San Salvatore Telesino

San Salvatore Telesino is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 50 km northeast of Naples and about 25 km northwest of Benevento. San Salvatore Telesino borders the following municipalities: Amorosi, Castelvenere, Faicchio, Puglianello, San Lorenzello, Telese Terme. Sights include the remains of the ancient Telesia and of the former Rocca (castle), as well as the Abbey of San Salvatore. History The communal territory includes the remains (walls, amphitheater) of the ancient Telesia, a Samnite city. In the 1st century BC a Roman colony was founded here which, after the Lombard conquest, it was the seat of a gastald. The Saracen raids of 847 and an earthquake led to the abandonment of the city. A group of refugees from Telesia were sheltered by the monks of the Benedictine monastery of San Salvatore and given some terrain to build a new town, which took the name from the saint. The abbey ruled the village until its destruction in 1349 by an earthquake. Later, the area was donated to Giovanni Monsorio, majordomo of king Ferdinand I of Aragon. The last feaudataries were the Carafa family. References