Editing Benevento

{{Redirect|Bénévent|other uses|Bénévent (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Italian comune
| name                  = Benevento
| official_name         = Comune di Benevento
| native_name           = {{native name|nap|Beneviento}}
| image_flag            =Flag of Benevento.svg
| image_skyline         = Benevento-collage.jpg
| imagesize             = 
| image_alt             = 
| image_caption         = Main landmarks in Benevento. Clockwise from the upper left: the Arch of Trajan, the church of Santa Sofia, the Cathedral's main portal, the castle and the Roman theatre
| image_shield          = Coat_of_Arms_of_Benevento.svg
| shield_alt            = 
| image_map             = Map - IT - Benevento - Benevento.svg
| map_alt               = 
| map_caption           = Benevento within the Province of Benevento
| pushpin_map           = Italy Campania#Italy#Europe
| coordinates           = {{coord|41|08|N|14|47|E|display=inline titleline}}
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| region                = [[Campania]]
| province              = [[Province of Benevento|Benevento]] (BN)
| frazioni              = see [[#Territorial subdivisions|list]]
| mayor_party           = 
| mayor                 = [[Clemente Mastella]]
| area_footnotes        = 
| area_total_km2        = 129
| population_footnotes  = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://demo.istat.it/bilmens2020gen/index.html|title=Demo|website=Istat|language=it|access-date=2020-12-17|archive-date=2020-07-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727133056/http://demo.istat.it/bilmens2020gen/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| population_total      = 58418
| population_as_of      = 31 August 2020
| pop_density_footnotes = 
| population_demonym    = Beneventani
| telephone             = 
| elevation_footnotes   = 
| elevation_m           = 135
| twin1                 = 
| twin1_country         = 
| postalcode            = 
| istat                 = 062008
| saint                 = [[St. Bartholomew]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comuni-italiani.it/062/008/index.html |title=Comune di Benevento |publisher=Comuni di Italia |accessdate=31 March 2021}}</ref>

| day                   = 24 August
| postal_code           = 82100
| area_code             = 0824
| website               = {{official website|http://www.comune.benevento.it}}
| footnotes             ={{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
 |child    = yes
 |Part_of  = [[Appian Way|Via Appia. Regina Viarum]]
 |ID       = 1708-010
 |Year     = 2024
 |Criteria = Cultural: iii, iv, vi
 }} 
}}
'''Benevento''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˌ|b|ɛ|n|ə|ˈ|v|ɛ|n|t|oʊ}} {{respell|BEN|ə|VEN|toh}};<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/benevento|title=Benevento|work=[[Collins English Dictionary]]|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|access-date=30 May 2019}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|ˌ|b|eɪ|n|eɪ|ˈ|-}} {{respell|BAY|nay|-}},<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Benevento|access-date=30 May 2019}}</ref> {{IPA|it|beneˈvɛnto|lang|It-Benevento.ogg}}; {{langx|nap|label=[[Benevento dialect|Beneventano]]|Beneviento}} {{IPA|nap|bənəˈvjendə|}}) is a city and {{lang|it|[[comune]]}} (municipality) of [[Campania]], Italy, capital of the [[province of Benevento]], {{convert|50|km}} northeast of [[Naples]]. It is situated on a hill {{convert|130|m|ft|0|abbr=off}} [[above sea level]] at the confluence of the [[Calore Irpino]] (or Beneventano) and the [[Sabato (river)|Sabato]]. In 2020, Benevento has 58,418 inhabitants. It is also the seat of a [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Benevento|Catholic archbishop]].

Benevento occupies the site of the ancient ''Beneventum'', originally ''Maleventum'' or even earlier ''[[Oscan language|Maloenton]]''. In the [[Roman Empire|imperial]] period, its founder was deemed to have been [[Diomedes]] after the [[Trojan War]].<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Benevento|volume=3|pages=727–728}}</ref>

Due to its artistic and cultural significance, the [[Santa Sofia, Benevento|Santa Sofia Church]] in Benevento was declared a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] in 2011, as part of a group of seven historic buildings inscribed as [[Longobards in Italy, Places of Power (568–774 A.D.)]].

The [[patron saint]] of Benevento is [[Saint Bartholomew]], the [[Apostles in the New Testament|Apostle]], whose relics are kept there at the [[Benevento Cathedral|Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta]].

==Territorial subdivisions==
[[Frazioni]], or wards, include: Acquafredda, Cancelleria, Capodimonte, Caprarella, Cardoncielli, Cardoni, Cellarulo, Chiumiento, Ciancelle, Ciofani, Cretazzo, Epitaffio, Francavilla, Gran Potenza, Imperatore, Lammia, Madonna della Salute, Masseria del Ponte, Masseria La Vipera, Mascambruni, Montecalvo, Olivola, Pacevecchia, Pamparuottolo, Pantano, Perrottiello, Piano Cappelle, Pino, Ponte Corvo, Rosetiello, Ripa Zecca, Roseto, Santa Clementina, San Chirico, San Cumano (anc. ''Nuceriola''), San Domenico, San Giovanni a Caprara, Sant'Angelo a Piesco, San Vitale, Scafa, Serretelle, Sponsilli, Torre Alfieri, and Vallereccia.

==History==
{{Quote box
| width = 17em
| align = left
| bgcolor = #e9f0eb
| title = Historical affiliations
| fontsize = 80%
| quote = {{plainlist|
*[[File:Samnite_soldiers_from_a_tomb_frieze_in_Nola_4th_century_BCE.jpg|15px]] [[Samnium]] until 314 BC
*[[File:Consul et lictores.png|15px]] [[Roman Republic]] 314–27 BC
*[[File:Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg|15px]] [[Roman Empire]] 27&nbsp;BC – 285&nbsp;AD
*[[File:Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg|15px]] [[Western Roman Empire]] 285–476
*{{flagicon image|Odovacar Ravenna 477.jpg}} [[Odoacer|Kingdom of Odoacer]] 476–490
*{{flagicon image|Teodorico re dei Goti (493-526).png}} [[Ostrogothic Kingdom]] 490–536
*[[File:Simple Labarum.svg|12px]] [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman Empire]] 536–537
*[[File:Lombard Calvary cross potent (transparent).png|12px]] [[Duchy of Benevento]] 571–1077
*[[File:Flag of the Papal States (pre 1808).svg|15px|border]] [[Papal States]] 1077–1799
*[[File:Flag of the Repubblica Romana (1798).svg|15px|border]] [[Roman Republic (1798-1799)]] 1798–1799
*[[File:Flag of the Papal States (pre 1808).svg|15px|border]] [[Papal States]] 1799–1806
*[[File:Flag of France.svg|15px|border]] [[Principality of Benevento]] 1806–1815
*[[File:Flag of the Papal States (1808-1870).svg|15px|border]] [[Papal States]] 1815–1860
*[[File:Flag of the Kingdom of Sardinia.svg|15px|border]] [[Kingdom of Sardinia]] 1860–1861
*[[File:Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg|15px|border]] [[Kingdom of Italy]] 1861–1946
*[[File:Flag of Italy.svg|15px|border]] [[Italian Republic]] 1946–present
}}
}}

