COMPLESSO ARCHEOLOGICO DI PIETRABBONDANTE

This vast site is an ancient place of worship of the Samnites, the barbarian people who defied Rome before being crushed. It is one of the most important archaeological complexes in Molise.

The Samnite tribes lived in a large territory in southern Italy, which today includes the regions of Molise, Abruzzo, Puglia, Basilicata and Campania. Archaeologists know little about the cults of these mountain men, and few explanations are given about the precise meaning of this place. We know mainly that sacrifices for three gods were offered there.

The first excavations were carried out in the ^19th century and the oldest parts of the archaeological complex date back to the ^4th century BC. Among the important remains uncovered: the theater and two temples, minor (A) and major (B). More recent excavations have identified other buildings in the sacred area as well as the domus publica.

If the historical and patrimonial interest of this archaeological site is unique, what is also worth the detour in this place is the grandiose beauty of the panorama, overhanging the valley of the Trigno. It is enough to observe, on the left, the rocky peak of Pietrabbondante, then, on the right, in the distance, its twin and finally, in front of it, a sacred mountain to grasp all the mystical force of the site. In fact, we understand why these three magical elements of nature became, in the minds of men, the representation of the gods.