ENGLISH * THE
SANNIO
WE
HAVE NOW ENTERED ONE OF THE MOST ANCIENT AND MYSTERIOUS REGIONS IN ITALY:
SANNIO. IT IS MOUNTAINOUS INLAND COUNTRY, CLOSED OFF BY THE HIGH PEAKS OF
THE IRPINIA RENGE TO THE SOUTH, THE MATESE RANGE TO THE NORTH AND THE DAUNIA
RANGE TO THE EAST AND LYING IN THE LONG VALLEYS OF THE VOLTURNO AND CALORE
RIVERS. IN ANCIENT TIMES,
THIS TERRITORY WAS MUCH LARGER: IT INCLUDED PART OF MOLISE AND THE SOUTHERN
ABRUZZI, AND BORDERED ON LAZIO, CAMPANIA AND LUCANIA, EXTENDING AS FOR AS
THE BAY OF SALERNO AND THE ADRIATIC. A RACE OF INDOMITABLE WARRIORS LIVED
THERE THE SAMNITES, WHOSE ORIGINS ARE ALMOST COMPLETELY UNKNOWN TO US. WE
KNOW THAT THEY WERE AN ITALIC RACE, MADE UP OF A CERTAIN NUMBER OF TRIBES
AMONG WHICH THERE WERE THE IRPINIANS, THE CAUDINES AND THE ALFETERNI. THE
OSCANS DESCENDED FROM A MINGLING OF THE SAMNITES AND THE OPICS.
THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE WAS OSCAN, BUT THE
DIFFERENT DIALECTS OF THE VARIOUS TRIBES WERE MAINTAINED. THEY ASPIRED TO
NATIONAL UNITY AND WANTED TO EXPAND BY FORMING POLITICAL ASSOCIATIONS WITH
OTHER PEOPLES. BY ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF THE FOURTH CENTURY B.C., THAT IS,
THEIR EXPANSION HAD REACHED ITS MAXIMUM LIMIT, THEY HAD FORMED A FEDERATION.
LITTLE REMAINS TO TELL US OF THEIR CIVILISATION.
WE KNOW THAT THEY BURIED THEIR DEAD AT POMPEI THE SO-CALLED SAMNITE TOMBS
ARE WELL-KNOWN AND THAT THEY WERE SKILLED IN GLADIATORIAL COMBAT. LIVY ALSO
GIVES US A DESCRIPTION OF THEIR ARMOUR: AN OVAL SHIELD AND CRESTED HELMET.
BEING WARRIORS, THEI FAVOURITE GOD WAS MAMERTES, THE ROMAN MARS. THE SAMNITES
APPEARED IN CAMPANIA IN 474, WHEN THEY CONQUERED CAPUA. THEY ALSO FOUNDED
OTHER CITIES IN THIS PERIOD, INCLUDING POMPAIOS (POMPEI), NOCERA, ALFETERNA,
ATELLA AND ABELLA. THEY HAD REACHED THE MAXIMUM LIMIT OF THEIR EXPANSION WHEN
THE WARS WITH THE ROMANS BEGAN. THE
ROMANS TOO WERE KEEN TO EXPAND,BUT BY CONQUEST NOT BY POLITICAL ASSOCIATION.
ONE OF THE OUTSTANDING EPISODES OF THE WARS WAS THE HUMILIATION INFLICTED
ON THE ROMANS WHEN THEY HAD TO PASS UNDER THE YOKE AT THE CAUDINE FORKS. AFTER
VARIOUS VICISSITUDES, THE ROMANS EMERGED THE VICTORS, AND THE PROUD SAMNITE
RACE WAS FORCED TO BECOME AN ALLY OF ROME. THEY WERE INVOLVED IN THE SOCIAL
WAR AND FORMED AN ALLIANCE WITH MARIUS; THEIR BROUGHT DOWN ON THEM THE VENGEANCE
OF SULLA WHO, IN 83 B.C., UNDER THE WALLS OF ROME, DESTROYED THE SAMNITES
AND THUS PUT AN END TO THEIR NATION. AS WE PASS OVER THIS REGION, WE CAN SEE
NOTHING WHICH REMINDS US OF THIS WARRIOR RACE, THE USUAL FATE OF CONQUERED
PEOPLES. THE RUINS TELL US ONLY ABOUT THE CONQUERING ROMANS. THIS IS ALSO
BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE ARCHAELOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE SAMNITE TERRITORY,
EXCEPT FOR THE EXCAVATIONS AT ALFETERNA AND PIETRABBONDANTE. WE
