Rocca dei Rettori

Fortress of the Rectors, current seat of the Province of Benevento and the historical section of the Museum of Sannio, was originally a castle dominating the old town. The current appearance is the result of numerous interventions. The building consists of two distinct parts: the angular Tower, built by the Lombards (what remains of their fortress) and the Papal Palace of the Governors, renovated in later periods (Castrum Novum), whose main entrance, on the west side, leads in a garden raised above the street level, which houses a lapidary dedicated to  the miliarii of Via Traiana and several Roman architectural fragments. The Palace stands on three floors, with a rectangular plant with courtyard, divided by buttresses and Neoclassical elements, like the framed windows, the columns surmounted by a pediment and the window overlooking the courtyard. The ground floor is occupied by the secret. During the last restoration were found many archaeological evidence proving the use of the area from ancient times: the hill housed a necropolis of ancient Oriental period (VII-VI centuries BC) and Sunni period, while the Romans built a water reservoir (Castellum Aquae). The Lombards used the site for military purposes, including it in the walls. In the eighth century, was added to the structure the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria in Porta Somma From 1586 to 1865, the fortress was transformed in prison.