The Castle of Gioia Sannitica is a Norman-era structure in the province of Caserta. Today, significant ruins remain on an isolated hill in the Caselle district.
The Catalogus Baronum, written during Norman rule, mentions a feudal lord in Gioia who likely built the castle. It was later renovated under the Hohenstaufens and Angevins, with reinforced outer walls, a new entrance with Gothic arches, and a masonry embankment.
The 1394 earthquake caused severe damage, particularly to the main tower. By the late 14th or early 15th century, the castle and its small village were abandoned due to the earthquake's destruction and recurring plague outbreaks that depopulated several settlements along the Volturno River.
In the following centuries, the site remained uninhabited, as evidenced by the absence of later architectural additions and ceramic fragments dating only to the 14th century.
The archaeological site, accessed through an ancient gateway, is divided into the castle on the left, dominated by a cylindrical main tower, and the village on the right, which developed at the base of the fortress.
A narrow path leads to the castle ruins, flanked by the fortress walls on one side and a steep ravine on the other. The different masonry layers reveal various construction phases. Near the tower, a large space with a fireplace likely served as the castle’s great hall.
The site is open to visitors every weekend.
The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.
The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.
Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.