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The Obelisk of the Temple of Isis
St. Sofia Cloister
Arco di TraianoStumbling on a Beautiful Secret
"Chance brought me here"
Benevento suffers from two different curses. First, it is in southern Italy, a part of the Italian peninsula that is shamefully ignored by many tourists who concentrate on the big three: Rome, Florence and Venice. Second, Benevento is inland, far from the coast and not really on the route between major cities or destinations (although it is relatively close to Naples). All together, this means that most of the people who comes to visit Benevento are Italian tourists, which provides the "off-the-beaten-track" foreign tourist with a very different feel. Benevento comes from the Roman name for the city, Beneventum, good wind, and it certainly was a lucky wind that blew me here on my aimless wanderings through south-central Italy.
"Convenience and history"
One of the greatest parts of benevento is the fact that almost all of its historic sites lie on or just off of Corso Garibaldi, the long street that cuts across the historic centre. When I visited in 2005, much of Corso Garibaldi was under restauration or reconstruction, which leads me to believe that it must be even more enjoyable today to walk through along the street that collects the millenia of history associate with this town. Benevento has something to appease most fans of history. Although the town was founded by the Romans, it contains clear influences from Egyptian and Greek sources. The Longobards made their mark on the town, and the presence of Papal guards and frequent visits by various Popes all helped to reinforce the cultural and artistic heritage of what is now a forgotten attraction.
