"Gesualdo, a jewel". "Perhaps the most beautiful borough in all of Irpinia"... "It has a lookout square whose grace is sublimated by the scenic backdrop of the wide and colorful landscape". These are the words of the encyclopedia of the Regions of Italy that describe their beauty in a nutshell.

Dominated by the castle of Lombard origin, the city of Gesualdo overlooks two enchanting valleys: Ufita and Frèdane, where the hills and mountains of Alta Irpinia follow each other. Its charming old town, good food and proximity to the natural wonder it is surrounded by, are the strengths of a city that is a pleasant place to discover. Gesualdo bears the signs of domination to which it has been subject over the centuries.

This is its charm, which you will discover as you go through the streets of the historic center. The city located on the slopes of the hill has its center of gravity in the castle, a splendid example of Lombard-Norman architecture, then transformed by Carlo Gesualdo in the Renaissance palace. The walls, the churches, the austere buildings of the convents, the fountain of the Putti with their inscriptions, the coats of arms above the churches, on the portals of the houses, are religious guardians of the memory of a glorious past that must be preserved.

The ancient village is characterized by narrow and winding streets that connect squares and noble buildings from which you can see breathtaking horizons! Its monuments tell a unique story, which leaves enchanted, anyone who approaches. The old town where there are the beautiful palaces built for the most part in the seventeenth century, erected at the time of the Lordship of Carlo Gesualdo for the families of his "Agents and Officials". Restored after the earthquake of 1980, almost all have large hanging gardens and beautiful porches, These noble buildings are the frame of the castle. The city is rich in history with its many monuments: the Cappellone (XVII century), the Convento dei PP. Cappuccini (XVI century). The church of San Nicola (XVIII century), the fountain of Putti (1605), the church of S. Maria della Pietà (XVII century) and the church of SS. Rosario (17th century) The Church of the Addolata. Enter Piazza Umberto I, the panoramic square overlooking the valley below, admire the Chapel of SS. Sacramento, the Fountain in Circular Pools, visit the church of San Nicola di Bari, inside which there are works by artists of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Famous is the painting that is kept in the Church of the Madonna delle Grazie, entitled "The forgiveness of Carlo Gesualdo" by Giovanni Balducci, considered the key to reading the themes of his music, where the Prince would have had images of his inner torment for the double murder.

In 1909, it was the seat of theological studies for the clerics of the monastic province of Foggia. Among those who studied in Gesualdo, Padre Pio da Pietrelcina should be mentioned: today you can visit the cell, where he lived. In Via San Sebastiano is the Church of Santa Maria degli Afflitti, built by Prince Carlo Gesualdo in 1612. It contains paintings of considerable value, such as "The Deposition", attributed to the painter Giovanni Tommaso Guarini, executed in 1672.

The Castle of Carlo Gesualdo, just completed the restoration, handed down to the visitor the size of the greatness and power that the Gesualdo family arrived and how with Carlo Gesualdo culture and art found at his court the natural birthplace to manifest themselves in the best way. These made important changes, giving the village a more welcoming look. With the presence of Carlo Gesualdo, the fortress, built in the seventh century, and characterized by four circular towers with a central courtyard, became an artistic cenacle where artists and musicians of the time were invited. Here Carlo Gesualdo composed and printed his madrigals for five voices. Added were the courtyard and loggia, new apartments, kitchens, rooms and galleries with Mannerist and Flemish paintings, the Theatre room, gardens and fountains. Today it is the stage of international events both during the summer and winter, along with its charming historic center theater of all the festivals of the village. The passion for the musical prince led many internationally renowned artists to visit the places where he had composed his music: the undisputed destination was the castle of Gesualdo.

Among the personalities who visited the castle of Gesualdo of great importance was that of Igor Stravinsky and his collaborator Robert Craft. In 1996 a great of the world literature, the Polish Gustaw Herling, fascinated by the figure of Carlo Gesualdo wrote a story, also set in Gesualdo, undisputed protagonist is the Castle: "Madrigal Funebre,. The great German filmmaker Werner Herzog, in 1995 dedicated a documentary film to Carlo Gesualdo: "Gesualdo, Death for five voices". The director shoots many scenes in Gesualdo and especially in the castle. L'amore per l'arte del Principe musico inspired the French painter Kathy Toma who painted the frescoes of the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Gesualdo, a masterpiece of contemporary painting. Many other personalities have succeeded Gesualdo to pay homage to the Prince: Glenn Watkins, Salvatore Sciarrino, Roberto de Simone, Mimmo Paladino Bo Holten with Musica Ficta, Marie Stravinsky. "Gesualdo is a pleasant country and vague to the eye as you can wish with 'a truly sweet and healthy", famous is this expression that Alfonso Fontanelli.