===Ancient era===
Benevento, as ''Maleventum'', was one of the chief cities of [[Samnium]], situated on the [[Appian Way]] at a distance of {{convert|51|km}} east of [[Capua]] on the banks of the river Calor (now Calore). There is some discrepancy as to the tribe to which it belonged at contact: [[Pliny the Elder]] expressly assigns it to the [[Hirpini]], while [[Livy]]'s wording is somewhat obscure and [[Ptolemy]] considers the town as belonging to the [[Samnites]] proper, as distinguished from the Hirpini.<ref>Pliny iii. 11. s. 16; Livy xxii. 13; Ptolemy iii. 1. § 67.</ref> All ancient writers concur in representing it as a very ancient city, with [[Gaius Julius Solinus]] and [[Stephanus of Byzantium]] ascribing its foundation to {{nowrap|[[Diomedes]]{{hsp}}{{mdash}}}}{{hsp}}this legend appears to have been adopted by the city's inhabitants, who in the time of [[Procopius]] pretended to exhibit the tusks of the [[Calydonian Boar]] as proof of their descent.<ref>[[Gaius Julius Solinus]] 2. § 10; Steph. B. ''s. v.''; Procop. ''B. G.'' i. 15.</ref> [[Sextus Pompeius Festus]], on the contrary (''s. v.'' Ausoniam), related that the city was founded by Auson, a son of [[Odysseus|Ulysses]] and [[Circe]], a tradition which indicates that it was an ancient [[Ausoni]]an city prior to its conquest by the Samnites. It first appears in history as a Samnite city,<ref>Livy ix. 27.</ref> and must have already been a place of strength as the [[ancient Rome|Romans]] did not venture to attack it during their first two wars with the Samnites; it appears, however, to have fallen into their hands during the [[Third Samnite War]], though the exact occasion is unknown.

Benevento was certainly in the power of the Romans in 274 BC, when [[Pyrrhus of Epirus]] was defeated in a [[Battle of Beneventum (275 BC)|great battle]], fought in its immediate neighborhood, by the consul [[Manius Curius Dentatus]].<ref>[[Plutarch]] ''Pyrrh.'' 25; [[Frontinus]] ''Strategemata'' iv. 1. § 14.</ref> Six years later (268 BC) they further sought to secure its possession by establishing there a [[Colonia (Roman)|Roman colony]] with Latin rights.<ref>Livy ''Epit.'' xv.; [[Velleius Paterculus]] i. 14.</ref> It was at this time that it first assumed the name of Beneventum, having previously been called Maleventum, a name which the Romans regarded as of evil augury, and changed into one of a more fortunate signification.<ref>Pliny iii. 11. s. 16; Liv. ix. 27; Fest. ''s. v.'' Beneventum, p. 34; Steph. B. ''s. v.''; Procop. ''B. G.'' i. 15.</ref> It is probable that the [[Oscan]] or Samnite name was '''Maloeis''', or '''Malieis''' (Μαλιείς in [[Ancient Greek]]), whence the form Maleventum would derive, like Agrigentum from Acragas (now [[Agrigento]]), Selinuntium from Selinus (the ruins of which are at now [[Selinunte]]), etc.<ref>[[James Millingen]], ''Numnismatique de l'Italie'', p. 223.</ref>
[[File:Roman Theater terraces and stage.jpg|thumb|left|View of the Roman Theatre of Benevento.]]
[[File:Benevento (Panoramic from Taburno).jpg|thumb|left|Panoramic view of Benevento from the mount Pentime, part of the [[Taburno Camposauro]]]]
As a Roman colony Beneventum seems to have quickly become a flourishing place; and in the [[Second Punic War]] was repeatedly occupied by Roman generals as a post of importance, on account of its proximity to [[Campania]], and its strength as a fortress. In its immediate neighborhood were fought two of the most decisive actions of the war: the [[Battle of Beneventum (214 BC)|Battle of Beneventum]] (214 BC), in which the [[Carthage|Carthaginian]] general [[Hanno, son of Bomilcar|Hanno]] was defeated by [[Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (consul 215 BC)|Tiberius Gracchus]]; the other in 212 BC, when the camp of Hanno, in which he had accumulated a vast quantity of corn and other stores, was stormed and taken by the Roman consul [[Quintus Fulvius Flaccus (consul 237 BC)|Quintus Fulvius Flaccus]].<ref>Liv. xxii. 13, xxiv. 14, 16, xxv. 13, 14, 15, 17; [[Appian]], ''Annib.'' 36, 37.</ref> And though its territory was more than once laid waste by the Carthaginians, it was still one of the eighteen Latin colonies which in 209 BCE were at once able and willing to furnish the required quota of men and money for continuing the war.<ref>Livy xxvii. 10.</ref> No mention of it occurs during the [[Social War (91–88 BC)|Social War]], although it seems to have escaped from the calamities which at that time befell so many cities of Samnium; towards the close of the [[Roman Republic]] Benevento is described as one of the most opulent and flourishing cities of Italy.<ref>Appian, ''B.C.'' iv. 3; Strabo v. p. 250; [[Cicero]] ''[[In Verrem]]'' i. 1. 5.</ref>

