Ponte Leproso a Benevento

Some works of art continue to tell the story of a place centuries after they were created. And when they return to the land that inspired them, they take on an even deeper meaning. This is the story of Ponte Leproso a Benevento by Gonsalvo Carelli, which will be presented to the public at Casa Pisani on Wednesday, 16 September.

Born in Naples in 1818, Carelli was one of the leading figures of 19th-century Neapolitan landscape painting and was associated with the School of Posillipo. The son of painter Raffaele Carelli, he began his artistic career at a very young age and devoted much of his work to landscapes and views, developing an approach capable of capturing not only the appearance of a place but also its atmosphere.

The work returning to Benevento depicts the Ponte Leproso, one of the landmarks of the city's history and a crossing point along the ancient Via Appia. Carelli's work preserves a 19th-century artist's view of a Benevento landscape that remains part of the city's identity and collective memory.

Previously held in a private collection, the work was acquired by Archeoclub Benevento on 26 June 2026 during an auction held by Casa d'Aste Errico in Naples. It was purchased with the intention of adding it to the collection of the MIB – Museo Iconografico Beneventano, housed at Casa Pisani. The vernissage will mark its first public display, offering visitors an opportunity to discover both the artist and the connection between the work and the history of Benevento.

The acquisition enriches the museum's collection while bringing back to the city a precious visual record of how Benevento was seen and represented in the past.