BENEVENTO, UNESCO CITY

Few Italian cities can boast such a historical and cultural heritage as that of Benevento: probably founded by the Oscans with the name of Maloenton, then passing under the domination of the Samnites, the Romans (who renamed it Maleventum and, later, Beneventum), the Lombards (who, in turn, founded there the duchy of the same name), and then becoming a papal enclave in medieval times. The Samnite capital is a city that can be called an “open-air museum,” enhanced by the many architectural beauties that these great civilizations of the past left behind on their passage: splendors that are concentrated in Benevento’s historic center. Of considerable importance, as well as a symbol of the city, is the Church of St. Sophia, a UNESCO heritage site since 2011.