Cantalupo nel Sannio

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Comune di Cantalupo nel Sannio
Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Molise
Province	Isernia (IS)
Mayor

Elevation	m
Area	15 km²
Population
- Total (as of 2001)	736
- Density	49/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	41°31′N, 14°40′E
Gentilic	Cantalupesi
Dialing code	0865
Postal code	86092

Patron	St. Anne
- Day	July 26
Location of Cantalupo nel Sannio in Italy
Website: www.comune.cantalupo.is.it

Cantalupo nel Sannio is a town and commune in the province of Isernia, in the Molise region of southern Italy.

The town was known simply as Cantalupo until February 4, 1864, when the denomination nel Sannio was added in order to differentiate it from other villages with the same name.^[1] The specification of nel Sannio is derived from the fact that the village is located in the ancient territory of Samnium, which was inhabited by fierce Italic tribes known as the Samnites, famous for their resistance of Roman domination in the Samnite Wars. The name Cantalupo is thought either to derive from the Greek "Kata-Lupon", "in the middle of the woods", or from the Bulgarian "Kan-Teleped", meaning "chief residence".^[1] The latter explanation is favoured due to the well-established Bulgarian presence in the territory of Samnium going back at least to the 7th century^[1].

Many Cantalupo's inhabitants emigrated to North America, Australia, South America, and other places following both the Great War and World War II. A substantial population of Cantalupesi settled in Montreal, Canada, where they founded and still maintain the Associazione di Sant'Anna di Cantalupo, named in honour of the village's patron saint, Saint Anne, Christ's maternal grandmother. She became Cantalupo's patron following an earthquake on July 26, 1805 (which is the feast day of Saint Anne), that miraculously ended when the Saint's statue was taken out of the village church of San Salvatore. In 2005, the bicentenary of the miracle was celebrated on July 26, with the return of many expatriates from around the world, and a monument in the town square was dedicated to Cantalupo's sons and daughters in the worldwide Italian diaspora.