The city of witches with Lombard origins: here's what to see in one day in this fascinating pearl of Campania.
If you say Benevento you can think of the city of witches, the city of the famous liqueur (Strega) and nougats, the city of the Samnites, the Lombards. Some might think, instead, of the local football team's company that last year made its debut in Serie A for the first time, others might remember Benevento for its DOC wines (Falanghina and Aglianico in primis), viticultural productions which earned it the prestigious award of European capital of wine 2019.
Yet when I was traveling as a child to the question: “where are you from? Answering Benevento, I could see, most of the time, a big question mark appear on the faces of my interlocutors and then the only way to clarify better was to reply by saying: “you know Naples? Here I live about 100 km from Naples“And the question mark disappeared.
Yes, that Naples is the first woman of Campania is indisputable, but Benevento has certainly managed to claim its niche of popularity.
The city of witches
The city of witches, or rather of the "janare" as they were called in dialect, is one of the most popular expressions with which the city is identified. According to legends, the Witches gathered for the Sabbaths under a walnut tree, near the banks of the river Sabato, reciting the chant: "mànname a lu nocio 'e Beneviente, under water and under ô viento, under â ogne maletiempo ”.
Maleventum it was, however, the original name of the city in antiquity then changed to Beneventum after the epic battle of 275 BC in which the Romans took possession of the territory by defeating the Macedonian King Pyrrhus and ending the control of the Samnites.
The origins of Benevento
The Samnites, the Romans but above all the Lombards are the peoples who have shaped and enriched Benevento most and walking in the historic center you will see the traces of these dominations.
If you decide to spend even just a day in the Samnite capital you will immediately realize that the city center is small and well-kept, built with a typically Roman plan, divided between decumani and hinges.
The road from which you should start is Corso Garibaldi, the major decuman, along which you can admire the main monuments.
What to see in Benevento
If you start from the north you will immediately run into the Fortress of the Rectors, current seat of the Provincial Administration, which perfectly reflects the historical changes that the city has undergone. The building is very particular and consists of a corner tower, built with Roman stones, on the remains of a Lombard fortress, in which a second rectangular-shaped medieval building is inserted which, in the 300th century, housed the Rectors ( Governors) Papal. Inside it is possible to admire the dungeons, the large eighteenth-century halls, the gardens and the historical section of the Sannio Museum where documents from the Risorgimento period are kept.
Il Sannio Museum, a few meters from the Rocca, is the main museum complex in which the archaeological heritage of the Samnite area has converged, divided into sections: archaeological, destined to Paleolithic, Roman and Egyptian finds, medievalistic dedicated to the Lombard period and the artistic section with a Picture Gallery .
The symbol of Benevento
Before entering the Museum you will be struck by what I believe is the symbolic monument of Benevento, as well as UNESCO heritage since 2011: the beautiful Church of Santa Sofia (the Museum is located in the former monastery adjacent to the Church). To understand its uniqueness, one must enter it; the interior is a play of perspectives created by the particular arrangement of columns, vaults, arches and pillars. The beautiful Cloister is also worth a visit.
Santa Sofia is among the flagships not only of Benevento but also of Lombard architecture and not surprisingly is also part of the artistic network "Lombards in Italy: the places of power (568-774)" which unites 7 Italian cities in which it is It is possible to admire buildings of the same historical-cultural matrix.
Continuing, take Vico Noce and you will discover theHortus Conclusus, a small open-air museum; a garden where some works by the famous Samnite artist are installed Mimmo Palladino. The garden was once a vegetable garden of the Convent of San Domenico and the installations allude to the sacred / profane dichotomy, Greek mythology and local history.
Returning to the Corso, the next and obligatory stop is theArch of Trajan, among the best preserved of antiquity, dedicated to the Emperor of the same name, very rich in details and decorative reliefs, in contention, from May 2018, to enter the UNESCO heritage.
A little further on, from Piazza Orsini, you can admire the imposing Duomo dedicated to Sancta Maria de Episcopio, characterized by the Romanesque facade and the beautiful bronze door; the Juana Maior.
Then taking the adjacent via Carlo Torre you will see the Arco del Sacramento and from there you can get to the Roman Theatre; a semicircular theater built under the aegis of Emperor Hadrian, still used today for musical and theatrical events.
In the alleys of Benevento
To conclude your visit, get lost in the alleys of Triggio district, the ancient heart of the medieval city, or retrace the Corso and go to the area of Piazzetta Various, the heart of the nightlife, where there is no shortage of clubs and bars, also famous for the prestigious Nicola Sala Conservatory.
