Sepino

When the last inhabitants of the Roman Saepinum moved to the modern city, Castellum Saepinii, together with the name of the ancient city, left a large stone mask, probably detached from a monumental fountain: this is what visitors see today at the entrance to the town, walled in a more modest fountain, next to the provincial road. Apart from this ornament of classical origin, Sepino's charm is delightfully mediaeval, starting with the gates and the remains of the walls that defended the town, with rare Renaissance accents. This is the case of the sixteenth-century Attilio Palace, which was built by a local family so rich and influential that it appointed its own bishop of Termoli. The heart of the town is the large Piazza Nerazio Prisco, overlooked by the Town Hall and, more secluded, the Church of San Cristina, dominated by a bell tower with an elegant wrought iron dome, the work of local artisans. The church is probably of 13th-century origin, but has been altered and rebuilt several times due to earthquakes: in the Tesoro chapel (1609), it houses silver-plated copper busts of saints and precious Baroque altars. A short distance from the village are bicarbonate-sulphate-calcic oligomineral waters, utilised by the thermal baths of the Three Fountains. In summer, local agencies and associations organise guided visits from the country to the Sepino Archaeological Park and trekking to the Samnite archaeological area of Terravecchia-Saipins, in the locality of Terravecchia at an altitude of about 950 metres, on a hill overlooking the Tammaro valley.