The bollards installed in the area in front of Benevento Cathedral were removed on 7 November 2026. The municipality now intends to study new signage aimed at improving visibility and safety for motorists and pedestrians.
Traffic councillor Attilio Cappa said the removal had been requested immediately after installation because the structures were considered unsuitable for the square's historic and architectural context. The delay in removal was attributed to adverse weather conditions.
The installation had involved 22 white-and-red bollards in the area linking Corso Vittorio Emanuele III and Corso Garibaldi. The bollards were installed by Bemobi with the stated objective of curbing illegal parking and improving visibility.
The installation generated criticism focused on the visual impact of the barriers in front of the Cathedral and on the balance between safety and historic-area decorum.
The design, placement and timetable for the proposed new signage remain unspecified in the available reports. What is confirmed is the stated direction: replace the physical barriers with signage intended to serve the same visibility and safety functions without the same physical presence in front of the Cathedral.
Context for visitors
The episode sits within a wider reshaping of public space around the Cathedral. Benevento's municipal council has approved a broader project for pedestrianisation and redevelopment around Piazza Orsini and Piazza Duomo. That broader project includes a future reorganisation of traffic.
The relationship between the immediate signage intervention and the larger Piazza Orsini-Piazza Duomo redevelopment project remains unclear from the reporting to date. No official act authorising the original installation, ordering its removal, or defining the replacement signage was identified in the available sources, nor do the reports establish who paid for installation, removal or restoration.
A similar pattern has appeared elsewhere in the city. Other public-space works in Benevento have also involved removing bollards and replacing lighting and furnishings, indicating an ongoing debate over the appearance and functionality of historic urban areas. The Gazzetta di Benevento has reported such work in Piazza Piano di Corte, including the removal of existing bollards and replacement of urban furnishings and lighting.
For now, the practical result is simple: the bollards in front of the Duomo di Benevento are gone, and the next step is a signage solution still to be defined.
