Campoli Appennino: the land of bears and truffles

Campoli Appennino is a town of 1653 inhabitants in the province of Frosinone on the border between the regions of Lazio and Abruzzo. Located in the Comino Valley within the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. The economy is based on the research and marketing of truffles, numerous activities have been born over the years related to the sale of the product and its processing for typical recipes. The truffle house of Mario Sulpizio deals with research through the famous truffle dogs to research the product and use it in the production of foods, oils and body products such as creams. The black truffle has been cultivated in the company's limestone soils for about 30 years. On the farm there are mainly holm oak plants as they are more resistant. The company is also a leader not only in the production but also in the export abroad of its product. Typical local products are: white truffles, black truffles, marzolina, truffle sausages, organic honey, truffle tagliatelle, truffle egg, sliced with coriander and truffle. Typical desserts are: tarts made with organic fig or orange jam, zeppole di San Giuseppe and wine donuts. The city has inaugurated a wildlife project linked to the semi-freedom of bears that were in danger. The CASPITA association of Campoli Appennino deals with the management of the faunal area both from the tourist point of view and from the point of view of bear care; the area covers approximately 15 hectares formed on a karst basin which is located inside the town. Within the area there are currently three European brown bears. The church of Sant'Andrea Apostolo consists of a single nave, with a vault adorned with Corinthian-style frescoes. The style of the church is baroque, the two stoups were carved in 1613, the church organ is from the 17th century. The frescoes in the church are attributed to the Biancale brothers; of particular importance are the Ascension of Jesus, the Eternal Father and the holy spirit. In the church there are 10 altars, in the center in particular there is the main altar with the 1600 canvas representing the martyrdom of Sant'Andrea. There are various chapels of the church, the most characteristic are the one on the left where there is the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows and the fourth chapel where the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary is located and 15 frescoes representing the life of Jesus.