Santuario Italico di Pietrabbondante

At an altitude of 1,000 meters, in front of a boundless landscape that embraces a large part of Molise as far as Abruzzo, you will experience the thrill of touching the extraordinary history of the Samnites.

The Santuario Italico of Pietrabbondante with its scenic position overlooking Mount Caraceno, is the most important architectural testimony of Samnite religiosity.

Following the traces of this ancient people, you will be enchanted by the molded stone seats of the theater dating back to the 2nd century B.C., a venue for performances and the ancient ‘Senate’ of the Samnite nation.

You will admire the temples: Temple B, which stands on a podium behind the theatre, and Temple A, in which numerous weapons and inscriptions in Oscan, the language of the Samnites, have been found.

You will recognise the tabernae, ancient shops overlooking a long columned portico, and the sacred buildings.

Going up to the highest part of the theatre cavea, you will see the domus publica. a house built in the 2nd century BC, which had a public and sacred function: it was one of the places where the institutional and religious figures of ancient Samnium met.