Old Forge

On the corner of Piazza Roma and Via Telesina, in Cerreto Sannita, an old blacksmiths' workshop survives, probably from the 19th century, which remained active until the 1970s or 1980s. The building may originally have been linked to wool processing, as the stucco sheep on the façade suggests. We like it as a rare example of industrial archaeology in a neighbourhood once full of similar workshops.The interior has remained almost intact, with its beaten-earth floor, the forge, a large bellows and two anvils. A curiosity for film lovers: the workshop appears in the film I briganti italiani, shot in Cerreto in the 1960s, in a scene with a blacksmith at work. We recommend looking for it as you stroll towards nearby Via Fabbri, whose name tells the story of the quarter.