Sannio: between two limestone mountains
North to south across the Valle Telesina at Castelvenere, from the Matese foothills over the clay hills and the Calore to the flank of Camposauro. Tap a layer to read it.
Swipe the plate sideways to see the whole section.
Schematic, and based on general knowledge of the area rather than a surveyed sheet: the limestone mountains, the clay-and-sandstone hills between them and the volcanic ash in the valley are right in outline, but every boundary is hand-placed. The thrust contacts are simplified to steep lines. Castelvenere sits 0.2 km off the line. The section has not been checked against the ISPRA CARG sheets for Benevento and the Telesina valley.
4 layers, youngest at the top
What makes the Sannio taste of itself
- Clay-limestone hills hold water, so vines come through hot, dry summers without stress.
- Volcanic ash adds a lighter, mineral, free-draining soil in places.
- Limestone mountains on both sides bring cold night air: late harvests and bright acidity.
- The vines run from 200 to 600 m, so the same grape can be picked weeks apart.
Did you knowThe Campanian Ignimbrite eruption, from the Campi Flegrei about 39,000 years ago, was the largest in the Mediterranean in the last 200,000 years. Its ash reached as far as Russia.
Pas Mal wines on this ground
Vigne Sannite, Castelvenere and Benevento
- Sannio AglianicoVigne Sannite
- Sannio Coda di VolpeVigne Sannite
- Sannio FianoVigne Sannite
- Sannio GrecoVigne Sannite
Sources: ISPRA Carta Geologica d'Italia (CARG); INGV on the Campanian Ignimbrite; Vigne Sannite grower data; AWS Terrain Tiles.