Conza vecchia
The ruins of the village destroyed by the Irpinia earthquake, turned into an archaeological park on a hill above a lake.
The story
On the evening of 23 November 1980 a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Irpinia and Basilicata, killing about 2,900 people. Conza was razed to the ground and rebuilt further down the valley. While clearing the rubble, archaeologists found the forum of the Roman town of Compsa beneath the medieval village: today you walk among the ancient streets, the collapsed cathedral and the 20th-century houses.
Why go
A place of remembrance that tells two thousand years of history in a few steps; below is the WWF reserve on Lake Conza, with herons and storks.
In the itineraries
Get directions ↗OpenStreetMap ↗
Saved. You'll find everything in My trip, where you can split it into days and see it on the map.
Saved on this device: you can open it even without a connection. All your saved pages are in Offline guides.
Weather forecast
The forecast for the next 7 days at this spot: sky, temperatures, rain and wind.
Forecast by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), from the models of national weather services. Your browser downloads it directly from Open-Meteo, and only when you ask. In the mountains and at sea the weather changes quickly: check the official forecast as well before you set off.
Getting there
- By train. The nearest station is Conza-Andretta-Cairano station, 2.7 km away. Alternatively: Cairano station, 3.7 km away.
- By air. The nearest airport is Salerno Airport (QSR), about 45 km away; with more flights, Naples Capodichino Airport (NAP) is about 88 km away.
- Parking. There are 10 signposted car parks within a kilometre; the nearest is 200 m away.
Stations, ports, airports and car parks from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); distances as the crow flies. Timetables and connections change: check them before you travel.
Climate month by month
The most pleasant months for weather are from April to June and from September to October, with average highs between 18 and 29 °C. From July to August it is hot: average highs exceed 30 °C. The wettest month is November (about 77 mm), the driest July.
| Month | Temperature | High / low | Rain mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | from 2 to 10 °C | 10° 2° | 52 |
| Feb | from 3 to 12 °C | 12° 3° | 48 |
| Mar | from 4 to 14 °C | 14° 4° | 49 |
| Apr | from 7 to 19 °C | 19° 7° | 33 |
| May | from 11 to 23 °C | 23° 11° | 52 |
| Jun | from 16 to 29 °C | 29° 16° | 32 |
| Jul | from 19 to 34 °C | 34° 19° | 22 |
| Aug | from 19 to 33 °C | 33° 19° | 34 |
| Sep | from 15 to 27 °C | 27° 15° | 52 |
| Oct | from 11 to 22 °C | 22° 11° | 57 |
| Nov | from 7 to 16 °C | 16° 7° | 77 |
| Dec | from 4 to 12 °C | 12° 4° | 38 |
Averages for 2015–2024, estimated for an altitude of 484 m. Air: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis), corrected for the altitude of the place; rain: average monthly total. These are indicative values: the weather on any given day can be very different, so always check the forecast before you go.