Under the [[Second Triumvirate]] its territory was portioned out by the Triumvirs to their veterans, and subsequently a fresh colony was established there by [[Augustus]], who greatly enlarged its domain by the addition of the territory of [[Caudium]] (now [[Montesarchio]]). A third colony was settled there by [[Nero]], at which time it assumed the title of ''Concordia''; hence we find it bearing, in inscriptions of the reign of [[Septimius Severus]], the titles '''Colonia Julia Augusta Concordia Felix Beneventum'''.<ref>Appian. ''l. c.''; Lib. Colon. pp. 231, 232; Inscr. ap. Romanelli, vol. ii. pp. 382, 384; Orell. ''Inscr.'' 128, 590.</ref> Its importance and flourishing condition under the [[Roman Empire]] is sufficiently attested by existing remains and inscriptions; it was at that period unquestionably the chief city of the Hirpini, and probably, next to Capua, the most populous and considerable city of southern Italy. For this prosperity it was doubtless indebted in part to its position on the Via Appia, just at the junction of the two principal arms or branches of that great road, the one called afterwards the [[Via Traiana]], leading thence by [[Aequum Tuticum]] (now [[Ariano Irpino]]) into [[Apulia]]; the other by [[Aeclanum]] to Venusia (now [[Venosa]]) and Tarentum (now [[Taranto]]).<ref>Strabo vi. p. 283.</ref>  Its wealth is also evidenced by the quantity of coins minted by Beneventum.  [[Horace]] famously notes Beneventum on his journey from [[Rome]] to Brundusium (now [[Brindisi]]).<ref>''Sat.'' i. 5, 71.</ref> It was indebted to the same circumstance for the honor of repeated visits from the emperors of Rome, among which those of Nero, [[Trajan]], and Septimus Severus, are particularly recorded.<ref>[[Tacitus]] ''Ann.'' xv. 34.</ref>
[[File:PiranesiArchTrajanBenevento.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Arch of Trajan, provided with a [[portcullis]], as it appeared in the 18th century, etching by [[Giovanni Battista Piranesi]]. Some of the [[bas-relief]]s are now in the [[British Museum]].]] 
It was probably for the same reason that the [[triumphal arch]], the [[Arch of Trajan (Benevento)|Arch of Trajan]], was erected there by the senate and people of Rome and constructed by the architect [[Apollodorus of Damascus]] in 114. The Arch of Trajan is one of the best-preserved Roman structures in the Campania. It repeats the formula of the [[Arch of Titus]] in the [[Roman Forum]], with reliefs of [[Trajan]]'s life and exploits of his reign. Some of the sculptures are in the [[British Museum]]. Successive emperors seem to have bestowed on the city accessions of territory, and erected, or at least given name to, various public buildings. For administrative purposes it was first included, together with the rest of the Hirpini, in the second region of Augustus, but was afterwards annexed to Campania and placed under the control of the consular of that province. Its inhabitants were included in the Stellatine tribe.<ref>Pliny iii. 11. s. 16; Mommsen, ''Topogr. degli Irpini'', p. 167, in ''Bull. dell'Inst. Arch.'' 1847.</ref> Beneventum retained its importance down to the close of the Empire, and though during the Gothic wars it was taken by [[Totila]], and its walls razed to the ground, they were restored, as well as its public buildings, shortly after; and P. Diaconus speaks of it as a very wealthy city, and the capital of all the surrounding provinces.<ref>Procop. ''B. G.'' iii. 6; P. Diac. ii. 20; De Vita, ''Antiq. Benev.'' pp. 271, 286.</ref>

Beneventum indeed seems to have been a place of much literary cultivation; it was the birthplace of [[Lucius Orbilius Pupillus]], who long continued to teach in his native city before he removed to Rome, and was honored with a statue by his fellow-townsmen; while existing inscriptions record similar honors paid to another grammarian, [[Rutilius Aelianus]], as well as to orators and poets, apparently only of local celebrity.<ref>Suet. ''Gram.'' 9; Orell. ''Inscr.'' 1178, 1185.</ref>

The territory of Beneventum under the Roman Empire was of very considerable extent. Towards the west it included that of ''Caudium'', with the exception of the town itself; to the north it extended as far as the river Tamarus (now [[Tammaro]]), including the village of [[Pago Veiano]], which, as we learn from an inscription, was anciently called ''Pagus Veianus''; on the northeast it comprised the town of [[Aequum Tuticum]] (now ''Saint Eleutherio hamlet'', between [[Ariano Irpino]] and [[Castelfranco in Miscano]]), and on the east and south bordered on the territories of [[Aeclanum]] (now [[Mirabella Eclano]]) and Abellinum (now [[Avellino]]). An inscription has preserved to us the names of several of the pagi or villages dependent upon Beneventum, but their sites cannot be identified.<ref>Henzen, ''Tab. Aliment. Baebian'', pp. 93–108; Mommsen, ''Topogr. degli Irpini'', pp. 168–171.</ref>

The city's most ancient coins bear the legend "Malies" or "Maliesa", which have been supposed to belong to the Samnite, or pre-Samnite, Maleventum.  Coins with the legend "BENVENTOD" (an old [[Latin]] – or Samnite – form for Beneventor-um), must have been struck after it became a Latin colony.<ref>Millingen, ''Numismatique de l'Anc. Italie'', p. 223; Friedländer, ''Osk. Münz.'' p. 67; McClure, British Place-Names etc., p. 33.</ref>

===Duchy of Benevento===
{{main|Duchy of Benevento}}
Not long after it had been sacked by [[Totila]] and its walls razed (545), Benevento became the seat of a powerful [[Lombards|Lombard]] [[duchy]].<ref name="EB1911"/> The circumstances of the creation of [[duchy of Benevento]] are disputed. Lombards were present in southern Italy well before the complete conquest of the [[Po Valley]]: the duchy would have been founded in 576 by some soldiers led by [[Zotto]], autonomously from the Lombard king.
[[File:Italy 1000 AD.svg|left|180px|thumb|The Principality of Benevento as it appeared in 1000 AD.]]
Zotto's successor was [[Arechis I of Benevento|Arechis I]] (died in 640), from the [[Duchy of Friuli]], who captured [[Capua]] and [[Crotone]], sacked the Byzantine [[Amalfi]] but was unable to capture [[Naples]]. After his reign the [[Eastern Roman Empire]] had only Naples, Amalfi, Gaeta, Sorrento, the tip of Calabria and the maritime cities of [[Apulia]] left in southern Italy.

