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The territory

Municipality of the province of Avellino, immersed in the Regional Park of Partenio, lying about 750 meters above sea level, it extends for 1244 hectares. Summonte is 8 km from the capital city and is populated by about 1600 inhabitants that reside for the most part in the urban center and, for the rest, essentially in the two fractions Starze and Embriciera. The latter are places of distant attendance and were, originally, probably early medieval houses with different functions, as seems to suggest the etymology of toponyms.

Its central core is located along the S.R. 374 and was formed over a long period of time on the slopes of Mount Vallatrone (hence the name sub-monte) on the border of the old fief of Montevergine. In the Norman period it became a fortified feudal center. Its territorial surface is divided into two large extensions: a highland area that rises from the town to the mountain, reaching a maximum altitude of 1,512 meters. the. m. which includes large and thick beech woods and a plateau called “Campo S. Giovanni” of notable scenic beauty and rupestrian profiles rich in vegetation and rare floristic varieties; a second mainly hilly area, whose grounds gently descend towards the Avellinese valley and towards the provincial capital city. In this last part there are valuable arable crops, including cultivations of hazels and olive trees.

Due to its geographical position and its morphology, Summonte enjoys a temperate-cold climate particularly suited to environmental tourism. During the summer the temperatures vary, on average, from 20 to 23 degrees while the thermal excursions are calculated around 17 degrees, so even in the hottest periods, evenings appear pleasant because softened by a constant breeze. The incisive presence of the winds, in every season, makes the air particularly limpid and healthy. During the winter, however, there are short-term snowfalls that allow the territory to be rich in water coming from the deep valleys that descend from the mountain . The slope of the Partenio, along which Summonte is located, is part of a mountainous area that rises to the center of Campania marking the limit beyond which the historical Sannio gives way to the flat Campania Felix.