Summonte is a village in the province of Avellino (Campania) gently lying on the slopes of Mount Partenio, at 700 meters of altitude (2,300 feet). Today, it counts 1,485 inhabitants. The village has a long history, as its very name – which is Latin in origin and comes from sub montis, “under the mountain” – attests, but there are also other traces of its important past: first of all its castle, which was first mentioned in documents from 1094.

There, the fortress was described as castello qui dicitur Submonte, “the castle which belongs to Submontis,” the original name of the village.  If we look at its architecture, time in Summonte seems to have stopped in the Middle Ages: the majestic castle with its fortification and tower, but also the very layout of the village, with its three main streets and genteel buildings, is very reminiscent of those long-gone and somehow mysterious times.