In the following decades, Benevento added some territories to the Roman-Byzantine duchy by conquest, but the main enemy was now the northern Lombard Kingdom itself. [[King Liutprand]] intervened several times, imposing a candidate of his own to the realm's succession; his successor [[Ratchis]] declared the duchies of Spoleto and Benevento to be foreign countries where it was forbidden to travel without royal permission.

With the collapse of the Lombard Kingdom in 773, [[Arechis II of Benevento|Duke Arechis II]] was elevated to Prince under the new [[Frankish Empire]], in compensation for having some of his territory transferred back to the [[Papal States]].

In November 774, the Duke of Benevento [[Arechis II of Benevento|Duke Arechis II]], immediately after being crowned prince, decided to send members of the Benevento Cortisani and [[Baccari]] families to occupy the central area of the [[Biferno]] river in the neighboring region of [[Molise]], seeking to expand their political dominance.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bozza|first=Francesco|url=http://web-serv.provincia.campobasso.it/biblioteca/link/Antistoria.pdf|title=L'antistoria nell'area del medio biferno: Ricostruzioni di cornici per le inquadrature di storia molisana|publisher=History Books|year=2014|location=Italia|pages=121|access-date=2021-07-27|archive-date=2021-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726190220/http://web-serv.provincia.campobasso.it/biblioteca/link/Antistoria.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2jwOAQAAIAAJ&pg=GBS.PA288&hl=en|title=Historiae urbium et Regionum Italiae rariores|date=1763|publisher=A. Forni|language=it}}</ref>
[[File:Church tower of Santa Sofia, Benevento 04.jpg|thumb|Map of Duchy of Benevento on the church tower of Santa Sofia.]]
Benevento was acclaimed by a chronicler as a "second Pavia"—{{lang|la|Ticinum geminum}}—after the Lombard capital was lost. This principality was short-lived: in 851, [[Salerno]] broke off under [[Siconulf]] and, by the end of that century, [[Capua]] was independent as well. Benevento was ruled again by the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]]s between 891 and 895.

The so-called ''[[Langobardia minor]]'' was unified for the last time by Duke [[Pandolfo Testa di Ferro]], who expanded his extensive control in the [[Mezzogiorno]] from his base in Benevento and [[Capua]]. Before his death (March 981), he had also gained the title of Duke of Spoleto from Emperor [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto I]]. However, both Benevento and Salerno rebelled to his son and heir, [[Pandulf II of Salerno|Pandulf II]].

The first decades of the 11th century saw two more German-descended rulers in southern Italy: [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry II]], conquered in 1022 both Capua and Benevento, but returned after the failed siege of [[Troia (FG)|Troia]]. [[Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor|Conrad II]] obtained similar results in 1038. In these years the three states (Benevento, Capua, and Salerno) were often engaged in local wars and disputes that favoured the rise of the [[Normans]] from mercenaries to ruler of the whole of Southern Italy. The greatest of them was [[Robert Guiscard]], who captured Benevento in 1053 after the [[Emperor Henry III]] had first authorised its conquest in 1047 when [[Pandulf III of Benevento|Pandulf III]] and [[Landulf VI of Benevento|Landulf VI]] shut the gates to him. These princes were later expelled from the city and then recalled after the pope failed to defend it from Guiscard. The city fell to Normans in 1077. It was a papal city until after 1081.

===Papal rule===
[[File:Benevento 1742.JPG|thumb|Papal Benevento on an 18th-century map]]
Benevento passed to the papacy peacefully when the emperor [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry III]] ceded it to [[Leo IX]], in exchange for the pope's consent to the establishment of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bamberg|Diocese of Bamberg]] (1053). [[Landulf II, Archbishop of Benevento]], promoted reform, but also allied with the Normans. He was deposed for two years. Benevento was the cornerstone of the papacy's temporal powers in southern Italy. The papacy ruled it by appointed rectors, seated in a palace, and the principality continued to be a papal possession until 1806, when [[Napoleon]] granted it to his minister [[Charles Maurice de Talleyrand|Talleyrand]] with the title of sovereign prince. Talleyrand was never to settle down and actually rule his new [[Principality of Benevento|principality]]; in 1815 Benevento was returned to the [[papacy]]. It was [[Unification of Italy|united with Italy]] in 1860.<ref name="EB1911"/>

Several popes personally visited Benevento. In 1128 [[Honorius II]] tried inviting [[Roger II of Sicily]] into the city in order to discuss peace terms, however, Roger refused to enter the city, for he felt unsafe within the city. Thus the two instead met on a bridge near Benevento. Only a year later, the city revolted against the Papal rule and Honorius had to beg Roger for assistance.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Matthew |first1=Donald |title=The Norman Kingdom of Sicily |date=1992 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521269117 |page=32 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CQfub3l_ejkC |language=en}}</ref>

In 1130, [[Antipope Anacletus II|Anacletus II]] fled from Rome to the safety of Benevento after hearing that his rival, [[Innocent II]] was gaining recognition in the north.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Matthew |first1=Donald |title=The Norman Kingdom of Sicily |date=1992 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521269117 |pages=34–35 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CQfub3l_ejkC |language=en}}</ref> When Anacletus created Roger the [[Kingdom of Sicily|king of Sicily]], he granted Roger the right to conscript the citizens of the city into military service, despite city itself remaining under Papal rule.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Matthew |first1=Donald |title=The Norman Kingdom of Sicily |date=1992 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521269117 |pages=36–37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CQfub3l_ejkC |language=en}}</ref> The declaration was not well received, as the citizens became afraid that the city was about to be annexed into the newly found kingdom. Therefore, when Roger made his move against [[Robert II of Capua|Robert of Capua]] and began the civil war, Benevento sided with Robert and ousted Anacletus's supporters from the city.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Matthew |first1=Donald |title=The Norman Kingdom of Sicily |date=1992 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521269117 |pages=42–43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CQfub3l_ejkC |language=en}}</ref>

[[Manfred of Sicily]] lost his life in 1266 in battle with [[Charles of Anjou]] not far from the town, in the course of the [[Battle of Benevento]].<ref name="EB1911"/>

===After the Italian unification===

After the [[unification of Italy]], Benevento was made provincial capital of the new [[Province of Benevento]], comprising territories formerly belonging to the dissolved [[Kingdom of the Two Sicilies]] ({{ill|Principato Ultra|it}}, [[Molise]], [[Terra di Lavoro]], [[Capitanata]]). In the following decades, the town saw considerable expansion and modernization; the local economy became increasingly diversified, with the traditional [[agriculture|agricultural]] sector (especially the [[cultivation of tobacco]] and [[cereals]]) being joined by growing [[confectionery]], mechanical, [[liquor]], [[lumber]] and brickmaking industries.

