Buccino: Archaeology, Local History and Art

Buccino offers a window onto a long local history, visible in a variety of evidence: from the walls of ancient Volcei and a necropolis spread across three terraces to later forms of habitation and a museum featuring Carlo Levi’s paintings. The Archaeological Park is located in today’s historic centre; visits follow open paths through the listed areas. When choosing a hotel in Buccino, it helps to consider which aspect of the town you want to shape your stay: archaeological topography, settlement history or art.

Hills, landscape and the walls of Volcei

Buccino stands on a long, narrow hill. To the north lies a broad lake depression, while to the south stretches a series of ridges. These directions give the landscape a clear structure. The walls of Volcei follow the course and topography of the hill; they were built in the 4th century BC. This links the ancient fortifications directly to the shape of the terrain. Those interested in local history will find a tangible connection here between landscape and architecture.

Santo Stefano and the history of burial practices

The sacred site of Santo Stefano includes a necropolis spread across three terraces bounded by retaining structures. The upper terrace was used from the 8th to the 4th century BC. The dead were buried with grave goods: first monochrome, and later two-colour pottery. The grave goods thus reveal changes over the site’s long period of use. Near the enclosure, a chamber tomb containing a woman’s burial was created between the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 3rd century BC. Because of its rich grave goods, it is known as the “tomba degli ori” (“tomb of gold”). The name refers to the exceptional richness of the burial offerings.

Forms of habitation along Via Egito

The caves along Via Egito reveal another aspect of the settlement’s history. The ancient three-tiered terrace along this street was transformed into a rock-cut settlement in the 6th to 7th centuries AD. The caves were used first as homes with adjoining stables, and later as cellars. They remained in use until the 1980 earthquake. Here, the focus is on the different uses of the same place: first as living quarters with stables, then as cellars. This makes this area thematically distinct from the necropolis at Santo Stefano.

The castle and evidence of ancient architecture

The Norman-Angevin castle is characterised by a long period of use and several phases of alteration. It was in use from the 12th to the 20th century AD and was restored and adapted in various phases. The square tower, the keep, was built in the 12th century and is the only surviving evidence of the Norman building phase. This distinction separates the castle’s long history from the surviving evidence of its Norman period.

The visible remains of a podium temple are another distinct archaeological feature. They are incorporated into a modern building used as a private home. The temple is generally identified as a Caesareum, that is, a temple of the imperial cult. The temple is thought to date to the middle of the 1st century BC, more precisely to 60–50 BC.

Carlo Levi at Palazzo Forcella

The Museo Carlo Levi della Questione Meridionale is located in Palazzo Forcella, in the historic centre of Buccino. Paintings by Carlo Levi are on permanent display there in the exhibition “Il segno avvolgente di Carlo Levi: Volti, mito e natura” (“The Enveloping Mark of Carlo Levi: Faces, Myth and Nature”). The museum offers a different thematic focus from the archaeological evidence: at its heart are paintings and the subjects named in the exhibition title—faces, myth and nature. When looking for a hotel in Buccino, you can use these different themes as a guide, depending on which aspects of the town’s history interest you most during your stay.

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For the main travel overview: Salerno.