What to see in Capua, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the Duomo, the Roman bridge over the Volturno, the Annunziata Church, the Castle of the stones and the Campano Museum.
Tourist information
Town in the province of Caserta on the Volturno bank, in the stretch where the Via Appia crosses the river, Capua is developed in the area corresponding to the ancient river port of Casilinum and owes its name to the ancient city, whose territory corresponds to the one where the current Santa Maria Capua Vetere stands.
After being conquered by the Romans in 217 BC, the city remained vital until the sixth century AD. and then it was abandoned until the ninth century, when it began to repopulate with the survivors of the Saracen raids, becoming principality in the tenth century.
After having spent a flourishing period, the decline came, until he found himself employed by Naples.
The Duomo, dating back to the ninth century and dedicated to Saints Stefano and Agata, has undergone various renovations over time, up to more recent works that have tried to restore them to their original forms.
The church is preceded by an atrium supported by twenty valuable third century columns, while the mighty bell tower dates back to the ninth century.
Within three naves there are tombs and sarcophagi from various historical periods, an Assunta del Solimena and a Addolorata del Canova.
The Roman bridge over the Volturno river includes two thirteenth-century towers, while the city center consists of Piazza dei Giudici, overlooked by the sixteenth-century Palazzo del Comune, the Church of Sant'Eligio, built at the end of the thirteenth century but later rebuilt, and the remarkable Arco di Sant'Eligio of 1200.
Not far from the square is the Palazzo Fieramosca.
What see
The Church of the Santissima Annunziata, which was built in the thirteenth century and rebuilt adding Baroque motifs, has a single nave and is dominated by the high dome by Domenico Fontana.
Nearby are the ruins of the Castello delle Pietre, also known as the Norman Palace and dating back to the year one thousand.
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The Church of San Marcello, dating back to the ninth century but rebuilt in the twelfth, has a remarkable portal decorated on the side.
In the Palazzo Antignano there is the Provincial Museum of Campania, which contains an archaeological and a medieval section, as well as the library.
Very interesting are the lapidary Mammsen, the funerary steles and sarcophagi, as well as ceramics, mosaics, bronzes, coins and remains of the Mater Matuta Sanctuary.
In the medieval section there are, among other things, sculptures of Frederick II of Swabia, various examples of southern Romanesque style of the thirteenth century and the interesting art gallery.
Among the excursions to do in the surrounding area is that of Sant’Angelo in Formis, a small town about 5 km away, where the Basilica of Sant’Angelo in Formis is located, which is one of the most important Romanesque churches in Campania.
Built on the site where the Temple of Diana Tifantina stood in the tenth century and later remodeled, the cult building has a portico with Arabic-style arches supported by columns.
Very interesting are the frescoes of the year 1000, including the Last Judgment, Episodes from the Life of Jesus, figures of Prophets and scenes from the Old Testament.