{{anchor|Allied air attacks}} During [[World War II]], Benevento's key position in the railway communications between [[Rome]] and [[Apulia]] resulted in the town being heavily bombed by the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] air forces in the summer of 1943. These raids caused 2,000 deaths and left 18,000 homeless out of a population of 40,000, and resulted in the destruction of half of the town.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337474421|title=Il Sannio sotto le bombe. Le incursioni aeree sulla provincia di Benevento durante la Seconda guerra mondiale|access-date=17 December 2020}}</ref><ref>[https://www.ilquaderno.it/-quot;1943-quot;-una-mostra-sui-bombardamenti-che-colpirono-benevento-123345.html "Benevento 1943", una mostra sui bombardamenti che colpirono Benevento]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2009/09/13/benevento-43.html|title=Benevento' 43 |website=Archivio – la Repubblica.it|access-date=17 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ntr24.tv/2015/08/21/a-benevento-unarea-intitolata-alle-2mila-vittime-dei-bombardamenti-americani-del-43/|title=A Benevento un'area intitolata alle 2mila vittime dei bombardamenti americani del '43 &#124; NTR24.TV – News su cronaca, politica, economia, sport, cultura nel Sannio|access-date=17 December 2020}}</ref> The railway and industrial districts were hit the hardest, but the old city centre also suffered heavily; the [[Benevento Cathedral|Cathedral]] was almost completely destroyed, and its reconstruction was only completed in the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gazzettabenevento.it/Sito2009/dettagliocomunicato.php?Id=61337|title=Gazzetta di Benevento|website=www.gazzettabenevento.it|access-date=17 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.canale58.com/articolo/sannio/12/bombe-su-benevento-gli-orrori-del-settembre-1943/31293|title=Bombe su Benevento, gli orrori del settembre 1943|website=Canale58|access-date=17 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/2283538|title=I bombardamenti su Benevento nel 1943 in cinque fotografie aeree dei &quot;National Archives&quot; di Washington in: Samnium LXXIX (2006), S. 229–243.|first=Albador Daniel|last=Siegmund|access-date=17 December 2020|via=www.academia.edu}}</ref> After being briefly occupied by the Germans in the wake of the [[Armistice of Cassibile]], Benevento was liberated by the Allies on 2 October 1943.

Four years after the war, on 2 October 1949, Benevento was hit hard by a flood of the [[Calore Irpino]].

During the 1950s Benevento was mainly ruled by [[Partito Nazionale Monarchico|Monarchist]] or [[Movimento Sociale Italiano|MSI]] mayors, and then for three decades (until the 1990s) by the [[Christian Democracy]]. [[Public sector]] grew considerably during this period, becoming a prime source of employment for many inhabitants of the province; the town also saw increasing demographic expansion, resulting in a somewhat incontrolled [[building boom]]. In recent years, several [[urban renewal]] projects have been carried out in the old city centre, and Benevento has become the seat of the [[University of Sannio]] and several [[research institutes]].

===Jewish history===
{{see also|History of the Jews in Southern Central Italy}}
Epigraphical evidence show that a [[Jewish]] community had existed in Benevento since at least the fifth century.<ref name="jewishvirtuallibrary.org">{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/benevento|title=Benevento|website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org|access-date=17 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.byzantinejewry.net/applications/mjcb/show_evidence_details.php?evidence_id=287|title=Details of evidence of Jewish community in the Byzantine Empire|website=www.byzantinejewry.net|access-date=17 December 2020}}</ref> In the 10th century, Jewish traveller [[Ahimaaz ben Paltiel]] described the Jewish community of Benevento, among other southern Italy towns.<ref>[[Ahimaaz ben Paltiel]]</ref> One of Paltiel's relatives established a [[Yeshiva]] in town, and a large part of his family resided in Benevento.<ref>{{cite book |authorlink=Robert Bonfil|last=Bonfil |first=Robert |title=History and Folklore in a Medieval Jewish Chronicle |url=https://archive.org/details/historyfolklorem00bonf |url-access=limited |location=Leiden |publisher=Brill |year=2009 |isbn=978-90-04-17385-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyfolklorem00bonf/page/n92 74] }}</ref> In 1065, prince [[Landulf IV of Benevento]] forced a number of [[Jews]] to convert to [[Christianity]], which was censured by [[Pope Alexander II]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bnmal.it/sito/2013/06/ebrei-a-benevento-dal-ix-al-xvi-secolo/|title=BNMAL » Ebrei a Benevento dal IX al XVI secolo|access-date=2014-06-04|archive-date=2014-06-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606214321/http://bnmal.it/sito/2013/06/ebrei-a-benevento-dal-ix-al-xvi-secolo/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Jewish traveller [[Benjamin of Tudela]], who visited Benevento in 1159 or 1165, described 200 Jewish families living in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2939-benevento|title=Benevento  |website=jewishencyclopedia.com|access-date=17 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Patai |first=Jennifer |title=The Myth of the Jewish Race |location=Detroit |publisher=Wayne State University Press |year=1989 |page=44 |isbn=0-8143-1948-3 }}</ref> Being under Papal rule (unlike the rest of southern Italy), the [[Jewish]] community of Benevento was not expelled, as most other southern Italy [[Jewish]] communities in 1541.<ref name="jewishvirtuallibrary.org"/> Nevertheless, they were expelled from town later in 1569 under [[Pope Paul IV]].<ref name="jewishvirtuallibrary.org"/> In 1617 the [[Jewish]] community was given permission to resettle, though were expelled again 13 years later after being accused of [[well poisoning]].<ref name="jewishvirtuallibrary.org"/> There has been no organized Jewish community in Benevento since the expellation.<ref>{{Google books |id=jblYAwAAQBAJ |page=341 |title=Encyclopaedia Judaica: Ba-Blo }}</ref> However, an unorganized Jewish community has persisted. In recent years, a few Israeli Jews have faced occasional anti-semitic incidents.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://antisemitism.org.il/article/83571/swastikas-were-painted-store-ancient-city-benevento |title=CFCA – Swastikas were painted on a store in the ancient city of Benevento |access-date=2014-06-04 |archive-date=2014-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028200312/http://antisemitism.org.il/article/83571/swastikas-were-painted-store-ancient-city-benevento |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ntr24.tv/it/news/cronaca/benevento-via-iii-settembre-svastiche-su-un-negozio-del-centro-storico.html |title=Benevento, via III settembre: Svastiche su un negozio del centro storico &#124; cronaca &#124; news &#124; NTR24 – l'informazione sul web |access-date=2013-12-05 |archive-date=2013-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212031330/http://www.ntr24.tv/it/news/cronaca/benevento-via-iii-settembre-svastiche-su-un-negozio-del-centro-storico.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Geography==
===Climate===

