Sepino: Roman Heritage and Samnite History

Sepino’s cultural history unfolds through the Roman city of Saepinum and an older Samnite center. When planning your trip, you can choose different areas of interest: archaeological structures, finds from the urban area, or trails through nature. Historic routes are also part of the area’s character. This makes it possible to plan your stay around specific interests without conflating the different places and periods.

Saepinum and Terravecchia

The visitable remains of the Roman city of Saepinum are located in Altilia. There, a footpath offers views of the circuit wall, the collapse debris and stone slabs along the outer wall, which probably belonged to the former rampart walk. The Fontana del Grifo is located on Saepinum’s Decumanus and has been declared a national monument. Porta Boiano is the only one of the four gates considered to have been almost fully reconstructed.

Saepinum was built at a crossroads: the route later known as the Tratturo Pescasseroli-Candela met a route running from the Matese massif toward the hills of the Tammaro River plain. The Parco Archeologico di Sepino offers a themed tour called “On the Tratturo: the Decumanus.” Another tour is called “On the mountain paths: the Cardo.”

Terravecchia refers to the mountain site of Sepino’s earlier fortified Samnite center. Two distinct historical layers are therefore present side by side: the Samnite center and the Roman city of Saepinum. The park explores various themes, including agro-pastoral culture, forests and nature, water and sky, built and transformed heritage, and routes.

Museum and Historic Structures

The Museo della città e del territorio displays archaeological finds from excavation campaigns carried out between the 1950s and the 1990s. The collection is arranged chronologically, takes the original excavation contexts into account, and groups the objects by theme. Finds from the urban area and necropolis of the Roman municipium of Saepinum illustrate various aspects of urban life during the imperial period. Organizing the exhibits by period, find context, and theme offers several ways to explore them.

Individual structures also tell the story of Saepinum. The theater had a tetrapylon entrance at each end of its semicircle. The relics of the arm of Saint Cristina are kept in the Tesoro, where silver-plated copper busts stand in eight wall niches. The Postierla del Matese is considered one of the best-preserved examples of Samnite military engineering. The Italic temple of San Pietro in Cantoni was built at the same time as the fortified settlement of Ocre.

Landscape and Nature Trails

Among the attractions identified for Sepino are the Pianoro di Campitello di Sepino and the surrounding mountains. A nature trail connects the Lama and Porta Paradiso area in Sepino with the Terme Tre Fontane thermal area and the Cascata delle Castagne. There are also signposted nature trails for walking and trekking, as well as riding trails along the Tratturo. These routes offer different options, from walks to trekking and horseback riding.

Historical sources from Tre Fontane associate the water with healing properties said to have been known as far back as the time of ancient Altilia-Saepinum, around two thousand years ago. This tradition adds a historical perspective to the nature and water themes. If you want to combine visits to archaeological sites with outdoor trails, you can consider each area of interest separately when planning.

Plan Your Journey

Sepino can be reached via the SS 87 and SS 17 state roads, using the respective Sepino exits. Check road information before your trip. A bus service operated by Autolinee Larivera connects Sepino with Campobasso via San Giuliano del Sannio and Cercepiccola. As bus service details may change, it is advisable to check the connection before departure.

Discover more destinations: Campobasso, Mafalda, Colle d'Anchise, Guardiaregia, Guglionesi, Larino, Campomarino, San Leonardo

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