p. 1

i castelli romani the roman castles the roman castles are one of the most popular tourist areas of the province of rome since the thirteenth century cistercian monks of the abbey of saint anastasius at tre fontane in rome had as a resort to the convent of santa maria ad nives palazzolo in the town of rocca di papa and pope alexander iv granted them the residence summer at the castle of nemi the famous ville tuscolane that arise in the towns of frascati grottaferrata monte porzio catone and the papal residence in castel gandolfo are just the most obvious and well known for her special papi noble and wealthy romans had the climate of the manor however all the roman castles are dotted with villas and held by the colonna family many residences are erected in the sixteenth and seventeenth century in their own fiefs and marino rocca di papa-column belpoggio villa villa colonna bevilacqua colonna gardens barco colonna the mermaid villa the villa of cardinal-ariccia monumental palazzo chigi and palazzo sforza-cesarini genzano di roma lazio albano at palazzo savelli stayed there during the eighteenth century james francis edward stuart pretender to the kingdom of england and scotland with his wife maria clementina sobieski henry benedict stuart cardinal bishop of frascati suburbicarian seat julia falconieri and santacroce the abbot and historian giovanni antonio ricci in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries they multiplied the houses of wealthy middle-class resort for many especially among nel area albano genzano ariccia and along the via appia nuova and between marino grottaferrata rocca di papa frascati modern tourism rather than the goodness of the air is geared to the beauty of the places and the provision of entertainment ariccia for example achieving considerable success in the fraschette typical restaurant became a symbol of the country and the cause of national notoriety the marino grape festival and the flower festival in genzano or other recent events like the grape festival in italy colonna and the grape festival in velletri white nights in albano laziale grottaferrata and frascati the many of the most peripheral events such as monte porzio catone-orchids larian s bread festival nemi and lanuvio s strawberry festival that attracts a lot of visitors how to get to roman castels from rome take metro a to anagnina then take bus transport service for non-urban co.tra.l castelli romani direction genzano and velletri direction or frascati direction etc

[close]

p. 2

frascati frascati is located in the alban hills on the roman castles area and is a town of about 21,000 inhabitants part of the province of rome known for its artistic heritage characterized by ancient villas and castles frascati is one of the places around rome most visited by tourists from all over the world the architecture of frascati is typical of medieval towns with small streets alleys and historic shops the city is also famous for the production of white wine and for the splendid panoramic views over rome things to see in frascati cathedral of st peter s the cathedral was built around 1700 and is located in the center of frascati the design of the facade was assigned to the architect gerolamo fontana while the interiors were created by the work of ottaviano nonni over the centuries the cathedral of frascati has undergone several operations especially after the bombing on 8 september 1943 following the event the church was restored but lost all the frescoes that adorned the interior walls the facade of the cathedral is built of stone extracted from quarries tuscolana monte porzio catone on either side of the facade you can see the two great towers one of which was placed the clock six hours also notice the front door of the cathedral where he depicts the scene of the keys to st peter by jesus church of jesus the church is located in the center of frascati and its architecture is in full baroque style by architect gregory castrichini who designed it around 1700 the church of jesus stands on the foundations of an ancient church dedicated to the blessed virgin mary which was built at the behest of lucrezia della rovere the façade has two niches on either side of the portal with two sculptures of st francis borgia and st ignatius of loyola church of st francis of assisi:this is a catholic church in frascati attached to the convent of pp capuchins and the ethiopian museum over the years the church underwent several operations and in 1873 the property was auctioned by the italian state in the convent spent the last years of cardinal william massaja since 2003 the renovated convent is home to lay and religious retreats shrine of our lady of capocroce the church is named after the virgin who according to legend appeared in that place in front of the columns of mercenaries who fled to the vision sparing frascati looting following the destruction of 1944 which also destroyed all the frescoes in the church the shrine was rebuilt and rededicated in 1954 villa aldobrandini also known as villa belvedere is one of the most important ancient villas of frascati is located on a hill overlooking the city built for cardinal pietro aldobrandini the villa is currently visible to tourists inside you can admire the frescoes by the zuccari brothers and the monumental entrance designed by cf bizzaccheri of the eighteenth century villa torlonia the construction of villa torlonia in frascati dates back to around 1560 when annibale caro had built it on a land near frascati over the years villa torlonia was the site of important personalities of the church and the roman aristocracy villa falconieri it was originally called villa rufina and was built at the behest of archbishop rufino alexander bishop of melfi the architecture of villa falconieri was designed by famous architects such as borromini and antonio da sangallo the younger ex-museum tuscolano scuderie aldobrandini the stables are a great structure of the seventeenth century with the display of an archaeological collection museum ethiopian cardinal g.massaia opened in 1909 the ethiopian museums collects numerous weapons costumes drawings prints photographs books scrolls and objects of the abyssinian culture

