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Vincent Iantosca and Maria Antonia Ciampa, parents of Albert A. Antosca, came from the village of Montefalcione, in the province of Avellino, Italy. Avellino itself is a province located just outside of Naples and Pompeii. It is situated over the green valley crossed by the Sabato River and surrounded by the Pertenio, Avella and Picentini Mountains. Avellino today is mostly a modern town due to massive reconstruction after frequent earthquakes.

Avellino sinks it’s origins in the ancient Albellinum Avellino was founded by the Impinians during the 6th century BC. It was conquered from Rome during the Sannitiche Wars and then conquered by the Lombards in 571 AD. At that time, Avellino was transferred to the top of a hill because it was easier to defend there than the Roman town of Albellinum. Avellino saw the dominion of the Bizatines, the Normans, the Svevi, and the Angioni, the Aragoneses the vicere of Spain, the Austrians and the Borboni. Only after World War II did Avellino start its industrial and agricultural development.

The chestnut and nut factories as well as the wineries are important exports of Avellino. Some of the famous wines produced in Avellino are the Greco di Tufo and Taurasi wines. The beauty of the nature and the many archeological and cultural sites attract many tourists to the area adding to their revenue.

Earthquakes several times through the centuries have destroyed Avellino, so it has lost important historical monuments. Some of the monuments that remain today are: “The Dome” dedicated to the Madonna of the Assumed constructed in the XIIth centuries, “The Tower of the Clock”, a monument to Carl II of Asburgo, and the medieval façade of the “Palace of Customs”. On the nearby Mount Vergine is the famous Benedictine Monastery and the Sanctuary of Montevergine, founded in 1119 and visited by thousands of pilgrims annually. There you can also find there the “Ruins of the Lombard Castle”. It is at the Lombard Castle where in 1130 the Anti-pope, Anacletus II, conceded the titles of King of Sicily, Apulia, Calabria and Capua to the Norman, Roger II of Altavilla, Duke of Calabria.