Le Donne della Rupe

An exhibition that tells the story of the town through its women

Le Donne della Rupe is the photographic exhibition that, in the height of summer, brings the memory of its community back to Cairano. Now in its seventh edition in 2026, the exhibition is hosted in the village's historic Community Oven and offers a journey through over a century of history, from the 20th century to the present day, told through the role of women in Cairano's life.

The displayed images—vintage photographs, family portraits, and historically significant shots preserved in local homes—provide an authentic snapshot of daily life: women working in the fields, engaged in domestic tasks, caring for their children and families, but also figures who achieved important social and cultural milestones, such as the first woman from Cairano to graduate from university. This is not a gallery of anonymous faces: visitors from outside see a century of the rural South, while locals recognize a grandmother, an aunt, or a neighbor.

Cairano, the village on the cliff

The Municipality of Cairano, in the province of Avellino, is one of the smallest towns in Campania and Alta Irpinia: a few hundred inhabitants gathered on a rocky spur overlooking the valley. It is precisely that cliff, a symbol of the town and its tenacity in the face of depopulation and the scars of the 1980 earthquake, that gives the exhibition its name. Here, photography is not merely an aesthetic exercise: it is a tool for identity, the way a tiny community keeps its generations together and shares its story with those who climb up here.

Organizers and spirit

The initiative is conceived and curated by Fabrizio Bilotta, a student and emerging director, and architect Raffaele Schiavone, with the patronage and support of the Cairano Pro Loco and the municipal administration. In the curators' intentions, "Le Donne della Rupe" is not meant to be just a photo exhibition, but an opportunity for collective reflection on the human and social heritage preserved in the memory of these images: a distributed archive that, without patient collection work, would risk being lost along with the closed houses of the historic center.

What to expect from your visit

• Vintage photographs and images of historical value selected from those kept by Cairano families.
• A venue that is part of the story: the Community Oven, once a place of collective work, now an exhibition space.
• A thematic path following the threads of work, care, emigration, and female emancipation.
• Free admission, as per the exhibition's tradition.
• Evening inauguration, a moment when the town gathers and often welcomes back Cairano emigrants.
• A short visit—the exhibition is intimate—that pairs perfectly with a walk through the village and along the cliff.

Why it's worth the trip

Those visiting Alta Irpinia in July will find festivals, patron saint feasts, and outdoor events in almost every town. "Le Donne della Rupe" is something different: a quiet, small-scale event that says a great deal about how life is and was lived in this part of inland Campania. It is the type of event that restores the true meaning of village tourism: not a show, but an encounter with a community that chooses to tell its own story.

The exhibition is part of Cairano's summer calendar, organized by the Pro Loco together with the Municipality, and can be the perfect excuse to discover the landscape of Alta Irpinia: ridges, wheat fields, villages rebuilt after the earthquake, and a light that, towards evening, makes the cliff unmistakable.

Tips for your visit

The best time to come up is late afternoon, when the temperature drops and the village comes to life. Those who want to be sure to find the exhibition open should check the hours with the Cairano Pro Loco, which manages public access in the days following the inauguration. It is an experience also suitable for families and those traveling with parents or grandparents originally from Irpinia: in front of these photographs, the stories tell themselves.