has a population of 8,328 inhabitants and an area of approximately 12 square kilometers.
It occupies the southwestern part of the island.
It occupies the southwestern part of the island and consists of several ancient agglomerations located on delightful hills. The hamlets have autonomous history and traditions. Here, perhaps in a more balanced way than elsewhere, the new joins the old, tradition with innovation, agriculture with tourism.
Here the greenery still triumphs, the silence of the paths on the hills, here a wide beach allows the guest to always find a suitable corner for him, here it is possible to find adequate hospitality in the accommodation facilities. The territory of Barano has a particular charm, a magic that is perceived in every corner and which is the result of its antiquity and its traditions, the beauty and richness of the landscape, the tranquility of the places and the availability of its inhabitants. The population, of purely peasant origin, needed to create nuclei that were far from the center in order to be closer to the land to be cultivated.
Thus, the villages of Piedimonte were formed with the districts of Matarace and Molara, of Fiaiano, Testaccio with the districts of Chiummano, Piano and Vatoliere, of Buonopane and of Schapan with San Pancrazio. The municipal area, for those coming from Ischia, begins immediately after the Pillars and continues over hills and mountains until you reach the splendid Maronti Beach, at the foot of the Testaccio, and then disperse among the vegetation on the border with the Municipality of Serrara Fontana.
Barano has always been renowned for the fresh and healthy air that you breathe, for the fertile and lush valleys, for the beauty of the valleys and mountains, for the spectacular views, for the springs of Olmitello and Nitrodi and for the cultural traditions. . In Barano you can find the summary of all the forms of erosion found in Italy.
The “caves” that cut sharply like blows of erosive forms, here and there ventilate the “Apulian ravines”, a deep crevasse-shaped valley; the Piedmontese “ciccio”, swollen ground; the Bolognese “calanchi”, land that disintegrates easily and the Crete of Siena.
In this oddity of an almost frightening landscape characterized by phenomena of fumaroles and hot springs of water we find the famous “Cava Scura” on the Maronti beach; the quarries of S. Angelo; the quarry of Bridge of Buonopane; the Pallarito quarry which starts from Fontana. The main monuments are: parish church of S. Sebastiano, church of S. Rocco, parish church of S. Giovanni Battista and parish church of S. Giorgio. Folkloric is the dance of the Ndrezzata: dance with an unbridled rhythm and the violence expressed by the dancers in “fighting”, armed with mazzarielli and wooden swords. It takes place in the Buonopane district on Easter Monday and on the occasion of the feast of St. John the Baptist.
For more information visit the website of Comune di Barano d’Ischia