History of Gallinaro: a village with early medieval origins
Gallinaro is a village located 558 m above sea level on a hill in the Comino Valley. The territory is mainly hilly and is crossed by the Rio Mollo. Among the hills are Colle Pistillo, Colle Parto, Colle Sgaglioffa, Colle Ippolito, Colle Capoccia and Colle Maggio.
Gallinaro has early medieval origins and was a castle like other centres in the Val di Comino. In 1023, the castle of Gallinaro was disputed between the Counts of Sora and Emperor Henry II, who decided to give it to the nephews of his supporter Melo di Bari. The Norman Trostaino, with 25 men, conquered the castle.
Bishop John and the visit of the descendants of St Gerard
A 13th century document testifies to the existence of a church dedicated to St Gerard, where a hermit lived. In the 14th century, the descendants of San Gerardo, Domenico, Pietro and Andrea de Gerardis, visited the Sanctuary and made donations, also founding a hospital. During this period, Gallinaro experienced a period of peace, so much so that at the beginning of the century there were no less than nine churches.
Bishop John, confessor and advisor to Queen Joanna I, distinguished himself during this period. In 1600, John Gerard, Penitentiary of St. Peter, donated a silver case for the arm of St. Gerard to Gallinaro. However, the situation was not rosy in those years: clay houses, poor families and an almost wild life were the order of the day. To this was added famine, pestilence and raids by brigands, such as Marco Fiore, a famous plunderer in the chronicles of the time.
Bartolomeo Baldassari and Loreto Apruzzese: leading figures
The 18th century saw an increase in the population of Gallinaro, which reached 750 inhabitants. The economy was still based on agriculture, but only a few were landowners, while most rented land from the Church. Prominent figures included Archpriest Bartolomeo Baldassari and Loreto Apruzzese. The former made an important contribution by reorganising the parish archives, but unfortunately died following a tragic assassination by the bandit Gaetano Mammone. Loreto Apruzzese, on the other hand, was a renowned jurist who taught Civil Law at the University of Naples.
With the arrival of the French at the beginning of the 19th century, Gallinaro did not immediately suffer the effects of the reforms, but was united with the neighbouring municipality of San Donato to comply with the regulations that required a municipality to have at least 1,000 inhabitants.
Gallinaro during the Unification of Italy
In 1861, with the unification of Italy, Gallinaro and the Val di Comino retained their pro-Bourbon sentiments, and the new state reduced investment in the Terra di Lavoro, causing an increase in emigration. Many inhabitants of Gallinaro moved to Paris, where they found work as models, even posing for the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin.
It was only in the 20th century that Gallinaro experienced a period of change and modernisation, with the creation of a post office, a telegraph office, a workers' club, a courier service and a bank counter.
On 21 April 1948, after a referendum, Gallinaro became an autonomous municipality again.
