The pleasant town of Bracigliano is situated in a small hollow on which there is Piesco Mount, surrounded by hills covered by woods and flowers. Bracigliano has very ancient origins, thanks to the active presence of Phoenicians and Pelasgians, Etrurians and Samnites. On Mount Ariella there are many cherry trees.

In the past the "nevrieri" were very common: pressed snow was a very developed resource. During winters, men and women went to Salto in a place called "Nevere": they collected a lot of snow and then pressed it in appropriate pits. Then they covered the pits with leafs and earth. During summer snow was prepared in blocks of 50 kg and it was sold to bars for the preparation of ice-creams, to butchers and fish-shops, to hospitals and citizens. The snow was also brought during the night in an appropriate store founded in 1860 by Alfonso Amato from Bracigliano in Salerno, in the ancient Via dei Mercanti. It was sold to Salerno citizens. The street of the store today is called Vicolo della Neve (Snow street). Near the store there was an inn, now it is a famous restaurant. Alfonso Amato died in 1902. Antonio, his son, continued Amato’s business and in 1912 he implanted in Nocera Inferiore a factory for the mechanical production of ice. This factory was the first in Campania. The store was left to Alfonso, Antonio’s son. But it was closed in 1930 when Alfonso went to live in Nocera Inferiore to manage his father’s factory. The production of manually pressed snow ended in 1945.

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written by: Stefania Maffeo