Rocca Bellusci

Born in Naples in 1833, Santo Bellusci, since 1853 - probably thanks to his father who was already part of it - managed to enter the bureaucratic sector of the Bourbon kingdom in charge of the control of public tenders for the supply of ice, product, all era, preserving the snow
(during the winter) in special circular buildings or, even, in simple pits, both called «neviere».
With the disappearance, in 1860, of the kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the consequent political and administrative changes, Santo Bellusci capitalized on the considerable experience acquired and launched into the enterprise of the snow trade, establishing its main logistic, administrative and operational base in Mugnano del Cardinale, that is, at the foot of the Partenio mountain massif, on which a large part of the raw material was collected and preserved, which then flowed to Naples.
Thanks to his undoubted intelligence combined with a remarkable resourcefulness, Santo Bellusci
accumulated a considerable fortune in a few years, buying and renovating five buildings in Mugnano (all in the Archi district) and having an elegant villa built on the hills, characterized by two cylindrical towers on either side, initially called "Casa di delizia" and, subsequently, "Rocca Erminia" in memory of a young daughter of the owner, who died in Mugnano del Cardinale, just sixteen years old, in 1876.
From 1896 to 1899, in Rocca Erminia lived, with his large family, prof. Antonio Iamalio,
teacher in the local high schools "Alessandro Manzoni" high school and female boarding school "Maria Cristina di Savoia" and author of fundamental essays on the history of Mugnano del Cardinale.

Pasquale Colucci