Campochiaro: a Samnite sanctuary on the slopes of the Matese
High on the Molise flank of the Matese massif, the small village of Campochiaro guards one of the most evocative ancient sites in the region. Hidden in woods above the modern town stand the remains of a sanctuary of Hercules, a sacred place of the Samnites, the warlike Italic people who once dominated these mountains.
The sanctuary of Hercules
Set on powerful terraces of polygonal stonework, the sanctuary was in use from the 7th or 6th century BC and monumentalised with a temple in the centuries that followed. Hercules was worshipped here as a god of the Matese, and the site even appears on the Roman road map known as the Tabula Peutingeriana. Nearby, one of the most important early-medieval cemeteries in Molise has yielded remarkable warrior burials, including horses laid to rest with their riders.
From the Samnites to today
The present village, of Lombard origin, grew as a fortified outpost defending nearby Bojano, and its medieval centre sits amid rich woodland. Together with neighbouring Guardiaregia it shares a WWF nature reserve, with gorges and trails on the slopes of Monte Miletto, the highest peak of the Matese.
Where it is
Campochiaro lies at around 750 metres, about 20 kilometres south-west of Campobasso and a short drive from Bojano.