The Folk Group of Pontelandolfo has a history of over half a century.
During the years there have been various associations (bureaucratically
speaking), all eager to preserve and share the musical and popular
traditions of the country"Ri Ualanegli" Association was founded in 1978
as an evolution of the theater-folk group "La Torre" created and
directed by the parish priest Don Emilio Matarazzo in the 60s’. Some of
the most notable achievements: third place at the Munich International
Film Festival in 1985; third place at the Zakopane International
Festival in 1994; Third place for women's clothing at the Palma de
Mallorca International Festival in 1999. The word “Ualanegli” is the
plural form of “ualano”, the boy who helped drive the plough. More
generally, the Ualanegli were people who helped work in the fields. The
show proposed by "Ri Ualanegli" is centered on the representation of
life’s moment from the past narrated through the story of two young
people from the village, Rocco and Maria Vittoria. During the show the
fundamental steps of their life will be narrated: The birth of a new
life; The meeting during the San Michele fair (a typical appointment for
young people of the time to meet and fall in love); The fundamental
moments of human life mix with the moments of life in the fields: the
preparation of the land, the sowing, the harvest, the dances and songs
to relieve the effort; Engagement and wedding celebrations.
Pontelandolfo is a small town in the province of Benevento, in southern Italy, 100 km away from Naples and located between the mountains "Calvello" (1018 m) and "Sauco" (562 m). According to some findings of bricks, tiles and coins from the Roman era, a first settlement would have been born in the locality now called "Sorgenza". At the end of the 1st millennium AD, after the Saracen raids, there is news of a new inhabited center called "Casale di Santa Teodora". Pontelandolfo is also known for a very important episode for the unification of Italy. On 14 August 1861 Pontelandolfo was the scene of a military action by the newly formed Royal Italian Army in retaliation for the killing, by local brigands, of 45 soldiers on 7 August of that year. The town of Pontelandolfo was set on fire by the Italian military. No official data have been provided on the total number of victims of the repression.
