Places

Montelibretti
The town of Montelibretti develops around the historical center with the impressive 17th century Palazzo Barberini, featuring a square structure and cylindrical towers, and the St. Nicholas of Bari Parish Church, named after the patron saint of the town, built in 1535 and renovated in 1773. Not far from the town, there is the important necropolis of Colle del Forno, discovered in the early Seventies and with several remains partly preserved in the National Museum in Copenhagen. The excavations have brought to light a number of tombs with underground chamber (about 18), with access dromos and burial niches, holding intact “princely” kits of the warriors that were buried there.

Montorio Romano
Located on a hillock of the Sabine mountains between the Tiber and the Turano rivers, the town overlooks the Tiber valley to the south and the valley leading up to Mount Terminillo to the north.
The town can be ideally divided into three areas: the oldest part, formed by the baronial mansion and his court, named “Montaterra”; the picturesque borough nestling around the palace, “u buriu”; and the new part extending on the opposite hill until the foot of Mount Calvary.

Moricone
Moricone is located on high ground at the foot of the north-western Sabine portion of the Lucretili Mountains and overlooks the
wide downhill sloping towards the Tiber valley. Legend tells that, in these areas, Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome, organized the famous Rape of the Sabine Women.
The settlement consists of a typically medieval part with terraced houses, arches and winding alleys where there are several stretches of cobblestones flooring and a more modern part developed at a later date. The village is dominated by the castle called the Rock, built on the highest point of Mount Morrecone probably in the 11th century.

Nerola
It is believed that this town was built on the pre-Roman Regillus, a militarily strategic location because of its proximity to the Via Salaria and that gave birth to Atta Clausus, founder of the gens Claudia, ancestors of Nero. The medieval town is perched around an impressive fortified castle and preserves the medieval features and layout: inside many houses, it is still possible to admire the remains of the city walls, reinforced by regularly distanced towers, and enclosing the historical city centre.

Palombara Sabina
Situated on a hill at the foot of Mount Gennaro, in the middle of Southern Sabina, it is surrounded by olive groves and cherry trees. Its origins are very old, but the earliest
records date back to the Middle Ages. The urban structure of this village, developing in a typical medieval spiral, crossed by narrow, winding streets, is dominated by the tower of the Savelli Castle. The original castle, square-shaped, is built on the remains of a pre-existing palatium. The Savelli family is the one that has undertaken great renovation and fortification works. Among the churches in the old town, worthy of visiting is the parish of St. Biagio, patron saint of Palombara, that was built before the 11th century. Not far from Palombara, about two kilometers away, there is the Basilica of St. John in Argentella, built in the early Middle Ages by Benedictine monks.

Cantalupo in Sabina
The town is located on a hilly land that still jealously preserves its ancient splendor.
Many are the remains of Roman villas, spread on the Cantalupo land. On these ruins, just after the fall of the Roman Empire, two very small towns, named Pagi and Vici, arose. Between the 8th and 9th centuries, the inhabitants of these two villages retired to the highest point of the territory, thus originating the Castrum Cantalupi. During a visit throughout town, it is possible to admire precious monuments of its past history like Palazzo Camuccini, Porta Maggiore, the town’s main gate, and the churches of St. Biagio, St. Adam and the majestic Church of Our Lady assumed into Heaven. Good starting point for excursions on the two highest peaks of the Sabine mountains, Mount Pizzuto and Mount Tancia.

Castelnuovo di Farfa
This medieval village is perched on a hill, in one of the most beautiful
areas of Sabina, between the Farfa river and the Riana stream. Popular for the production of excellent olive oil, it also houses the Sabina Olive Oil Museum. The city centre, constituted by the old town, is still intact and charming: here, it is possible to admire the oldest buildings. Just 2 km away, there is Farfa Abbey, an important artistic and cultural destination.

Collevecchio
The foundation of the village, previously named Colavetus, dates back to 1253; it was a fief of the Orsini family until 1594, the year of death of Valerio Orsini, abbot of Fossanova and last Lord of Collevecchio. This medieval village retains traces of its past in the urban structure, its churches, including the late 12th century Collegiate Church of the Assumption  with its Romanesque bell tower characterised by a double row of mullioned windows, and in some noble mansions that, over the centuries, have hosted celebrities and politicians, such as Palazzo Coperchi and the 16th century Palazzo Menechini, designed by the architect Vignola.

Fara in Sabina
The history of Fara is closely linked with that of its Abbey, founded in the 6th century. The religious centre soon became one of the major cultural and political sites in the Medieval Sabina. Charlemagne also stayed there during his trip to Rome to receive the imperial investiture from the Pope. Conquered and severely damaged by the Saracens in 898, after the 11th century Cluniac reform, it became the site of a major scriptorium that produced many illuminated manuscripts using the tiny Roman font known as “farfense”. The old town, with its settlements dating back to the Middle Paleolithic, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, has the 15th century Church of St. Antoninus, the castle probably built before the year 1006 and an interesting Municipal Museum.