HAVE CHOSEN TO ENTER SANNIO THROUGH THE NARROW DEFILE BETWEEN ARPAIA AND FORCHIA,
WHERE ROMAN PRIDE WAS DEALT SUCH A DEVASTATING BLOW. THESE ARE THE FAMOUS
CAUDINE FORKS. A MEMORIAL STONE RECORDS THE INCIDENT. IN FRONT OF US, WE CAN
SEE A CYLINDRICAL CONSTRUCTION WHICH SEEMS LIKE AN EXTENSION OF THE HEIGHT
ON WHICH IT STANDS, A SPUR OF MONTE TABURNO. THIS IS THE FAMOUS CASTLE OF
MONTESARCHIO, A FEUDAL FORTRESS USED BY THE BOURBONS AS A STATE PRISON. HERE
CARLO POERIO, ALONG WITH OTHERS, WAS KEPT PRISONER. AT THE WESTERN END OF
THE CAUDINE VALLEY, THE BELLTOWER WHICH CAN BE SEEN AMONG THE HOUSES BELONGS
TO THE CHURCH OF THE ANNUNZIATA IN AIROLA, A BEAUTIFUL SMALL TOWN WHICH POSSIBIBLY
DERIVES ITS NAME FROM A LOMBARD FEUDAL LORD (BOTH THE BELL TOWER AND THE CHURCH
ITSELF ARE BY VANVITELLI). AT
THE VERY END OF THE CAUDINE VALLEY, ON THE RIVER ISCLERO, WHICH IS ITS OUTLET,
HERE IS THE HISTORICAL TOWN OF S. AGATA DEI GOTI, ANCIENT SATICULA, WHERE
THE ROMANS INFLICTED A HARSH DEFEAT ON THE SAMNITES. FROM ABOVE WE CAN MAKE
OUT QUITE CLEARLY THE CHURCH OF S. MENNA, FOUNDED BY THE NORMANS; THE CATHEDRAL,
WHOSE PORTICO HAS TWELVE ANCIENT COLUMNS WITH CORINTHIAN CAPITALS; THE RUINS
OF THE MEDIEVAL CASTLE; THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY CHURCH OF SAN FRANCESCO AND
THE RENAISSANCE CHURCH OF THE ANNUNZIATA. LEAVING
AMOROSI, WHERE OBVIOUS MEDIEVAL FEATURES ARE PRESERVED, BEHIND US, AND CONTINUING
DOWN THE BEAUTIFUL VALLEY WE COME ACROSS A CHARACTERISTICALLY ROMAN CITY ALIFE,
ANCIENT ALLIFAE, WE CAN SEE PIEDIMONTE MATESE, ON THE SLOPES OF THE MASSIF
FROM WHICH IT DERIVES ITS NAME. ITS ORIGINS DATE BACK TO THE NEOLITHIC PERIOD;
IN THE MUSEO DEL SANNIO SOME REMAINS FROM THIS PERIOD ARE PRESERVED AND ON
NEARBY MONTE CILA THERE ARE THE RUINS OF PREHISTORIC ARCH. NOW WE ARE APPROACHING
THE MATESE MOUNTAINS. THE VALLEYS OF THE RIVERS VOLTURNO, CALORE AND TAMMARO
ALMOST COMPLETELY ENCIRCLE THIS GROUP OF MOUNTAINS, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
LIMESTONE MASSIFS IN SOUTHERN ITALY. ITS STREAMS FEED A LAKE OF KARST ORIGIN
IN ONE OF ITS VALLEYS. THE HIGHEST PEAK IS MONTEMILETTO (2050 METRES). THE
MATESE MOUNTAINS ALSO OFFER EXCELLENT FACILITIES FOR SKIING. WE
TURN SOUTHWARDS, LEAVING CUSANO MUTRI AND CERRETO SANNITA BEHIND US, AND THE
THERMAL SPA OF TELESE COMES INTO VIEW. IN 1349 AN EARTHQUAKE CAUSED THESE
SULPHURIC-CARBONIC SPRINGS TO EMERGE. THEY ORIGINATE PERHAPS IN THE MATESE
MUNTAINS. THE THERMAL ESTABLISHMENTS USE THESE WATERS FOR THERAPEUTIC PURPOSES,
ABOVE ALL FOR THE TREATMENT OF SKIN AND GYNAECOLOGICAL DISEASES. THE RUINS
OF THE MASSIVE TOWN WALLS BELONG, INSTEAD, TO TELESIA, THE ANCIENT TOWN WHICH
WAS A STRATEGIC KEYPOINT, AND WHERE THE BITTER SAMNITE RESISTANCE TO THE ROMANS
WAS FOUGHT OUT. NOW WE FLY OVER SOLOPACA WITH ITS ABUNDANT VINEYARDS AND EXCELLENT
WINE; PASSING OVER VITULANO, HERE WE ARE FINALLY IN SIGHT OF BENEVENTO.
