The village of Forchia is located on a chestnut-covered hill at the foot of Monte San Bernardo, bordering the metropolitan city of Naples and is an integral part of the Caudina Valley.
According to some, the name Forchia may have originated from ‘forculae’ (meaning forks), the term referring to the Battle of the Forche Caudine, a battle in which the Samnites defeated two Roman legions in 321 BC.
Or, according to others, its name derives from the Latin ‘furcula’ or ‘gorge, pass’ because of its geographical position in the middle of two mountains. In Lombard times, it was the seat of a castaldate.
Feudal and administrative changes in the neighbouring town of Alpaia followed almost uninterruptedly. It then belonged to the Leonessa family, then to the Guevaras, the Carafas, and finally to the Caracciolo family. It became part of Benevento after the unification of Italy in 1861.
In 1456, the municipality was completely destroyed by an earthquake of magnitude 7.1.
Today, the municipality has about 1,200 inhabitants. The inhabitants of the municipality celebrate every year: the Cherry Festival (late May to early June) and the piadina festival (early September).