Lioni

Lioni
Comune
Comune di Lioni
Panoramic view of Lioni
Lioni Location of Lioni in Italy
Coordinates: 40°52′N 15°11′E / 40.867°N 15.183°E / 40.867; 15.183Coordinates: 40°52′N 15°11′E / 40.867°N 15.183°E / 40.867; 15.183
Country	Italy
Region	Campania
Province / Metropolitan city	Avellino (AV)
Government
• Mayor	Rodolfo Salzarulo (since May 2006)
Area
• Total	46.17 km2 (17.83 sq mi)
Elevation	550 m (1,800 ft)
Population (2008)
• Total	6,390
• Density	140/km2 (360/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Lionesi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	83047
Dialing code	0827
Patron saint	St. Rocco
Saint day	August 16
Website	Official website

Lioni is a town and comune in the province of Avellino, Campania, Italy. Its population was, in 2008, of 6,390.

Located in western Irpinia, the municipality borders with Bagnoli Irpino, Calabritto, Caposele, Morra De Sanctis, Nusco, Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi and Teora. It is 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Avellino and is linked by a mountain road to the ski resort of Laceno.

The town's name appears for the first time in a deed of gift dated 883, with which the Lombard prince Sicardo granted the abbess of S. Sofia a property located in "Lions" (Lioni).

The ancient settlement was probably one of the smaller neighboring towns of Ferentino, a Samnite stronghold destroyed by the Romans during the violent wars that bloodied the area.

The remains of Cyclopean walls typical of Samnite fortified villages were found on mount Oppido between Lioni and Caposele. Samnites built these fortified walls because they were constantly besieged by the Romans. The walls encompassed an area large enough to hold houses, barns, and land for pasture.

Numerous clay fragments, primarily from tiles and pottery, were found inside the walled area of Oppido. In addition, the town contains foundations of a large building whose layout resembles a medieval castle, and thus suggests continued use of the site in medieval times.

In 1986 a stone marker (Termine Graccano) was discovered between Lioni and Teora, in Contrada Civita. This marker confirmed the hypothesis that the territory of the High Ofanto was affected by the agrarian reform initiated by the Gracchi in the first century BC. This reform redistributed public agricultural lands to the poorest citizens of Rome. The lands were divided into lots according to a square lattice of streets intersecting at right angles (and main streets running along the cardinal points). The stone markers were placed at regular intervals within this grid. The marker found in Contrada Civita bears an inscription quoting Gaius Gracchus, the son of Tiberius Sempronia, who was a member of the agrarian commission between 131 and 121 BC.