[close]

p. 3

marino marino is an common on the alban hills 21 km south east of rome with population of 37,684 marino is famous for his white wine and for the connected grape festival being celebrated since 1924 things to see in marino basilic of san barnaba 17th century it is in baroque style with a 1653 imposing façade the interior is on the latin cross with a nave and two aisles among the other artworks it houses the martyr of st bartholomew by guercino and a bust of st anthony the abbot by ercole ferrata church of the santissima trinità 1640 it houses a mystery of the holy trinity now recognized as from a pupil of guido reni santa maria delle grazie it has a single nave with side chapels it is home to a painting of st roch attributed to domenichino and in a niche at the high altar a fresco attributed to benozzo gozzoli 15th century chiesa del ss rosario 1713 a noteworthy example of rococo art palazzo colonna 16th century fontana dei mori depicting prisoners from the aforementioned battle of lepanto mithraeum with an important fresco 2nd century ad portraying the god mithra slaughtering the bull.

[close]

p. 4

castel gandolfo castel gandolfo is a town of about 8,800 inhabitants in the province of rome located in the roman castels area known for centuries to be the pope s summer residence castel gandolfo is considered one of the most beautiful and evocative places in italy during the summer holidays especially in august you can attend the papal audience at castel gandolfo the territory of castel gandolfo extends along the coast of lake albano a portion of which is included in the regional park of castelli romani things to see in castel gandolfo pontifical college of st thomas of villanova built in 1658 in place of the parish church of st nicholas the college was commissioned by pope alexander vii and designed by the famous gian lorenzo bernini the project was completed in 1661 the church has a square cross plan with a dome resting on doric pillars inside there are important religious artworks including the painting depicting the crucifixion of christ by pietro da cortona you can also admire the painting dedicated to the saint and some precious decorative stucco church of our lady of the lake the church was strongly supported by pope paul vi which was consecrated in 1977 on the shores of lake albano church of santa maria assunta built in 1619 the church was the site of the pp reformed franciscans and later passed to the congregation of propaganda fide tragically bombed by the anglo-american allies on february 10 1944 papal palace the palace was built around 1628 by pope urban viii who commissioned the project to the great architect carlo maderno the palace was built on a pre-existing structure of the ancient castrum gandulphorum the feudal castle belonging to the gandolfi and savelli inside the palace you can see a beautiful private chapel which houses an image of our lady of czestochowa shrine papal villa the construction which enjoys the status of extra-territoriality and possession of the state of vatican city is actually composed of three historically distinct parts the papal gardens cybo villa and villa barberini which were incorporated into the complex of the pontifical villas in 1929 santa caterina villa currently owned by the pontifical north american college several famous roman ruins have been found within villa torlonia built in the sixteenth century by the roman family giustiniani it became the property of the duke of bracciano giuseppe torlonia the current state is due to the restorations made in 1829 commissioned by duke carlo torlonia villa of publius clodius pulcher the remains of this roman villa were discovered in villa santa caterina owned by the pontifical north american college history tells us that it was in the vicinity of this villa where clodius was killed by his political opponent tito annio milone in august 54 bc villa titus flavius domitian the monument ruins of the imperial roman villa built by domitian 81-96 are located here in villa barberini an extra-territorial area of the pontifical villas the villa was built on three terraces of about 500 meters long each there were hunting games as well as festivals to honor demeter held outside of the villa regional park of castelli romani a large part of the territory of castel gandolfo is part of the regional park including the shores of lake albano the town of castel gandolfo is also part of the park as well as the main forest areas and the areas around lake albano.

