What to see in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the Roman Amphitheater, the Arch of Hadrian, the Mitreo and the Duomo.
Tourist information
Located to the left of the Volturno river, in the province of Caserta, from which it is 7 km away, Santa Maria Capua Vetere constitutes an ancient Oscan settlement called Volturnum, which became an Etruscan city in the sixth century BC. taking the name of Capua.
Later it came under the dominion of the Samnites and then of the Romans.
In 216 BC, while the Second Punic War was taking place, Capua gave Hannibal and his army hospitality characterized by many amusements, known as the "lounges of Capua".
City of considerable importance until the fall of the Roman Empire, Capua was sacked several times, until, following the 9th century Saracen raid, it was abandoned by the inhabitants.
What see
The Roman Amphitheater, a grandiose construction dating back to the first century and subsequently remodeled by subsequent emperors, presents itself with the typical elliptical shape typical of this type of construction, with a length of 170 meters and a width of 140.
Only one arch and part of the pillars open from niches remain of the Arch of Hadrian.
In the mithraeum, which dates back to the period between the second and third centuries, on a wall there is a fresco depicting Mithras killing the bull.
The Duomo, altered several times over the centuries, is characterized by a neoclassical facade with an interior with five naves.
In the surroundings of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, about 2 km away, there is San Prisco, a small village located at the foot of Mount Tifata where there is the Church of San Prisco which, probably built by Vanvitelli, has a beautiful eighteenth-century facade.
Inside the building of worship, at the end of the right nave, there is the remarkable Chapel of San Matrona, built in the sixth century, characterized by a vault decorated with remarkable mosaics from the same period.
