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History of Gallo Matese
This page has some errors and will be updated as soon as possible. Gallo Matese is a village amid the Matese Mountains at the north-eastern edge of la Campania: In Italy’s Mezzogiorno. The history of Gallo and the origin of its people is a bit obscure for some reasons. I hope this page will shed some light on the past and further the understanding of where the people came from who eventually became the Gallesi of today.
There are no official accounts detailing the exact date when the first human being was discovered roaming through the Gallese environs. But, the 1979 unearthing of fossilized human remains in near-by downtown Isernia has been described as "Europe's most important paleoanthropological discovery" The bones are believed to be of a primitive man who lived in and around our localities about 700.000 years ago. The Man has been called Homo Aeserniensis.
Tito Livio spoke about a brave people inhabiting the Northern area of the Campania region. He called these people "Montesi". It is quite logical and natural to interpret Montesi as "inhabitants of mountains". The Montesi took part in the wars that the "Sanniti Pentri", along with the other Sanniti tribes, fought against the rising Roman power (I, II and III wars against the Sanniti). We learn next that the Romans won the II and III and that the Sanniti and the Montesi found themselves under the rule of roman power. When Rome restructured the italic regions the Matese became part of the first region. There is evidence of the Sanniti presence in our area during that period. This evidence is located in walls in the nearby village of Letino, about 3 km from Gallo. The "Megawalls", as these are called, are typical of the Sanniti culture. Another example of "Megawalls" can be seen in the village of Pietrabbondante, in the Molise region, near Isernia.
We might also conclude that the cart tracks near Vallelunga date back to this period, and provide evidence of the Roman presence in this area. The cart tracks, cut in the rock of the "Pesco Rosso" and the "Maragoni" rift, climb from the Volturno plain to Gallo Matese and beyond. This ancient “road” is likely the link connecting the Abebuzia road by Alife and the Latina which runs near Venafro.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, thanks to its remote location, Gallo was spared from the Barbarian invasions.
In 1154, Gallo was called Gualdum (most likely from the German "Wald", meaning wood(s), forest) and was the possession of Riccardo, count of Fondi. During this period, Gallo was designated as "Feudum Unius Milites". What this meant was that Gallo was obliged to provide a military contingent of 12 soldiers and 12 valets in the event of military action (war). In fact this happened with the first Crusade.
In the year 1239, Giovanni di Guglielmo of Prata, and was also the feudal Lord of Gualdo. From 1329 to 1576 Gallo Matese was part of the feudal possessions of the barony of Prata. Ownership changed as the families who held the barony changed: The Capuano, Sanfromondo, Pandone, Mobel, Rota, Villani, Carafa, and the De Cordenis.
Around 1620, according documents in the care of the Abbey at Montecassino, the village was named "Lo Gallo".
In 1649, the Mastullo family became liege lords over the "feudo" (fiefdom) of Gallo with the title of Marchesato. In 1741, at the start of the "catasto onciario" (Land Register) of Gallo, the prince Giovanni Pignatelli of Monteroduni, was liege lord over Gallo. The Pignatellis held feudal ownership of Gallo until 1806, the year that Feudalism was abolished in Italy. Between 1806 and the 1815 many church and monastic holdings became public property (owned by the state) and subsequently sold to private individuals. In 1802 the population of Gallo had reached approximately 1500 inhabitants
During 1860-61 the Matese was shaken by the insurrectionary movement fomented by the briganti (Anarchists). The rebels “invaded” the villages of Presenzano and Capriati; occupied Letino and barged into Roccamandolfi, Pratella, Val di Prata and Castelpizzuto singing the praises of Francesco II. There were several skirmishes on the Matese: in the area near Gallo, at a place called Campo Figliuolo, the rebels won a victory over a company of Bersaglieri (an elite corps of the Italian armed forces).
Next, in 1877, there was one the most important attempts at insurrection, both from the point of view of organization as well as propaganda value. It was carried out in the Matese region by a group of sympathizers of the "Italian International Federation" and subsequently named "the band Matese ". Many of these sympathisers were personalities widely recognized as representatives of Italian anarchism of the time, of particular note were Carlo Alfieri and Errico Malatesta. The choice of the region was not by accident: Isolated, impervious, rugged mountains, sparsely populated, the area represented the ideal environment for guerrilla warfare: The rebels could carry out their sorties against the local villages then, with impunity, quickly reach the safety of their refuge or the interiors of abandoned farmhouses.
On April the 8th, 1877, the band Matese, led by Cafiero, Malatesta and by Pietro Cesare Ceccarelli, after occupying the neighbouring village of Letino, made their way towards Gallo Matese. The anarchists arrived at the municipio (Gallo’s town hall) at about 2 p.m. Malatesta broke down the door with gun shots, and, as done in Letino, they torched all of the "carta bollata" – all of the town’s official documents were destroyed: Deeds, land registers, tax schedules, loan documents etc., all as a symbolic gesture show the abolition of the rights of the state and private property. Meanwhile, the government troops, though not making a show of force, were not exactly idle: When the Internationalists left Gallo, they found themselves suddenly and utterly encircled. During the following days of the 9th and 10th, the Anarchists engaged in the dual task of finding a refuge and overcoming the encircling troops - To no end. However, on the 11th, the band, found cover at the masseria Concetta, three miles beyond Letino, where they decided to set up camp. On the following day, the 12th, a company of Bersaglieri stormed the farm-house and surprising the anarchists. Given the conditions of both men and arms, there was no resistance offered. The revolution of the Matese had thus come to an end.
On January 2 1927, after the elimination of the province of Caserta, Gallo Matese transitioned to the province of Campobasso. It returned to the province of Caserta on June 11, 1945 when the province was reconstituted after the ending of world war II.
Distribution of Gallesi who migrated to various countries of the world:
Many are the Gallesi who live in foreign countries. The countries having the greatest presence of Gallesi immigrants and their descendants are the United States (with the largest number), Canada, Germany, and Argentina and there, particularly in Buenos Aires: The Gallese “buonzain). As well, There is a presence in Venezuela, France, England, Luxemburg, Belgium, Australia.
In 1861, the inhabitants of Gallo numbered 2272. From this date forward the population grew to a record number of 3417 souls by 1921. From there the population started to fall drastically over the ensuing decades to reach the current actual of: (Census Istat 2001) Gallo (and Vallelunga) 761 inhabitants. Sadly, this downward trend has not changed since the last official count.
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