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location =  Benevento (2000–2020)
|Jan high C = 11.3
|Feb high C = 12.7
|Mar high C = 16.0
|Apr high C = 20.2
|May high C = 24.4
|Jun high C = 29.2
|Jul high C = 32.2
|Aug high C = 32.6
|Sep high C = 27.1
|Oct high C = 22.7
|Nov high C = 17.0
|Dec high C = 12.4
| year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 6.5
|Feb mean C = 7.4
|Mar mean C = 10.2
|Apr mean C = 13.5
|May mean C = 17.5
|Jun mean C = 21.8
|Jul mean C = 24.2
|Aug mean C = 24.5
|Sep mean C = 20.2
|Oct mean C = 16.2
|Nov mean C = 11.7
|Dec mean C = 7.5
| year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 1.6
|Feb low C = 2.0
|Mar low C = 4.3
|Apr low C = 6.9
|May low C = 10.6
|Jun low C = 14.3
|Jul low C = 16.3
|Aug low C = 16.5
|Sep low C = 13.3
|Oct low C = 9.8
|Nov low C = 6.4
|Dec low C = 2.5
| year low C = 
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 85
|Feb precipitation mm = 80
|Mar precipitation mm = 80
|Apr precipitation mm = 45
|May precipitation mm = 75
|Jun precipitation mm = 45
|Jul precipitation mm = 40
|Aug precipitation mm = 40
|Sep precipitation mm = 50
|Oct precipitation mm = 95
|Nov precipitation mm = 110
|Dec precipitation mm = 75
|year precipitation mm = 
| source 1 = Climi e viaggi<ref name=Clim>{{cite web
| url = https://www.climieviaggi.it/clima/italia/asti
| title = Clima – Benevento (Campania
| publisher= Climi e viaggi
| access-date = 26 November 2024}}</ref>
}}

== Demographics ==
{{Historical populations|1861|19222|1871|20339|1881|21359|1901|24137|1911|23767|1921|26790|1931|36054|1936|37865|1951|47604|1961|55381|1971|59009|1981|62636|1991|62561|2001|61791|2011|61489|2021|56916|footnote=Source: [[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]|cols=2|align=none}}

==Main sights==
===Ancient remains===

'''The Arch of Trajan'''
[[File:Arch of Trajan (Benevento) 01.jpg|thumb|Arch of Trajan.]]
The importance of Benevento in classical times is vouched for by the many remains of [[Ancient history|antiquity]] which it possesses, of which the most famous is the [[Arch of Trajan (Benevento)|triumphal arch]] erected in honour of [[Trajan]] by the [[Roman Senate|senate]] and people of [[Rome]] in 114, with important reliefs relating to its history. Enclosed in the walls, this construction marked the entrance in Benevento of the [[Via Traiana]], the road built by the Spanish emperor to shorten the path from Rome to [[Brindisi]]. The reliefs show the civil and military deeds of Trajan. A great part of the arch is decorated with scenes in bas relief: particularly the pillars directed to the town represent scenes of peace and military scenes.  The two faces of the Arch are identical in the arrangement of the reliefs. That the reliefs are for the most part not merely fanciful, nor chiefly conventional and decorative in theme and treatment, is also clear at first sight. They plainly refer to actual events and actions in the life of Trajan, whose effigy, sometimes decapitated, appears in all but two of them, one of which is the only one on all the Arch that is substantially defective.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Truesdell Merrill|first=Elmer|date=1901|title=Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association – Some Observations on the Arch of Trajan at Beneventum|journal=The Johns Hopkins University Press|volume=32|pages=43–63}}</ref> The height of the monument is of {{Convert|15.6|m|ft}}, with an arch of {{Convert|8|m|ft|abbr=on}}, a structure composed of limestone rocks and a marble covering. The arch was put during the Middle Age in the fenced area of the town, in order to represent the ''Porta Aurea,'' on account of its fair proportions and the wealth and excellence of its sculptural adornments.<ref name=":0" />

'''Other considerable remains'''

[[File:Arco del Sacramento.jpg|thumb|Arch of the Sacrament.]]
There are other considerable remains from ancient era:
* The well-preserved [[Roman Theatre, Benevento|ancient theatre]], next to the Cathedral and the Port'Arsa gate. This grandiose building was erected by [[Hadrian]], and later expanded by [[Caracalla]]. It is a testimony of the presence of different Hellenic tendencies, in opposition to the previous art of Traiano. The theater, oriented toward the Taburno, has a diameter of {{Convert|90|m|ft|abbr=on}} and could house up to 10,000 spectators; it was covered with polychrome marble decorated with plaster and mosaics. During the 18th century on one extremity of the hemicycle was built the church of Santa Maria della Verità. The archaeologist Almerico Meomartini at the end of the 19th century promised the restoration but the works ended only in 1957; from that moment the theater is used for theater, dance, and opera performances. But has been lost a part of the marble cover; until today have survived the cavea, the scenery and the first two arches. 
* A large [[cryptoporticus]] {{Convert|60|m|ft|abbr=on}} long, known as the ruins of ''Santi Quaranta'', and probably an [[Marketplace|emporium]]. According to Meomartini, the portion preserved is only a fraction of the whole, which once measured {{Convert|520|m|ft|abbr=on}} in length.
* A brick arch called ''Arco del Sacramento''.
* The ''Ponte Leproso'', a bridge on the Via Appia over the Sabato river, below the city center.
* [[Thermae]] along the road to [[Avellino]].
* The ''Bue Apis'', popularly known as ''Aufara'' ("buffalo"). It is a basement in the shape of an ox or bull coming from the Temple of Isis.

