in the more ...

, and counts some ruins of a sanctuary of the 7th century BC. The little lake is formed by a pool of water, about deep, that boils as a result of the gas emissions of the subsoil, consisting primarily of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

and

sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen, ...

. Because of this poisonous emissions, the surrounding area is free of animals and vegetation.Mefite at roccasanfelice.net
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References

External links

Official website

Info portal of Rocca San Felice
Cities and towns in Campania Archaeological sites in Campania {{Campania-geo-stub