Day 8: Benevento – Telese Terme – Alife 47 Mles (334 Total)

 

Another approximation, as we logged 47 miles and the route shows 36 miles.

Due to our late arrival, we did not explore Benevento until the next morning.
(From the web)
Benevento was an important trading station for Ancient Rome (at that time called Beneventum) that developed along the Via Appia trade route between Rome and Brindisi. It later becoming a regional centre for southern Italy, a position it still holds today.

Benevento surrounded by the Apennine hills, and although damage during World War 2 had a very detrimental effect on Benevento and the town is not a major tourist destination there are several interesting Ancient Roman monuments and reconstructed later monuments to be seen here (although the majority of buildings in the centre are more recent).

People visit Benevento for the Roman monuments, the Roman theatre and Trajans Arch.
The roman theatre is still in good condition. It was built by Hadrian, and is ninety metres across, sufficient to seat up to 10000 spectators.

Trajan's Arch is an impressive marble arch that dates from the second century (it was built during the period from AD 114 - AD 166) and has ornate decorative carvings, largely commemorating the life and times of Emperor Trajan himself and built to celebrate the inauguration of the Via Traiano trade route and to control access to the town. The workmanship and detail in the stonework are of an exceptional quality.

Provincial Government Center

Norman Tower

Dog of the Day


Benevento Overlook



Trajan's Arch AD 114 - AD 166) 

Benevento 



Refueling Stop

Four lions guarding the new bridge (1949), John's birth year.

Norman Tower 



Mecarè B&B. Owner's family home, she has another apartment and teaches science in the local high school. We had the entire home.
Via E. Ponzio, 99, 81011 Alife, Italy

My bath

My Room

John's Room

Marble Stairs

Alife Cathedral at Night

Our best pizza restaurant. Many creative appetizers and perhaps 20+ types of pizza.

Eggplant Meatball Appetizer 

Another Appetizer. Balls of pizza dough are deep fried, sliced, then filled and topped. Delicious.


We shared 2 appetizers and split a pizza. 


The cathedral priests were locking up, but they invited us to view this Norman cathedral. 

(From the web)
Alife Cathedral, first built in 1132, was formerly dedicated to Pope Sixtus I, later Saint Sixtus, the patron saint of the city. After the severe earthquakes of 1456 and 1688, the cathedral was largely rebuilt in Baroque style, and reopened in 1692.

The interior maintained elements of the Lombard-Norman building, including two arcades decorated with sculptures of animals (including the elephant, heraldic symbol of the city established by the d'Aquino family, who ruled Alife from 1121 to 1269) and saints. Also interesting is the Romanesque crypt, which houses the relics of Saint Sixtus, brought here by Ranulf, Count of Alife: it has a rectangular plan and columns from the ancient Roman theatre.





Who would have guessed that this is the entrance to a fabulous home/B&B.


Lounge

Dog of the Day. Watching us leave.

Alife Norman Cathedral in the Daylight




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overview

Image
I have visited Northern Italy by auto and cycled across Italy east-to-west, through Tuscany/Umbria in 2019, starting and ending in Rome. (Blog: https://lnewman1107italy2019.blogspot.com/ ). I have yet to venture south of Rome.  We plan to cycle on paved roads, 11 days riding, carrying our gear, staying in small hotels listed on booking.com, and sampling the local cuisine.   Weather Southern Italy in summer is hot and dry, but October typically has some precipitation 1/3 of the days, with temperatures in the 50-80F range. I’ve packed full rain gear, just in case. Riders We are 2, 76-year old veteran cyclists. This will be my 4th tour with John H. John is taking his S and S coupled bike and will use panniers to carry his gear. (An S and S Coupling also known as a Bicycle Torque Coupling or BTC is a coupling which enables bicycle frames to be separated into smaller parts).  I will ride my 1994 Bike Friday Pocket Rocket folding bike with 20” wheels. The 30” Samsonite b...
Read more

Day 5: Head Wind Day: Matera – Gravina – Palazzo San Gervasio 51 miles (189 total)

Image
Ominous Warning from Italian Air Force Headwinds We managed to start early, by 8 am, but by 10am, winds were gusting in the 25 mph range. We ended up on some inferior roads and were saved from a mud bog experience by a bike tourist from Nottingham, UK. He was roughly following Euro Velo Route 5 and had slogged through a mud section 5 miles ahead of us. We routed around it, adding more miles. We arrived in Plato San Gervasio exhausted. Hilltop Towns As we ride further from the coast, most towns are situated on hills, making the final miles difficult. Palazzo San Gervasio was no exception. A good average speed with loaded touring bikes is 10-12 mph, but we struggled to make 7 mph into the wind on the flats. I was at 3-4 mph on the climbs not hilltop cities. Web description: Palazzo San Gervasio: (Pop. 5,000) is a small agricultural town and commune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. While the regional Lucanian dialect is still spoken amongst the old...
Read more

Day 3: Trulli Day: Ostuni - Locorotondo - Alberbello – Putigano (October 5, 2025) 29 miles (102 miles to date)

Image
We began by walking the walls of Ostuni, then getting an 8 am start to get to Putigano before a forecast rain and high winds. We largely stuck to the more direct car roads with better surfaces and fewer sharp climbs. Rain began about 5 miles outside Putigano, we arrived by noon, damp but not soaked. We managed to find Accogliente Dimora, Via Santo Stefano 44, 70017, in 10 minutes. We are within the walls  where GPS is not terribly precise.  We rang the bell and were about to text when Giuseppe hailed us from up the passageway. We left our luggage in the lobby, parked our bikes in a nearby building, took luggage up one level to our room, then had lunch in his restaurant. Excellent lunch and our likely dinner spot, as most of the businesses are closed on Sunday. We stopped at a large supermarket in Alberbello with impressive deli and take-away options, but he could not sell hot coffee on Sunday. Interesting blue law . Ostuni Morning Stroll Photos. All the following pho...
Read more