[close]

p. 5

nemi nemi is a town with ancient origins legend has it that romulus first king of rome was born in nemi because he was the son of a vestal of the temple of diana nemi in the past has been attended by great artists like goethe stendhal and d annunzio that in the country found inspiration for their masterpieces nemi is in fact the ideal place to relax and take long walks in nemi you can also enjoy the local specialties such as the famous strawberries of nemi also used to make delicious cakes the town s name derives from nemus the sacred grove of diana which extended for most of the volcanic basin around the lake the remains of the sanctuary and the forests are visible in the area of il giardino below the cliff on which stands the town not far from the museum of roman ships things to see in nemi the museum of roman ships was created between 1933 and 1939 to accommodate two ships belonged to the emperor caligula inside the building today are exposed materials and documents related to the craft and history of their recovery a section of pre and proto-exposed stone materials from settlements and cemeteries of the roman castles a section is reserved for the albanian population of the territory in republican and imperial age with special attention to certain aspects of religiosity on display are also finds from excavations at the sanctuary of diana nemorense and materials of high artistic quality found in the ruins of ardea and ancient satricum parish church of the immaculate conception also known as the church of santa maria del pozzo latin de pute is the largest catholic place of worship at nemi the site suburbicarian albano legend has it that the name originated from an apparition of the madonna some girls in the vicinity of a well located near the ancient church the current structure was rebuilt on the old in the late seventeenth century by the feudal lord mario frangipane palazzo ruspoli medieval building built by the counts of tusculum in the period of their expansion into this side of the alban hills rebuilt in renaissance features with round tower around which was rebuilt in the form of a baronial mansion contains ancient marble fragments and in the tower decorated in tempera of the xviii xix l it is one of the most beautiful land surrounded by a beautiful garden terrace and enriched in by magnificent frescoes adorning the halls temple of diana nemorense are the remains of roman building where you see the rectangular base parts of the portico of the peristyle and circular altar near the temple were found the remains of a theater the ship s museum is located along the shores of lake nemi which occupies the bottom of a secondary crater of the volcano lazio.

[close]

p. 6

rocca di papa rocca di papa is a town of about 15,700 inhabitants located in the roman castles area and as rocca priora the municipality is part of the comunità montana dei castelli romani and prenestini this ancient village is also known as bavarian quarter as it was here that in 1328 camped troops of louis iv of bavaria the town of rocca di papa is located in a panoramic position very impressive with almost 700 meters high offers visitors the beautiful landscapes of the city of rome and beyond visit rocca di papa means being in close contact with art and history in fact the town of the castelli romani is the only one that has perfectly preserved its medieval structure small and narrow streets ancient churches and historic squares are just some of the sights you can see in rocca di papa a small paradise of art history and ancient traditions things to see in rocca di papa parish church of santa maria assunta the work of the church began around 1700 even if a hundred years later it was again destroyed by an earthquake apart from the church were also destroyed many of the works contained in it currently you can see inside the church our lady of mercy peter labruzzi a pietà by theodor wilhelm achtermann assumption of the virgin of corrado giaquinto church of the holy cross a small church in which you can admire the works of german artist wilhelm theodor achtermann whose works also are found in the church of trinita dei monti in rome the long facade was a statue of padre pio of pietrelcina sacred heart church the church has a modern architecture with some references in the gothic style inside the church you admired the stained glass windows while outside is a statue of pope john paul ii who often went to rocca di papa sanctuary of the madonna del tufo it was built in the late 1500s when the façade was built around the end of 1700 at the behest of prince andrea doria-pamphili in 1830 pope pius viii endowed the shrine of a privileged altar church and convent of santa maria ad nives palazzolo its history is very old at first was entrusted to the cistercian monks as a summer residence to end up almost in a state of disrepair in 1660 pope alexander vii ordered the restoration of the convent became the seat of the portuguese since 1920 is owned by the venerable inglese college in rome cardinale s villa built by cardinal girolamo colonna in 1600 in a panoramic position overlooking lake albano today the villa houses a restaurant and a hotel papal fortress located at the highest point of the town to 753 m above sea level currently houses the museum of geophysics of rocca di papa in the nineteenth century it was used as a place for testing and guglielmo marconi michele stefano de rossi repubblica square is the main town square also known as piazza margherita by name during the era of the old monarchy the restoration of the square was completed in 2003 giuseppe garibaldi square is located in the heart of the historical center of rocca di papa and is also known as piazza erba because of the market of fruit and vegetables which takes place in the square the barcaccia fountain is located in giuseppe garibaldi square and it is called so because of the shape that resembles a fountain barca the fountain is attributed to bernini and was built with a single block of tufa piazza vecchia in the square there is an old fountain bathtub only rectangular tufa stone and represents the history of the bavarian quarter archaeological sites some were found in prehistoric tombs of the seventh century bc at san lorenzo vecchio and others on the summit of monte cavo

