This time we decided to visit Benevento by going inside rather than looking from the outside: churches, museums and collections that hold the city's memory. It is the right itinerary for a rainy day, but also for anyone who really wants to understand what lies behind the famous monuments.
The cathedral, the oldest church in the city
We started with the cathedral, dedicated to Santa Maria de Episcopio. Its origins go back to the 7th century and it was rebuilt in the 8th century under the Lombard duke Arechis II. The Romanesque façade in white marble dates from the 13th century, while the bell tower was begun in 1279 at the behest of Archbishop Romano Capodiferro.
The cathedral's recent history touched us deeply: the bombing of September 1943 destroyed it almost completely, and reconstruction only began in 1950. After a long restoration the cathedral reopened in 2012. Among the surviving treasures is the 12th-century bronze door, made up of 72 panels with scenes from the Gospels and figures of bishops: reduced to fragments by the bombs, it has been patiently restored and pieced back together.
The Diocesan Museum and the underground route
Beneath the cathedral lies one of the routes we enjoyed most. The Diocesan Museum extends through the cathedral's pseudo-crypt and the connected spaces, recovered after excavations. Walking among panels and finds, you pass through the layers of the site: traces ranging from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages, by way of Samnites, Romans, early Christians and Lombards. We were struck by seeing how, quite literally, one city is built on top of another.
Santa Sofia and the Museo del Sannio
The second stop is the Santa Sofia complex. The Lombard church, dating from around 760 and a UNESCO site since 2011, is worth a visit on its own (we describe it in 3 must-see places in Benevento). Next to it, in the cloister, is the Museo del Sannio, whose collections began in 1806 and which was formally established in 1873; it has been housed right here since 1929.
The museum is divided into sections: the archaeological one on the ground floor, with Samnite and Roman material; the medieval one, devoted to the so-called Langobardia Minor; and the art section on the first floor. We recommend spending some time in the cloister too, with its carved capitals. Find out more in Santa Sofia and the Museo del Sannio.
The Museo Arcos and Egyptian Benevento
Not everyone knows that in Benevento, under Emperor Domitian, there was a temple dedicated to Isis. The Egyptian finds from that temple, such as statues of deities, priests, falcons and lions, are now on display at the Museo Arcos, in the basement of the Prefecture building, a short distance from Santa Sofia. The same museum also has a contemporary art section: an unusual combination that we liked a lot.
The Rocca dei Rettori and the Hortus Conclusus
As well as being one of the city's symbols, the Rocca dei Rettori houses the historical section of the Museo del Sannio, with material on the history, art and traditions of Benevento and its province. From here we suggest heading to the Hortus Conclusus, a garden created in one of the kitchen gardens of the former convent of San Domenico and transformed in 1992 into an open-air work of art by Mimmo Paladino, a leading figure of the Transavanguardia. Among the sculptures, a large bronze horse stands out. We talk about it in The Rocca dei Rettori and the Hortus Conclusus.
How to get there and when to go
Benevento is served by rail on the line to Naples and Caserta and, by car, by the motorway link road connected to the A16. All the places on this itinerary are in the historic centre, easy to reach on foot. Museums and churches can be visited in any season, but bear in mind that opening times may change during the year and on public holidays: check opening times and tickets on the official website before you set off.
In the surroundings
To complete the picture with the open-air monuments, read What to see in Benevento, and for the rest of the province our guide Benevento and its surroundings. Museum lovers will find plenty to enjoy in Montesarchio, with The Castle and the Museo del Sannio Caudino, and in Cerreto Sannita, famous for its ceramics: we tell you about it in Cerreto Sannita and its ceramics.
Top photo (Benevento): Dэя-Бøяg, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
