Benevento has been a crossroads for about as long as there has been a road to cross, but the Santa Sofia complex belongs to a particular chapter, the Lombards. In the eighth century the duchy of Benevento was the last Lombard power in southern Italy, and Duke Arechis II built Santa Sofia as his palace church, around the 760s. It is a strange, beautiful building, a hexagon surrounded by a ring of columns and walls, with an odd star-like plan that has puzzled architects ever since. Inside the plain stone are traces of frescoes, and the later Romanesque cloister next door is a lovely quiet square. It is part of the UNESCO listing for the Longobards in Italy, which came in 2011.
Benevento is a city of nearly fifty thousand people, so fuel, food and parking are manageable, with the old centre partly closed to cars. The town is also famous for witches, because legend says they once gathered under a walnut tree near the river, and the local liqueur, Strega, takes its name from the story, bright yellow and sweet. Torrone, the nougat, is the other local treat, and you can buy it everywhere.
Riding in the surrounding area is gentle but varied, with the Sabato and Calore rivers meeting at the city and hills rising on every side. The roads are in decent condition on main routes and rougher on side ones, with sudden potholes after rain and plenty of patched asphalt. Do not expect motorway speeds, and watch for trucks heading to the nearby industrial areas.
A short hop away is Maccoli-Perrillo, a hamlet worth a quiet detour, and the ride list ties this stop to the old Roman road, the Appia Traiana, which makes a neat pairing. The stone of Roman Benevento and the stone of Lombard Benevento are only a few hundred metres apart, and noticing that layering is the pleasure of the place. Visit in spring or autumn, as midsummer heat on the narrow streets can be fierce, and aim for late afternoon when the light turns the church walls warm.