The ambiance of Castellino del Biferno is much like many southern Italian villages. A statue of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, widely known as Padre Pio, graces the entrance to the small town square, flanked by a bar on one side and a church on the other. But a closer look reveals subtle details that set it apart.

A van with a map of Italy minus the northern part of the country declares, “The Rebellious South.” Stickers with the shield of the Bourbon dynasty are plastered on shop doors, harkening back to the era of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the monarchy that ruled over southern Italy and Sicily from 1816 to 1861.