Many inscriptions and ancient fragments may be seen built into the old houses. In 1903 the foundations of the Temple of Isis were discovered close to the Arch of Trajan, and many fragments of fine sculptures in both the Egyptian and the Greco-Roman style belonging to it were found. They had apparently been used as the foundation of a portion of the [[city wall]], reconstructed in 663 under the fear of an attack by the [[Byzantine emperor]] [[Constans II (Byzantine Empire)|Constans II]], the temple having been destroyed by order of the bishop, [[St Barbatus]], to provide the necessary material (A. Meomartini, 0. Marucchi and L. Savignoni in ''Notizie degli Scavi'', 1904, 107 sqq.).

===Santa Sofia===
[[File:Santa Sofia, Benevento 02.jpg|thumb|right|The church of ''Santa Sofia''.]]
{{main|Santa Sofia, Benevento}}
The church of ''Santa Sofia'' is a circular Lombard edifice dating to c. 760, now modernized, of small proportions, and is one of the main examples of religious [[Lombard architecture]]. The plan consists of a central hexagon with, at each vertex, columns taken from the temple of [[Isis]]; these are connected by arches which support the cupola. The inner hexagon is in turn enclosed in a decagonal ring with eight white limestone pillars and two columns next to the entrance. The church has a fine [[cloister]] of the 12th century, constructed in part of fragments of earlier buildings.<ref name="EB1911"/> This cloister today is the location of the Museo del Sannio. The church interior was once totally frescoed by [[Byzantine art|Byzantine]] artists: fragments of these paintings, portraying the ''Histories of Christ'', can be still seen in the two side apses.

Santa Sofia was almost destroyed by the [[1688 Sannio earthquake|earthquake of 1688]], and rebuilt in [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] forms by commission of the then cardinal Orsini of Benevento (later [[Pope Benedict XIII]]). The original forms were hidden, and were recovered only after the discussed restoration of 1951.

In 2011, it became a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] as part of a group of seven inscribed as [[Longobards in Italy, Places of Power (568-774 A.D.)]].

===The Cathedral===

[[File:Duomo (Benevento) 01.jpg|thumb|The cathedral.]]
{{main|Benevento Cathedral}}
The [[Cathedral]] of Santa Maria Assunta, with its arcaded façade and incomplete square [[campanile]] (begun in 1279 by the archbishop Romano Capodiferro) dates from the 9th century.<ref name="EB1911"/> It was rebuilt in 1114, the façade inspired by the Pisan Gothic style. Its bronze doors, adorned with [[bas-relief]]s, are notable example of [[Romanesque art]] which may belong to the beginning of the 13th century. The interior is in the form of a [[basilica]], the double aisles carried on ancient columns. There are ambones resting on columns supported by lions, and decorated with reliefs and coloured marble mosaic, and a candelabrum of 1311.<ref name="EB1911"/> A marble statue of the apostle San Bartolomeo, by Nicola da Monteforte, is also from the 14th century.  The cathedral also contains a statue of St. [[Giuseppe Moscati]], a native of the area. The cathedral was completely destroyed in 1943 because of bombardments: what remained of the cathedral were just the bell tower, the façade and the crypt. Another testimony of the cathedral is the XII century bronze door, the Janua Major, composed of 72 tiles with bas relief, whose fragments were rebuilt after the Second World War. 
The current monument, with its modern aspect, was completed in 1965 and restored between 2005 and 2012.

===Rocca dei Rettori===
[[File:Rocca dei Rettori, a castle in Benevento, southern Italy.jpg|thumb|Rocca dei Rettori.]]
{{main|Rocca dei Rettori}}
The castle of Benevento, best known as ''Rocca dei Rettori'' or ''Rocca di Manfredi'', stands at the highest point of the town, commanding the valley of the rivers Sabato and Calore, and the two main ancient roads Via Appia and Via Traiana. The site had been already used by the Samnites, who had constructed here a set of defensive terraces, and the Romans, with a thermal plant (''Castellum aquae''), whose remains can be still seen in the castle garden. The [[Benedictines]] had a monastery there. It received the current name in the Middle Ages, when it became the seat of the Papal governors, the ''Rettori''.

The castle is in fact made by two distinct edifices: the Torrione ("Big Tower"), which was built by the Lombards starting from 871, and the Palazzo dei Governatori, built by the Popes from 1320.

