On the night of 9 May 1862, a group of 150 brigands, shouting “Long live Francis II”, entered the village of Fontechiari (at that time Schiavi), kidnapping the mayor's wife and freeing her only in exchange for jewellery. During the assault, they set fire to several houses, including that of the mayor, the Captain of the National Guard, the tax collector, the [...].
The 16th century fresco discovered 45 years ago in the demolished church of Sant'Antonio Abate in Fontechiari shows the rural population's request for protection from the saints. In the centre is Saint Anthony Abbot, the patron saint of animals, especially pigs, since the death of the pig meant hunger for the winter. On the left, the Madonna [...]
The Agostini family was one of the most important families of the 19th century rural bourgeoisie in our territory. With the Napoleonic laws and the Unification of Italy, they acquired immense patrimonies by auctioning off ecclesiastical, state, etc. property. The progenitor was Don Giovanni Antonio D'Agostino, a ’physical surgeon“ from Casalvieri who in 1743 married Rosa Anna Simeone of twenty [...].