San Paolo Bel Sito: Archaeology and Historic Architecture

San Paolo Bel Sito offers a historical focus for travelers who also consider history and architecture when choosing where to stay. Its heritage ranges from Bronze Age finds to villas, palaces and religious furnishings.

Archaeological traces from several periods

Archaeological finds at the sites of Vigna, Montesano and Campo Stella attest to intensive settlement in the area of San Paolo Bel Sito during protohistoric and Roman times. Early finds include two skeletons from the Early Bronze Age discovered here. Their deaths are linked to the eruption of the so-called “Pomici di Avellino” in the 19th–18th centuries BC.

A settlement dating to the Late Bronze Age has been dated to the 11th–10th centuries BC. The remains of an Italic temple date from the 4th–3rd centuries BC. Also found are the remains of a Roman villa from the late Republican or early Imperial period. The dates therefore range from the Bronze Age to the Roman period and encompass different types of settlement and architecture.

Villas and historic palaces

Villa Montesano, also commonly called Montesanto, stands on a small hill just outside the built-up center of San Paolo Bel Sito. Local tradition links the villa to a stay by Domenico Cimarosa and to the composition of “Il matrimonio segreto.” This connection to music history adds a biographical and cultural dimension to the villa’s specific location.

Villa Bellosguardo was once a holiday home belonging to the Capecelatro family. It is said to have been built on the remains of a Roman villa. From Villa Bellosguardo, there is a view of the ruins of Cicala Castle. The historical accounts thus bring together its former use as a holiday home, an uncertain building history and a view of a castle complex.

The historic ducal palace, Palazzo Accinni, is near Piazza Camillo Santorelli. It was probably built by the Mastrilli in the 16th century; in the 18th century, Giacomo Milano, Prince of Ardore, Marquis of San Giorgio and Duke of Santopaolo, had it remodeled. Its façade features late Baroque decorative elements known as “falcon wings.” They are located above the window and on the balconies beside the portal. The building therefore reveals distinct phases of construction and design.

Church and art

The parish church of San Paolo I Eremita e Santa Prima Martire dates from between the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Its furnishings date from the 18th century. These include polychrome marble altars, an organ, and a stuccoed and gilded wooden pulpit. The construction and furnishings thus point to different periods in the church’s history.

The chapel of Villa Simonelli houses wooden statues and two 19th-century frescoes. Another work of art in the town is Nicola Cacciapuoti’s painting “San Paolo eremita,” dated 1751.

From the late 18th century to the early 20th century, San Paolo Bel Sito developed into a popular holiday resort for the Neapolitan aristocracy, thanks to its favorable geographical location and the natural beauty of the landscape.

Discover more destinations: Acerra, Santa Maria La Carità, Lettere, Torre Annunziata, Lido Di Licola, Villaricca, Casola di Napoli, Tufino.

For the main travel overview: Naples.