[close]

p. 7

ariccia ariccia is a small town that is part of the roman castles surrounded by the towns of albano laziale castel gandolfo marino and genzano of rome ariccia as many others as the alban hills is also part of the regional park of castelli romani famous for its ancient history but also for the extraordinary legends it is believed that ariccia was the burial place of greek hero orestes as reported in a verse of the aeneid by virgilio for centuries ariccia was one of the favorite destinations of artists and writers who came to town to find peace and inspiration for their works one of the firsts was the great poet horace which is followed by painters and writers such as jean-baptiste camille corot george inness franz ludwig catel jmw turner mikhail lebedev and richard wilson today ariccia continues to attract a large number of tourists coming to visit the ancient village but also to enjoy the roast pig of ariccia in italian porchetta di ariccia the tipycal pork slowly cooked in the oven with herbs and fennel an italian product now known all around the world things to see in ariccia the bridge of ariccia this is a big monumental viaduct dating from the nineteenth century and is located along a stretch of state road 7 appian way the bridge was built in order to rectify once and for all the route of the via appia between albano laziale and ariccia on february 1 1944 the bridge and the square tower of palazzo chigi were destroyed in the anglo-american bombing of ariccia and albano laziale until the reconstruction which began immediately was made an alternate path to war just to the valley crossing the old spot in the park hosted chigi palace savelli-chigi the ducal palace of ariccia is a unique example of baroque residence remained unchanged in its environment and its original furnishings started in the second half of the sixteenth century by the family of the savelli the palace was transformed by the chigi family in a magnificent baroque residence between 1664 and 1672 on a project idea of gian lorenzo bernini who used the help of his young student carlo fontana in the building are preserved important collections of paintings sculptures and furniture mostly dating from the seventeenth century and also from other family dwellings including the building of rome sold to the state in 1918 thanks to its architectural features the director luchino visconti environment in building the famous film the leopard the building is currently used as a museum of itself and the center of many cultural activities locanda martorelli this building is therefore of considerable significance for ariccia also being connected to the memory of great artists in this country who spent periods of study and holiday and spread through their poetic works or picturesque the image of the castelli romani in europe the locanda martorelli was purchased by the city of ariccia in 1988 and after careful restoration site of frequent exhibitions of high artistic and documentary palace primoli located at the end of the course ariccia opposite the side of the former church of s nicola the building was bought in the late 20s by charles lucien bonaparte 800 prince of canino napoleon s brother through his daughter came to the count primoli typical neoclassical building saw its heyday in the time of gege primoli including eight-and twentieth century when it housed among others marcel prevost gabriele d annunzio eleonora duse and matilde serao aristide sartorio sanctuary of galloro prince paul savelli lord of ariccia he decided to build a real church called immaculate conception with the assumption of the papacy of cardinal fabio chigi pope alexander vii gian lorenzo bernini was asked to design the collegiate and place of the sanctuary galloro archaeological finds during the imperial period was established along the via appia a large city full of temples baths forums and public buildings whose territory extended to the temple of diana on the shores of lake of nemi was filled with luxurious mansions of which many remains still exist we recall the villa of the emperor vitellius 69 ad in addition to the remains of a nymph still survive the remains of some large cisterns that fed the house whose extension had to embrace a territory of several acres as documented by discoveries made in the areas nearby.

