Apice Vecchia is located in the province of Benevento, on a hill, at 225 meters above sea level, near the Ufita, Miscano, and Calore rivers. It is defined, like other uninhabited villages, as a "ghost town," suspended in time in the 1960s, before the earthquake that caused its depopulation. The village, in fact, was completely evacuated after the 1980 earthquake, but most of the population, actually (about 6,500 people), had already moved to the hill opposite (the current Apice Nuova) following the 1962 earthquake, which had caused 17 victims. There, the mayor at the time, Luigi Bocchino, wanted to rebuild his Apice. There was only one inhabitant left, later interviewed by Italian and foreign magazines and televisions, who in 2012-2013 continued to run his business right in Apice Vecchia, in the ghost town. He is Tommaso Conza, a barber, whom the residents of the village, even though they had moved, continued to visit for a haircut, a chat, and a dive into the past. Time stands still in the 1960s in Apice, there are no neon signs, nor discos or lounge bars. Instead, we find the remains of some castles, which stood to protect the area. Of all, the most famous and best preserved is the Castello dell'Ettore, for which a restoration project is currently underway. Other sites of historical interest are the Church of Santa Maria Assunta and San Bartolomeo and the Convent of San Nicola: both date back to the 16th century. We also find some early twentieth-century buildings, such as Palazzo Cantelmo, Palazzo Perrillo, and Palazzo Falcetti. But what is the origin of Apice? It seems that the first settlement dates back to Roman times, to the 1st century AD, and that its name derives from Marcus Apicius, who donated land in the area to Roman legionaries, victors of the war campaigns against the Samnite populations. Other sources relate the name of the city to the ancient people of the Iapigi, an Indo-European population settled between the 2nd and 1st millennium BC in today's Apulia. Regardless of the etymology, however, the presence of settlements in Roman times in Apice is confirmed by the findings of coins, tombs, columns, and especially the Ponte Rotto, which was part of the Appian Way, the regina viarum that connected Rome to Brindisi. The main activity in Apice Vecchia was agriculture, particularly vines, olive trees, and vegetables. The rural origin of the place was also evident in its coat of arms, initially characterized by hills topped with ears of wheat, in memory of the fact that at the beginning of the sixteenth century, when the coat of arms was assigned to the city by Ferdinand II of Aragon, Apice had alleviated Neapolitan poverty precisely thanks to wheat production. Today, the flames have replaced the ears of wheat in the coat of arms, and the image is accompanied by a stream of water, the Calore river. Currently, visits and events are limited by anti-contagion regulations, but before the pandemic, Christmas markets and events were held in the Castello dell'Ettore. Inside the houses in the historic center of Apice Vecchia, the furnishings and objects left there by the inhabitants before leaving are still visible. You can also listen to a short story about Apice Vecchia in my interview on Radio Punto Nuovo at this link.