===Other sights===
[[File:Teatro romano (Benevento) 02.jpg|thumb|The Roman theatre.]]
[[File:Chiesa di Sant'Ilario a Port' Aurea 01.jpg|thumb|Chiesa di Sant'Ilario a Port' Aurea.]]
* '''''Roman theatre''''': begun during [[Hadrian]]'s rule, completed under [[Caracalla]] between 200 and 210 A.D. The theater reflects the town's increasing importance after the opening of the [[Via Appia Traiana]]. It was located in the western sector of the ancient city, near the forum, and houses built atop the ruins aided in its conservation. Excavated and restored after the second world war, the original three-storey theater could house 20,000 people. Currently only the lower order of the building remains: the arches of the facade communicate with the interior through a series of corridors alternating with stairs. <ref>{{Cite book|last=Zevi|first=L.|title=Guida a Benevento|publisher=Edizioni Dedalo|year=1993|page=62}}</ref>
* '''''Sant'Ilario'''''  Church documented in the 12th-century ''Ecclesia Vocabolo Sancti Ylari''", but excavations date part of the structure to 7th or 8th century. It is called Sant'Ilario a Port'Aurea, as it is built near the Arch of Trajan. The rectangular layout was erected on an artificial embankment. In late antiquity, the entire complex was abandoned. The church is composed of an apsed hall. The cover of the outside is formed by two separate tiburi. A monastery was once attached to the church. Devastated by the earthquake of 1688, in 1712 it was deconsecrated and used as a farmhouse. The restoration of the entire building was carried out in 2000.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gangale|first=Lucia|title=25 luoghi imperdibili della città di Benevento|publisher=youcanprint|year=2018|page=15}}</ref>
* '''''Palazzo di Paolo V''''' (16th century). 
* '''''San Salvatore''''': Church dating from the High Middle Ages.
* '''''San Francesco alla Dogana''''': [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]]-style church located north-east of Piazza del Duomo, incorporated between alleys and palaces in the heart of the historic center, there is Piazza Dogana with the church and convent of San Francesco. Here stood the papal customs, through which the goods passed and were taxed. The thirteenth-century church of San Francesco, that stands in the center of the square, is linked to the coming of the saint in the city, in 1222. It was built by incorporating the ancient church of San Costanzo, which in 1243 was donated to the religious from lords Stampalupo, Del Giudice and Cantalupo. After the earthquake of 1702, the architects Fontana rebuilt the high altar, which Archbishop Vincenzo Maria Orsini consecrated to the Immaculate Virgin. The facade is very simple, the interior, Gothic style, with a single nave with wooden ceiling. The apse has some frescoes and the church is flanked by two cloisters.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gangale|first=Lucia|title=25 luoghi imperdibili della città di Benevento|publisher=youcanprint|year=2018|pages=31–32}}</ref>
*'''''Annunziata''''': A church at the site existed prior to 1500s, but entirely rebuilt in [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]]-style after the 1688 earthquake. The church has a single nave with three side chapels on each side.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Zevi|first=L.|title=Guida a Benevento|publisher=Edizioni Dedalo|year=1993|pages=70}}</ref>
**'''''San Bartolomeo''''': Baroque church dedicated to the patron apostle of the city. It was rebuilt  after the 1688 and 1702 earthquakes, the prior basilica of San Bartolomeo had stood in the area of Piazza Orsini, adjacent to the cathedral. In 1705, a large baroque fountain was built at the prior site, but destroyed by bombings in 1943. The new basilica, located along Corso Garibaldi, was built between 1726 and 1729 and consecrated by [[Pope Benedict XIII]]. The present church, although partially using a primitive project by Fra Tommaso di Sangiovanni (prior of San Diodato), is in fact the work of Raguzzini to whom we owe not only some substantial planovolumetric modifications, but also the elegant stucco decorations and the two-tiered front overlapping on high plinth.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Zevi|first=L.|title=Guida a Benevento|publisher=Edizioni Dedalo|year=1993|page=68}}</ref> 
**'''''San Filippo''''': Baroque church

==Economy==
The economy of Benevento area is traditionally agricultural.  Main products include [[vine]], [[olive]]s and [[tobacco]].  The main industry is that of food processing (sweets and pasta), although textile, mechanics, and construction companies are present.

==Sports==
The [[Stadio Ciro Vigorito]] is a multi-use [[stadium]] in Benevento, which is mostly used as the home venue of [[Serie C]] side [[Benevento Calcio]].

==Transportation==
Benevento is connected to Naples through the modern [[Appian Way|SS7 Appia]] state road, and then local roads starting from [[Arienzo]].  It is {{convert|17|km|0|abbr=off}} from the Naples–Bari A16 motorway.  The SS372 Telesina state road allows reaching the A1 Naples–Rome, leading to the latter in less than three hours.

[[Benevento railway station]], on the [[Caserta railway station|Caserta]]-[[Foggia railway station|Foggia]] railway, has fast connections from Rome to Avellino, Bari and Lecce.  Trains to [[Campobasso railway station|Campobasso]] have been mostly replaced by bus services.  The connection to Naples is ensured by three stations on the [[Ente Autonomo Volturno|EAV]] inter-urban railway line.

Recently, in May 2021, the company [[Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori|Italo]] also inaugurated its new route that passes by Benevento and connects the city with Milan (in 5 hours and a half) and Rome (2 hours).<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Parte l'avventura di Italo: da oggi il Sannio è meno isolato|journal=Anteprima24}}</ref>

===Airports===
The nearest airports are:
* [[Salerno-Pontecagnano Airport|Salerno-Pontecagnano]] (QSR): {{Convert|89|km|mi|abbr=on}}
* [[Naples Airport|Napoli-Capodichino]] (NAP): {{Convert|91|km|mi|abbr=on}}

==Notable people==
* Saint [[Januarius]], Bishop of Naples and martyr, possibly born in Benevento
* [[Alberto di Morra]] (c. 1100–1187), later Pope Gregory VIII>
* [[Antonio Sancho de Benevento]], a [[silversmith]] artist of the [[Spanish Renaissance]] and monk of the [[Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba]]
* Saint [[Giuseppe Moscati]] (1880–1927), doctor and first modern physician designated a saint by the Catholic Church
* [[Menato Boffa]] (1930–1996), racing driver
* [[Carlotta Nobile]] (1988–2013), Art historian, violinist, blogger and Art Director of Santa Sophia Academy chamber Orchestra

==See also==
* [[University of Sannio]]
* [[Lombard coinage of Benevento]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
*{{SmithDGRG| title=Benevento}}
*{{cite book|first=Vera |last=von Falkenhausen|author-link=Vera von Falkenhausen|chapter=I Longobardi meridionali|title=Il Mezzogiorno dai Bizantini a Federico II|editor= Giuseppe Galasso|publisher=UTET|location=Turin|year=1983|pages=251–364}}
*{{cite book|first=Nicola|last=Cilento|title=Italia meridionale longobarda|publisher=Ricciardi|location= Milan-Naples|year=1971}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* The History Files: [http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsEurope/ItalyBenevento.htm Independent Dukes (571–774) and Princes (774–1053) of Benevento]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040814195132/http://www.liturgica.com/html/litWLMusDev5.jsp?hostname=null Beneventan liturgical chant, {{circa|650|800}}]
* [http://campania.italy-trip.org/photos_benevento.html Pictures from Benevento]
* [http://www.paesaggioitaliano.eu/gallery/benevento/index.php Photo Gallery by Leonardo Bellotti] {{in lang|it}}

{{Province of Benevento}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Benevento| ]]
[[Category:Roman sites of Campania]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Campania]]
[[Category:Samnite cities]]
[[Category:Gothic sites in Italy]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Italy]]