[close]

p. 8

genzano di roma genzano di roma genzano of rome is a town of about 24,140 inhabitants and is one of the cities that are part of the territory of the roman castles situated in the alban hills 29 km from rome to 465 m above sea level is located above the lake of nemi which you can easily get along a path that starts from genzano the territory is also part of the regional park of castelli romani and the area offers numerous nature trails for walking or cycling besides for the beautiful natural sights genzano of rome is also known and appreciated both in italy and abroad for the history and architecture with its great palaces and historic houses but also for the ancient traditions which are still kept alive with festivals and celebrations things to see in genzano collegiate church of the holy trinity is a catholic church in genzano of rome and presents an architecture with a latin cross with three aisles a semicircular apse an altar and ten altars the facade has two tiers inside the church is a visible pulpit carved in wood that has a gold embossed in the center representing the delivery of the rule of st benedict of norcia also interesting are the fourteen plates depicting the stations of the cross and an oil on canvas of the assumption on the dome are depicted the four evangelists santa maria della cima known among the inhabitants of genzano as vecchio duomo the church was one of the main religious sites in the city the facade is in baroque style and features a large doric entablature the portal has a curved pediment inside the church has one nave which were opened on two chapels and three altars on each side among the works of art you can admire a painting of the madonna and child with st philip blacks plus a large crucifix at the foot with two minor brothers in the church are buried the tigers and the saints vincent from the catacombs of saints marcellinus and peter church of the annunciation is a catholic church in genzano of rome which has a façade with two orders the bottom tuscan ionic in higher education the church has a nave on which there are two side altars the vault and the apse frescoes have six sibyls the god father the evangelists the assumption st augustine and santa monica capuchin church on february 24 1629 was consecrated the church attached to the primitive capuchin monastery at the foot of the historical center of nemi near the site of the sanctuary of the crucifix however because of the difficulty of bringing running water at the site of the new monastery as well as the uncomfortable position in which the same was situated the capuchin friars in 1637 took the decision to leave the convent and settle in genzano inhabitant of nemi where the duke giuliano cesarini ii readily financed the building of the church of st francis of assisi and the adjacent convent palazzo sforza-cesarini is a historic palace and is also one of the finest monumental buildings in the area of the roman castles the architecture of the building has few attractions for the history of eighteenth-century roman palace next to the park is the large-sforza cesarini antonini s villa is on two levels the lower consists of a series of rooms some viable partly blind the seven walls that rise to the west belonged to a single room identified as the calidarium from calidarium you go to another room which is a curved section of wall that would suggest a circular room with the function of laconicum after an operation to clean up the vegetation were found two blocks of lava stone were most likely to cover a corridor through which you access directly from the villa a circular structure found during this excavation fountains clementine in 1777 were built on streets livia also designed the arms surmounted by two fountains kiosks dedicated to popes clement xiii and clement xiv the fountain has a basin-shaped sarcophagus with two rings on the front a relief depicting spirals grapes and a bacchic mask with face in the fountain of youth and elderly left in the fountain on the right botanical garden this is a beautiful romantic english-style garden built in the mid-1800s at the behest of the duke sforza cesarini lorenzo for his wife it covers 92000 square meters at a height of 150 meters along the cliff from the old part of the country descends to the lake it is characterized not only by the presence of evergreen trees such as cedars of lebanon redwoods and oaks a large network of paths and fountains and fake ruins.

[close]

