Longobards in Italy, Places of the Power (568 to 774 AD) was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in June, 2011, making a total of 45 Italian World Heritage sites.
Seven groups of important Longobard buildings, from the Gargano Promontory in Puglia to northern Italy, make up this site. Included are fortresses, churches, and monasteries that show the importance of the Longobards in the spiritual, cultural and architectural development of the early middle ages in Italy.
Who Were the Longobards or Lombards?
The Longobards, also called the Lombards, migrated from northern Europe and ruled over large parts of the Italian peninsula in the sixth through eighth centuries. They became immersed in the cult of the Archangel Michael and Saint Michael Sanctuary on the Gargano Promontory became their national shrine, making it an important pilgrimage destination. Via Sacra Langobardorum was the Lombard sacred route that went from northern Italy to the cave of the Archangel Michael in the south.
These seven places, each of them very interesting to visit, are included in Longobards in Italy, Places of the Power:
Southern Italy Sites
- Sanctuary of the Archangel Michael in Monte Sant'Angelo on Puglia's Gargano Promontory.
- Santa Sofia Church in Benevento.
Longobard Sites in Umbria
- Basilica of San Salvatore, outside the city walls of Spoleto.
- The Clitunno Tempietto with eighth century frescoes, the oldest frescoes in Umbria, between Spoleto and Trevi.
Northern Italy Sites
- Gastaldaga area and Episcopal complex in Cividale dei Friuli, near Udine in the northeast province of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
- The Monastic Complex and Museum of Santa Giulia and San Salvatore in Brescia.
- The Church of Santa Maria Foris Portas with its stunning early medieval frescoes and the castrum with the Torba Tower in the archeological park of Castelseprio, off the A8 northwest of Milan.