Petruro stands on a spur of rock above the valley of the Sabato, and the name comes from just that: from the Latin petra, the rock. In 1950 «Irpino» was added to it. In the arms there are two hills, close together but not joined: they are the two sides of the Stretto di Barba, the gorge the river has cut at the boundary between the provinces of Avellino and Benevento.
The chapel of Santa Barbara, beside the marquis's palace, was consecrated in 1708 by the archbishop of Benevento, Vincenzo Maria Orsini, who a few years later would become pope as Benedict XIII. Between 1927 and 1945 the municipality lost its independence and was attached to Chianche. It is one of the smallest in the province, and since 2017 its population has risen again thanks to the reception of twenty asylum seekers.
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
Near Petruro Irpino
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Places to see within 25 km
Outside Petruro Irpino, but an easy day trip away.