p. 9

grottaferrata the city of grottaferrata is part of the province of rome and is located in the area known as roman castles grottaferrata such as frascati has about 21,000 inhabitants and for many years has been a favorite destination of the romans and foreign tourists who come here to relax during the weekend grottaferrata is a very quite places and offers to the tourist a holiday between art and relax you can visit the old churches and museums in the city center taking long walks relax in the farm and taste the typical food and wine in the restaurants and farms of grottaferrata things to see in grottaferrata abbey of santa maria di grottaferrata also known as the abbey of san nilo in honor of the saint of calabria who founded with a group of followers this is a monastery exarchs maintained by byzantine monks the religious complex is located in the heart of grottaferrata and the decor of the façade reminiscent the style of oriental world beside the church you can admire the great bell on the door while inside you find a splendid mosaic that depicts mary mother of god the church s interior is in baroque style and retain the original structure with three naves along the south aisle you ll find the farnese chapel decorated with frescoes depicting the stories of st nilo in the abbey is preserved the work of gian lorenzo bernini depicting mary and child sacred heart church built in 1918 was consecrated on october 31 1928 and subsequently assigned to the pp salesians who have governed until 1963 the church was built by the will of mary santovetti tanlongo the style is neogothic and inside you can admire the beautiful mosaics and stained glass windows donated by the marquis alfredo dusmet st joseph s church built at the behest of nicholas santovetti was consecrated july 14 1889 the church was given to the fathers by the family santovetti cistercian and during the sixties the church underwent restoration work coats of arms were removed from the facade of santovetti and was walled rose which opened at the center of the facade inside there are important works such as the mary and child with saint joseph s by capparoni silverio villa-dusmet rossellini also known as dusmet villa was built in front of villa arrigoni-muti at the end of the nineteenth century by zeffiro rossellini grandfather of director roberto rossellini in 1919 the villa was sold to the marquis alfredo dusmet while in 1940 it was requisitioned by the royal air force as its headquarters in 1966 it was bought by nuns pallottine villa gavotti-joachim it is a sixteenth century villa in purchased in 1614 by the marquis lorenzo gavotti the marquis takes charge of the work of the house expanding the building and decorating after a series of steps the villa was bought by joachim at thebeginning of the twentieth century which is still founder and director villa bracciano montalto grazioli also known as villa grazioli was built in 1580 by cardinal antonio carafa inside the villa are the frescoes that represent the themes of mythology and history in general today the villa houses the park hotel villa grazioli the borghetto di grottaferrata it is an ancient medieval fortress which dates from about 1140 over the centuries the castle was identified by several names depending on the families from burgus annibaldi to mons frenelli till castrum or burghetti in 1473 the castle became part of the abbey complex catacombs to decimum is an important archaeological site of grottaferrata where they were found more than 800 graves dating to the fifth century some frescos and a arcosolium representing the traditio legis transmitting the gospel message national archaeological museum of the abbey of san nilo the museum is located inside the monastery and has an archaeological collection consists an ancient marble artifacts sarcophagi and portraits of famous people of great importance is the collection of art history with frescoes of the medieval church sicily and islamic ceramics rare objects and vestments as the precious omophorion the fourteenth century.

[close]

p. 10

velletri velletri is an italian town of 53,298 inhabitants it is a common in the province of rome on the alban hills it was an ancient city of the volsci tribe and its status was influential in the time of king ancus marcius enough to be on a par with rome and has been the site of two historical battles in 1744 and 1849 in the middle ages it was one of the few free cities in lazio and central italy today velletri is home to a circuit court and a prison in addition to several colleges and high schools it is the terminus of the rome-velletri railway inaugurated by pius ix in 1863 and the city is one of the centers through which the via appia nuova passes through things to see in velletri the tower of the trivium the bell tower of the church of santa maria of the trivium a symbol of the city the cathedral of st clement erected in the 4th century over the ruins of an ancient temple it has three naves and was rebuilt in the current form in 1659-1662 the renaissance gate is by traiano da palestrina 1512 the interior has several frescoes while the capitular museum houses important relics vessels and paintings including works by gentile da fabriano and antoniazzo romano the belltower of santa maria in trivio erected in 1353 in lombard-gothic style in gratitude for the liberation of the city from a plague that devastated it in 1348 there are numerous public fountains in velletri some of them monumental they are all served by the city aqueduct which was built in the 17th century by the engineer giovanni fontana the aqueduct which was destroyed during the war in the last part of 1744 were reactivated by engineer girolamo romani between 1842 and 1845 among the fountains should be mentioned fontana di piazza giuseppe garibaldi was built around 1912 fountain of piazza benedetto cairoli built in 1622 piazza giuseppe mazzini fountain built in 1612 on a draft of architect massimiliano bruni the travertine fountain depicts mythological scenes the oreste nardini civic archeological museum of velletri contains noteworthy works with material going from protohistoric to the medieval period the main urban green area is the ginnetti garden hall street gardens whose surface was once occupied by ginnetti orti villa ginnetti there are other green areas gardens of st mary recently restored in the provincial suburbs with neptune having a skating rink fountains and a bar and muratori park.

