Sepino

Sepino - The small town of Sepino, in the province of Campobasso, extends from the top of a hill at just over 600 meters above sea level on the wide Tammaro valley. The origin of the name derives from Seapinum that is enclosure, where the flocks were housed during the transhumance from Molise and Abruzzo towards the sea. The first settlement was born along the ancient sheep track, in the Samnite era the city was a meeting place and exchange of pastoral items and a rest stop for breeders; with the Samnite wars the inhabitants moved to the highest part of the mountain, called 'Terra Vecchia'.

In Roman times the inhabited area was also distributed on the plain, where a Roman theater, numerous circular towers and a major forum with the basilica were built. The inhabited center still retains its medieval features, nor are the numerous squares and fountains that adorn the city an example; the fountain in the main square has taps indicating the 4 cardinal points. In the archaeological area of Altilia, there is the old inhabited area where it is possible to admire the remains of the forum, the basilica, Porta Bojano, the baths, the theater, the Cardo and the Decumano, the walls with the majestic access doors; the area is able to host numerous tourists every year thanks to the events held there. On the mountain, where the old town once stood, today there is the Acropolis of Terravecchia, where it is possible to admire the ruins of the Postern of Matese; recent excavations are bringing to light the Italic Temple of San Pietro in Cantoni. At the entrance of the town there is the monumental fountain of the Mascherone dating back to 200 AD. C. In the city center stands the church of Santa Cristina whose bell tower visible from the old hill has a spire in the shape of a 'bottle', inside the church there is the cave of Santa Cristina with its relic, The Mysteries, the hall of the treasury, a nineteenth-century wooden choir and the parish historical archive which preserves parchments dating back to the XII century. The Renaissance-style church of Santa Maria dell'Assunta has a majolica bell tower. Among the historical figures of Sepino there is Vincenzo Tiberio who was the first to understand how some molds were important for the formulations of some medicines. The town of Campitello di Sepino is of considerable interest where you can admire large equipped green spaces, thanks to the paths from this large wood you can reach the peaks of the surrounding mountains.