Things to Do and See in Benevento

The glorious past of these lands is fully reflected in their architectural and artistic heritage, which bears witness to the various eras that have followed one another. In particular, in Benevento—which became a Roman colony in 268 B.C. and grew into an important political and economic center—three emperors were determined to leave a tangible mark of their time there: Domitian, with the Temple of Isis (making Benevento one of the most important sites for the discovery of Egyptian and Neo-Egyptian sculptures), Trajan with the Triumphal Arch built between 114 and 117 A.D., and Hadrian with the Theater, famous for its acoustics. All are still visible today, bearing witness to a journey not only through places and space but also through memory and time. These exceptional architectural treasures make for a pleasant stroll through the city’s streets, where you can admire the Church of Santa Sofia, a Lombard structure dating from 760 with a hexagonal floor plan and a beautiful cloister. The main church, however, is the Cathedral, which dates back to 780 and was expanded around 1100 in the Romanesque style.