Discover Circello: history and hotels

If you are considering Circello as a destination for a hotel stay, you can explore the town through several historical themes: the Area Archeologica di Macchia, the Castello di Circello and churches with their own architectural and local histories. Together, these traces span the history of ancient settlement, Norman military architecture and later religious institutions. Circello thus brings together archaeological, landscape and architectural aspects, without limiting the town’s history to a single era.

Ancient traces and early history

The ancient city is being excavated at the Area Archeologica di Macchia. Another early episode dates to 180 BC: 47,000 Liguri Apuani were forcibly deported from the area around Luni to this district. This led to the establishment of the two Pagi of the Liguri Bebiani and the Liguri Corneliani. The ancient history of Circello can thus be viewed through two distinct aspects: the archaeological site and the establishment of these two Pagi in connection with a forced settlement.

Castello di Circello: landscape and military history

Castello di Circello stands on a rocky slope opposite a ridge, overlooking the valleys of the Torti and Tammarecchia streams. In Norman times, the complex consisted of a curtain wall with a round tower serving as a keep. The information about its location and architectural form offers different perspectives on the castle: its position shapes its relationship with the landscape, while the curtain wall and keep illustrate its military architecture.

Its military history is also associated with a specific date. During the battle fought on 3 June 1496, the castle withstood attacks by French, Swiss and German troops against the Aragonese army led by Giovanni Sforza. Architectural history and a particular military event stand side by side here.

Churches and monastic history

The Chiesa di San Nicola was built around the 11th century by local Campanian craftsmen. Its interior has a single-nave layout; it also contains a stone altar and several bas-reliefs. These details draw attention both to the layout of the church interior and to individual elements of its furnishings.

The Chiesa di San Rocco has different historical and architectural features. The earliest historical records about it date from the first half of the 16th century; a bell bears the year 1518. Its exterior walls are built of local stone. Compared with San Nicola, San Rocco is therefore distinguished by its early documentary history, the dated bell and the masonry of its exterior walls.

The Convento San Francesco includes a church dedicated to Santa Maria degli Angeli. In October 1651, the monastery was able to accommodate twelve monks. The old Convento was destroyed by the 1962 earthquake and subsequently rebuilt with state funds. This sequence connects the monastery’s history with its church dedication, a specific historical figure for its capacity and a later turning point in its architectural history.

The Torre di Sant’Angelo is the bell tower of the no-longer-existing Church of San Michele Arcangelo in Circello. The tower thus points to another facet of the local heritage: the relationship between a surviving historic building and a church that no longer exists.

Discover more destinations: Paupisi, Bonea, Campoli del Monte Taburno, Apice Vecchio, Buonalbergo, Sant'angelo A Cupolo, Benevento, Campolattaro

For the full travel overview: Benevento.