Samnite & Egyptian Museums of Benevento

Benevento is a little over an hour drive from Venafro, and it was a Samnite city as well, before being agglomerated by Ancient Rome. It’s mane means “luckily wind,” after being conquered by the Romans, as it was earlier known as “Maleventum,” or “unluckily wind,” due to Samnites’ resistance. As of today, it hosts an incredible Samnite Museum, as well as the only Egyptian set of monuments ever erected outside Egypt by willing of Roman emperor Diocletian, responsible for the empire's last, largest, and bloodiest official persecution of Christianity.

Diocletian also ordered the construction of a Temple in Benevento dedicated to the worshipping of Egyptian goddess Isis, mother of Horus. Even though the actual temple has been lost, Egyptian statues and artifacts have been discovered and are now exhibited at the Museum.

Benevento is just another example of how much Christianity changed and reshaped the Western world starting right from the Samnium region, where Pontius Pilate was from. Another major site of attraction still well preserved in Benevento is the Arch of Trajan. However, after the fall of the Roman Empire, Benevento became the Capital of the Duchy and later Principality of Benevento, the southernmost Lombard duchy in medieval Italy, and cut off from the rest of Lombard Italy by the papal Duchy of Rome. The Lombards were Germanic populations descended from Denmark, who settled and ruled most of Italy after the success of their king Alboin.

Flat rate for the one day tour. Price includes transportation from Venafro to Benevento, and is valid up to 4 people.