SERRE, THE TOWN IN WHICH OLIVE TREE HAS ITS PATRON

The territory of Serre is included between Sele and Calore rivers. It is very large and includes many hamlets, among them Persano (from persius, master).

In this territory there is the WWF Oasi Serre-Persano, created in 1981 to safeguard the nature. It is 110 hectares big and many different species live there: the otter, the matter with a thick and dark fur that lives in the woods and in the canebrakes eating fish and birds. Then there is the fox, the stone marten, the weasel and the dormouse. In the river there are chubs, tenches, eels etc. There are many different species of birds, among them teals, little egrets, red herons, etc. The wood is made of poplars, willows and alders, with beautiful flowers, too: narcissuses, cyclamens, lilies and wild roses.

Madonna dell’Ulivo Sanctuary is very interesting, it was built between X and XI century. There is only a nave with a large transept and two lateral chapels. On the main altar there is a XIII century wood statue, Madonna dell’Ulivo which holds the Child. In her right hand there is a small branch of olive tree.

Festival Alburni Jazz is a very interesting music event, in August.

HISTORY
There are two hypotheses about the origin of the name Serre. According to one of them, Serre comes from the Latin “sera” (spranga, a bar to close the door) because the town is surrounded and "closed" by hills. According to the other version the name comes from a tool called "serra", made of two handles and a big toothed blade. Woodsmen used it to cut the trees in the areas where they wanted to build their houses. This is why the town is called “the town of ‘serre’”.

Serre belonged to Postiglione barony which had many different feudatories, among them the Sanseverino family, whose last exponent was Roberto Ambrosio Sanseverino, who died in 1532. His daughter Maddalena came after him, she married Giulio de Rossi. So the family De Rossi started to rule the barony. They were count of Caiazza and then dukes of Serre. On 10th March 1758 there was an act with which Giuseppe de Rossi gave to the king Serre and Persano, obtaining Casaldiprincipe. Thus feudalism ended in Serre that started to belong to the king, fifty years before the law abolishing feudalism (1806).

FOLKLORE AND EVENTS
• The Feast of the Assumption (14th August)
• Saint Martin Feast (11th November)
• Saint Lucy Feast (13th December)
• Santa Rita Feast (22nd May)
• Madonna dell’Ulivo Feast (15th August)
• Olive tree festival
• Alburni Jazz (August)

MONUMENTS AND NATURAL BEAUTIES
• Madonna dell’Ulivo Sanctuary, it is very interesting, it was built between X and XI century. There is only a nave with a large transept and two lateral chapels. On the main altar there is a XIII century wood statue, Madonna dell’Ulivo which holds the Child. In her right hand there is a small branch of olive tree
• Ducal Palace made by two buildings linked by a wall forming a large courtyard in which there an interesting XVIII century stone pit, supported by two steps and decorated with two columns
• San Martino Church, with a beautiful tabernacle and a XVIII century wood statue of the Saint
• Real Sito di Caccia, built by Carlo III di Borbone between 1752 and 1754 with the inner courtyard decorated by four small towers and a beautiful portal con cortile
• The WWF Oasi Serre-Persano was created in 1981 to safeguard the nature. It is 110 hectares big and many different species live: the otter, the matter with a thick and dark fur that lives in the woods and in the canebrakes eating fish and birds. Then there is the fox, the stone marten, the weasel and the dormouse. In the river there chubs, tenches, eels etc. There are many different species of birds, among them teals, little egrets, red herons, etc. The wood is made of poplars, willows and alders, with beautiful flowers, too: narcissuses, cyclamens, lilies and wild roses
• Aeolian and photovoltaic station
• Museo dell’Arte Contadina, a museum dedicated to rural life and activities
• Persano Wood, it was the game preserve of Carlo III di Borbone in 1700 and there was an important horse breeding: these horses were used to go hunting and they were of “Real Razza di Persano”