Starting from the main square of Sant’Agnello, going up Via Mons. Bonaventura Gargiulo we arrive at the Maiano district, one of the oldest in Sant’Agnello.
First, however, it is appropriate to stop for a few minutes at the chapel of San Martino, a simple chapel very dear to the inhabitants of the village. Inside it is possible to admire a painting of the Virgin breastfeeding the Child Jesus, also by an unknown artist.
A few more meters and we arrive at Maiano, one of the five districts that formed, in the 16th century, the Terziere di Piano.
It is a district in which finds dating back to the Greek and Roman eras have been found. Today, to bear witness to this ancient past, the characteristic Tower remains, which over time has become the symbol of this district. It is known by the name of La Forma and is located at the mouth of Via Armieri, a small artery today almost completely forgotten. In the past, however, it was an important communication route between the urban center and the rural hamlets.
In 1648, at the time of the siege of the Pianesi and the Metesi to the city of Sorrento, the tower was the seat of Grillo, leader of the rebels. Even the old farmhouse annexed to the building is now in disuse and requires careful restoration work.
The Maiano district includes many characteristic alleys, overlooked by the old tuff houses, some renovated, many left as before, with large piperno doors overlooking the large courtyard. These ancient houses are certainly the most beautiful to see because they are the last testimonies of a bygone era; if we pass in front of an open door, it is possible to admire the large entrance halls, the ancient cisterns now in disuse. But from which, until the Sixties, water was still drawn, since the water pipe did not reach all the homes.
A very ancient activity still survives in Maiano: the manufacture of bricks, made using clay, once abundant in the Sorrento area.
The bricks produced in Maiano are used for the construction of the famous pizza ovens and fireplaces.
This activity, dating back to Roman times, has made Sant’Agnello famous throughout Italy, as the bricks of Maiano, due to their characteristics, are highly sought after. Unfortunately, this activity is slowly disappearing, and only three furnaces continue to bake the red bricks and the floors used to build the ovens in which to bake bread and pizza.
It is an art that is jealously handed down from father to son, using artisanal processing systems, ancient but always effective. We hope that these last clay workers do not disappear, we hope that they continue to practice this activity that was a thriving industry in the past, which allowed many families to live decently. We hope that another piece of the past of the Santanellesi does not disappear.
Maiano becomes a call for the people of the Sorrento Peninsula on the last Sunday of August, the day in which the Feast of San Rocco is celebrated, the Saint venerated in the church of the district, which is not far from the Tower and is small and welcoming, a meeting point for the young people of the place.
It is a very simple construction, particularly dear to the inhabitants of Maiano.
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