Teatro Tempio di Pietrabbondante

The archaeological area of Pietrabbondante, is located in the locality of Calcatello, on the southern slope of Mount Saraceno at an altitude of about one thousand meters. Its panoramic position, on the valley of the Trigno, and scenographic make it one of the most suggestive places of Molise.
The Samnites were the first confederate people in the history of Italy, the various tribes were spread over an area that now includes parts of the current regions of Molise, Campania, Abruzzo, Puglia and Basilicata.
Each tribe had its own autonomy but recognized in the confederate form a character of supremacy, identified in the "Touto", precisely the Confederate State.
This area was frequented since the fifth century BC, however, the first structures related to the cults Samnites are of the fourth century BC, this period dates back to the construction of the Ionic temple, building now disappeared, of which there are many traces of architectural elements reused in subsequent phases of construction.
Following the destruction of Hannibal in 217 BC was built the Temple A. Between the end of the second and beginning of the first century BC, the site had a new arrangement with the construction of Temple B and the Theatre.
During the Bourbon period, in 1857, began a first campaign of excavations, the first objects found were brought in the current National Archaeological Museum of Naples. In contemporary times the entire area is the subject of intense excavations directed, since 1959, by Prof. Adriano La Regina.