Magliano Sabina
Magliano, on the border between Lazio and Umbria, is the front door of the Sabina. Land of PDO extra virgin olive oil and DOC wine, it is a true paradise in the green hills for those looking for good food, traditional products, art and culture. Worthy of visiting: the 14th century Cathedral of the Sabines with three naves, the church dedicated to St. Peter, reminiscent of the 13th century architecture of the town, while the interior is typically Romanesque, and the Archaeological Municipal Museum in Palazzo Gori, preserving one of the first examples of the Sabine writing system, the people protagonist of the legendary origins of Rome.

Monteleone Sabino
At the beginning of the 11th century, on the ruins of a former Roman settlement, Trebula Mutuesca, it arose the medieval town of Monteleone where, still today, it is possible to admire the city walls and towers, partially reused as dwellings.
The medieval village preserves embedded in the narrow streets friezes, capitals and inscriptions from Roman times, and many significant monuments, including Palazzo Lancelotti (Gamberi), built in 1486, incorporating the secondary gateway, named Pica Gate. One of the most important religious buildings in Sabina is the church of Saint Victoria, one kilometer away from the town, built in the early 12th century on ancient Roman catacombs. Also interesting is the Antiquarium Museum dedicated to archaeological finds from the site Trebula Mutuesca.

Montopoli di Sabina
The name probably derives from Mons Pollionis, later changed into Mons Operis, because of the wealth of its land. After the fall of the Roman Empire, in the 11th century, it came under the dominion of Farfa Abbey. Over the years, the town was governed by several noble families like the Orsini that was responsible for the construction of the baronial mansion inside the medieval village and the Franciscan sanctuary of St. Mary of the Angels. The entrance to town is through the Renaissance Porta Romana, belonging to the original city walls, hence reaching the triangular Municipal square, featuring a central octagonal fountain with lion heads. Significant also the Ugonesca Tower, built in the year 1000 by Abbott Hugo I, overlooking the entire valley.

Poggio Mirteto
Entering Poggio Mirteto through Porta Farnese, built in 1573 by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, one reaches the main square, with its characteristic elongated shape, where there is the Cathedral of the Assumption. On the square stands the church of St. Roch built in the second half of the 16th century and lined up with Porta Farnese. The 13th century Church of St. Paul, one of the oldest in town, is part of the original urban structure, decorated with frescoes, including a remarkable Triumph of Death. Crossing the narrow streets, encased in the 13th century wall circuit, one reaches the current Bishop’s Palace built on the ruins of the original Poggio Mirteto fortress.

Poggio Moiano
The Roman “Loco Moiano”, a town since 1344, is located at 502 meters above sea level, on the Licinese road connecting the Salaria and Tiburtina Valeria consular roads, where there was a change station for horses named Osteria Nuova (from the Latin “Mansio ad Novas”), just one day’s march from the capital. The current Poggio Moiano probably arose in 1037 on the ruins of Suna, but the first certain date for its foundation is 1083, when Count Teudino, native of these places, donated some land to Farfa Abbey.

Poggio Nativo
The medieval origin of Poggio Nativo is readable in its distinctive herringbone urban structure, with winding streets full of noble mansions. The most important monument is the castle, dating back to the 11th century. In the city centre, the church of Holy Assumption stands on the ruins of an old chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, consecrated by Pope St. Sylvester I at the beginning of the 4th century, whose only remains left are the portal and the baptismal font. Not far from town there is the monastery of St. Paul, built in the 13th century by the will of Farfa Abbey, that housed the Benedictine nuns until 1460 and the Franciscans from 1471.

Scandriglia
The urban structure of concentric rings and the façades of the main buildings, like Palazzo Cerè, an elegant building that housed the Anguillara and Orsini families, still denote the medieval aspect of Scandriglia. At the highest point of town, a court surrounded by buildings indicates the site of the old fortress. Not far from town, there is the small village of Ponticelli, dating back to 1052, with the sanctuary and convent of Our Lady of Graces. This church was built by the Orsini family, owner of the Ponticelli castle from the 15th to the 17th century, for a received grace.

Stimigliano
The small town of Stimigliano stands on top of a hill, on the northern banks of the Tiber river, surrounded by the Mount Soratte to the west, the Sabine Mountains to the east and, beyond the Tiber river, the town of Ponzano Romano. The original complex is located in the highest part of the hill. Among the monuments, worthy of mentioning is the Palazzo Orsini, embellished and enlarged by Enrico Orsini. It is accessible through a beautiful ashlar portal, while the rooms are painted by Zuccariand their assistants. Highly decorated is also the family chapel dedicated to St. Joseph, in the Cortile delle Armi.

Torri in Sabina
The first documents on Torri in Sabina in the Middle Ages date back to 747, when in the Farfa Regesto (Register) appears the donation to the abbey of a Casalis Turris; this donation is confirmed in the following centuries until 1084. On the other hand, dates back to 1298 the declaration of the existence of a castle, belonging to the Holy See in 1364. Later on, Torri appears among the possessions of the Orsini, hence goes back to the Holy See. After the unification of Italy, the town was firstly assigned to the province of Perugia, in 1923 to the province of Rome and, finally, in 1927 it became part of the new province of Rieti.