The Faicchio Castle, also known as the Ducal Castle, is a Norman-era fortress in the historic center of Faicchio, Benevento. Built in the 12th century by the Sanframondo counts, it occupies a strategic position between the Acero and Gioia mountains, overlooking the Titerno River.
The castle changed hands multiple times. InĀ 1479-1520 it was owned by the Monsorio family, who remodeled it based on Naples' Castel Nuovo. In 1612 it was acquired by Gabriele De Martino, Duke of Faicchio, who transformed it into a noble residence while maintaining defensive elements.
During the 18th century renovations included restoring the palatine chapel and adding a bell tower. It was again restored in the 1960s by the Fragola family and later converted into a hotel-restaurant by local entrepreneurs.
The castle features a trapezoidal layout with three remaining cylindrical towers. A grand 17th-century entrance bears the De Martino coat of arms, once protected by a drawbridge. The interior courtyard, with its gray tuff portico and an external staircase leading to the noble floor, mirrors Castel Nuovo.
Today, Faicchio Castle stands as a restored landmark, preserving its medieval charm while serving as a luxury hospitality venue.
The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.