Travel Guide
Hidden Gem Unveiled! This City In Italy Offers Cheap Prices & Ancient Sights
May
Planning an idyllic voyage across Italy this summer, ticking off all of the significant landmarks?# From the floating canal city of Venice, to Rome’s millennia-old monuments—and every smaller, picture-perfect medieval town in between—there’s plenty to keep you busy.
You’re probably thinking you don’t need us to dangle yet another tempting detour in front of your eyes, and we’re genuinely sorry to make your travel plans harder, but…
Have you heard of a gorgeous, largely untouched Benevento?
Think Italy’s unmatched summer idleness and ancient culture, without the off-the-chart prices and maddening crowds:
Italy’s Idyllic Campania, Minus The Amalfi Chaos
A small city in the Campanian hinterland, Italy’s southerly region best known for Naples and its adjacent Amalfi Coast, Benevento is one of those hidden gems boasting a rich history and an enviable material heritage—it’s hard to fathom how it’s even been overlooked this long.
After all, it’s not like tourists are flocking here from all over, at least compared to places like Positano or Sorrento, which sit on the coast:
Benevento is further inland, and unless you’re a History buff, chances are you’ve never even heard of it.
For a quick introduction, it is a continuation of Beneventum, a Roman settlement believed to have been founded by Diomedes himself in the wake of the legendary Trojan War.
Over the centuries that followed, Benevento accumulated an enviable concentration of ornate structures, such as:
- The Arch of Trajan, a beautifully-carved Roman arch, erected between the years 114 and 117 AD
- The Ancient Theater, a well-preserved ancient Roman venue, dating back to the reign of Hadrian
- Rocca dei Rettori: a fortress built over Roman foundations, now housing a museum
- Santa Sofia: a Lombard Baroque style church and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Santa Maria Assunta: a cathedral distinguished by its arcaded façade and incomplete square bell tower
The occasional tourist may be primarily drawn to Benevento’s architectural treasures, but most Italians come here for one thing only: witches.
Welcome To Italy’s Salem
Known across the South of Italy as Città delle Streghe, or City of Witches, Benevento’s local mythology involves stories of witches who gather under an old walnut tree by the eerie Sabato River to engage in ungodly pagan rituals.
This legend has circulated since the 13th century, and though a walnut tree is no longer there, in strolling the cobble-paved, medieval streets of Benevento, you might find a mini witch figures scattered around the place, the odd abandoned hat or broom, and of course, Strega Liqueur.
The city’s most famous export is an herbal liqueur—witches are famous for concocting potions, remember? Produced since 1860 and found in abundance in souvenir shops, especially Strega Alberti, on Piazza Vittoria Colonna, where there is a full range of ‘Strega’ spirits.
Witchcraft aside, Benevento is popular for its gastronomy, as it is home to a plethora of family-owned trattorie that still serve food the traditional way:
Delicious Food At Affordable Prices
For fresh seafood pasta and the best baccalà in town, make sure you add Osteria Baccaleria Nikila to your list of places to check out: on average, ordering a starter, a main dish, and a glass of wine will set you back around $27.
Craving a more elegant presentation, seasonal dishes, and classic Campanian delicacies with a modern twist? Albori will most certainly not disappoint, though it is a mid-range eatery, so expect to pay between $45–$59 for a 3-course meal.
How about some pizza instead? The casual, budget-friendly Pizzeria da Gino is popular for their $11, wood-fired Neapolitan pizza.
Of course, no visit to the City of Witches is complete without a sorcery-themed pub fare, and with its Harry Potter aesthetics, American-style burgers, and craft beer, the Beneventum Public House is that one tourist trap we all love.
How Actually Affordable Is Benevento To Visit?
Very few destinations in Italy can be considered truly affordable by Southern European standards, and we’re not sure you’ve noticed, prices in Benevento are most definitely on the cheaper end of the spectrum.
Food is not the only inexpensive thing about it: a double room in the Old Town can cost you as little as $28 per night for 2 adults, in the peak season (Atlantici), and in general, B&B stays range from $35 to $65 for traveling couples.
Even the 4-star Lemi, a spa hotel located in the countryside amid the Campanian mountains and a short 20-minute drive to Benevento, will cost $60.50 per adult per night. Alternatively, there’s Hotel Villa Traiano, in the heart of town, charging an acceptable $88.50.
Before we leave you, we should probably mention Benevento is not Italy’s only well-kept secret awaiting discovery this summer…
If you’re looking instead for white-sand beaches, stone-built houses clinging to the side of vertiginous sea cliffs, and turquoise seas, wait until you see this one.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
