The city of Benevento located in the hinterland of the Campania Region, positioned between the Sabato and Calore rivers, has a past rich in history, where evocative and splendid monuments are there to testify to centuries and centuries of glorious events. It is a city that can be called an “open-air museum.”

Known as the city of “Witches” also thanks to the famous liquor, the history of the magical city is summarized in three main periods: Roman, Lombard, Pontifical. Each period has left historical-artistic evidence of considerable value. The Trajan Arch, which stands in the center of the city, was built between 114 and 117 AD. in honor of Emperor Trajan, placed at the beginning of the Via Traiana, which shortened the route from Benevento to Brindisi; the Roman Theater, commissioned by Caracalla and famous for its excellent acoustics; the Arch of the Sacrament.

In the Longobard period, following the fall of the Kingdom of Pavia, it was elevated to a Principality by Arechi II, who, a lover of the arts and culture, created numerous architectural works, such as the church of St. Sophia with its beautiful cloister, the “Civitas Nova” with its perimeter walls. The end of Longobard domination marked Benevento’s transition to Papal rule: architectural evidence of this period is the majestic Rocca dei Rettori, the Cathedral, Paul V Palace, Basilica of St. Bartholomew, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Grace. With the Unification of Italy, Benevento was freed from Papal rule and by decree October 25, 1860, of Giorgio Pallavicini was declared a Province of Italy.

The Hortus Conclusus, in the garden of the former S. Domenico convent in Piazza Guerrazzi, is worth a visit, a collection of significant sculptural elements by artist Domenico Paladino, configuring a single completed work.

TO SEE: Trajan’s Arch; Roman Theater; Arch of the Sacrament; Church of St. Hilary; Leproso Bridge; Rocca dei Rettori; Church and cloister of St. Sophia; Lombard Walls; Cathedral; Paul V Palace; Basilica of St. Bartholomew; Basilica of Our Lady of Grace; Hortus conclusus.