Description of the attraction
Sessa Aurunca is a commune in the province of Caserta in the Italian region of Campania. It is located on the southwestern slopes of the Roccamonfina volcano, 40 km from Caserta and 30 km from Formia.
The modern city was founded on the site of the ancient settlement of Suessa Aurunca near the banks of the Garigliano River. And before him, at an altitude of 600 meters above sea level, on the narrow southwestern tip of the volcano's crater, lay another settlement, from which the ruins of cyclopean structures have survived.
In 337, the ancient settlement was abandoned, and in 313, the Latin colony of Suessa Aurunca was founded a little to the side. It was one of the few cities that had the right to mint their own coins. Cicero speaks of it as a place that had a certain significance. Some retired statesmen of the Roman Empire even settled in Suessa Aurunca.
In Sessa Aurunca, numerous monuments of ancient Roman architecture have been preserved, for example, the ruins of an antique brick bridge consisting of a 21st arch, fragments of a building under the Church of San Benedetto, the ruins of a building under the Monastery of San Giovanni, which was probably a public covered gallery and an amphitheater.
The attraction of the city is the Romanesque cathedral of the Middle Ages. Its construction began in 1103. Inside the cathedral has a central nave and two side chapels, the mosaic floor is made in the "cosmatesco" technique, and the pulpit rests on columns and is decorated with mosaics reflecting the influence of Moorish art. The Easter candelabrum and organ have a similar style. The portal of the cathedral is decorated with curious sculptures of Saints Peter and Paul.
The popular quarter of Sessa Aurunca is Bahia Domizia, built as a tourist resort in the 1960s. This seaside resort is nestled amongst italian pine trees and boasts 7 miles of private beaches. Recently, Baia Domizia is considered one of the best resorts in Campania.
