The Roman amphitheatre and a Gothic cathedral of rare elegance
On a hill in the lower Molise, about 25 kilometres from the Adriatic, Larino is one of the most ancient and interesting towns in the region. It was the Roman Larinum, a flourishing municipium, which was the birthplace of Aulus Cluentius, defended by Cicero in one of his most famous speeches, the "Pro Cluentio". In the new town, the remains of the Roman city are preserved, including a large amphitheatre of the first century AD, which could hold about 12,000 spectators, one of the best preserved in southern Italy, and the remains of houses with mosaics, some of which, of great beauty, with animals and geometric motifs, are displayed in the Palazzo Ducale, which houses the civic museum.
The medieval town, in the lower part, is dominated by the Cathedral of San Pardo, completed in 1319, one of the most beautiful Gothic churches in southern Italy, with a splendid façade with a carved portal and a large rose window with thirteen rays, of great elegance, and a bright interior. Larino is famous for the "Carrese di San Pardo", a festival held at the end of May in honour of the patron saint, in which more than a hundred carts decorated with flowers and paper ribbons, pulled by oxen and cows adorned with bells and coloured drapes, parade through the streets, accompanied by music and songs, in a spectacle of ancient origin, linked to the peasant world and to the translation of the saint's relics. The surrounding countryside is covered with olive groves.
Tip: come at the end of May for the Carrese of San Pardo; visit the amphitheatre and the mosaics in the Palazzo Ducale.
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