[close]

p. 11

albano laziale albano laziale is a common of about 40,100 inhabitants in the province of rome and it s one of the most important municipalities of the roman castles albano s territory also includes the villages of cecchina and pavona and is partly included in the regional park of castelli romani after velletri rocca di papa rocca priora and marino albano laziale is the city with the greatest extension of the roman castles area one of the major attractions of the place is without doubt the lake albano or lake of castel gandolfo that attracts tourists and residents of surrounding areas lovers of long walks on the shores of the lake and romantic dinners albano laziale such as frascati and grottaferrata is one of the countries most visited of the roman castles area for its great artistic cultural and historical heritage you can also taste the typical roman food and excellent wine s labels of the places around rome things to see in albano laziale basilica of st pancrazio martyr the basilica is one of the most important religious monuments of albano laziale both historically and culturally the facade of the basilica was designed by charles bolton in 1722 in the midst of the marble pediment is the coat of arms of cardinal fabrizio paolucci bishop at the ends of the facade there are two torches a symbol of the descent of the holy spirit parish church of st peter the apostle the origins of the church are very old it is thought that st peter was the evangelist albano laziale the church was strongly supported by pope hormisdas and was later renovated several times today in the church you can admire the tombs of princes and some marble entablature of severian also note the beautiful paintings like the one depicting the virgin of the sign church of st paul also known as the shrine of st gaspar del bufalo in the church are conserved the relics of st gaspar del bufalo founder of the congregation of the missionaries of the precious blood among the works to be mentioned we suggest you visit the eighteenth-century paintings that are at the altars one of which is represented the anointing of st paul parish church of santa maria della stella the church and the attached convent were built in the mid-sixteenth century the area where you think that once this becomes the church of san senator above the catacombs the style of the church recalls the baroque architecture both inside and outside the church contains important works related to religious art including a large painting of the madonna and child surrounded by angels sanctuary of maria santissima della rotonda outside the church there is the great romanesque bell tower built around the fourteenth century among the most important works we must mention the dome of the church the floor on which there are beautiful mosaics and the vestry was added in later years as a chapel dedicated to st philip savelli palace built by the savelli one of the most influential families of lazio albano the building was built as fortification later the building became the residence of the papal government and hosted important personalities villa doria pamphili or villa doria belonged to the homonymous family and today is one of the largest public parks in albano laziale savelli castle always property of the savelli family the castle is located in the countryside of village of peacocks and was built during the middle ages thermae of cellomaio it thought that they were erected at the behest of carcalla the site currently features the remains of a medieval village where you can admire the remains of the complex of alba longa amphitheater this is the only amphitheater discovered in the area of the roman castle inside the amphitheater were found two small chapels that testify the existence of christian martyrdom of christians catacombs of san senators originally were quarries in the second century became the burial place of christians including st senator martyr in the seventeenth century there arose above the church of santa maria della stella the catacombs are still partly unexplored.

[close]

p. 12

lanuvio lanuvio whose origins are linked to the myth of diomede it was also centre of cult to giunone sospita and birthplace of emperor antonino pio colonna colonna the smallest village in the roman province named after the illustriuos family here beyond the family residence it is possible to admire inside the church of saint nicola paintings by carlo maratta 1625 1713 carlo chiappino 1759 and duilio cambellotti 1944 noteworthy the font obtained from a shell tridacma gigas probably one of the biggest in europe rocca priora rocca priora is a town of about 11,800 inhabitants in the province of rome and is the highest town of the roman castles with its 768 meters above sea level seat of the comunità montana dei castelli romani the area of rocca priora extends along the boundaries of the regional park of castelli romani on holiday in rocca priora you can visit the old town and the historic fortress surrounded by magnificent green hills where nature lovers can engage in excursions outside the city rocca priora is a popular tourist destination for its artistic heritage preserved in museums and churches in the city things to see in rocca priora baronial palace today the town hall stands the monument of the ancient castle that once belonged to annibaldi which remain only the foundations and some tower the savelli successors restored and enlarged the old castle transforming it into an apartment building since 1596 the palazzo began to fall apart until in 1880 the municipal administration decided to intervene by giving the architect francesco vespignani count the task of rebuilding the castle the building overlooks the belvedere current zanardelli square where you can enjoy a beautiful view over the roman castles st mary of the assumption the church dates back to 400 and over the centuries has undergone several renovations as between the 700 and 800 who injured the romanesque style then restored in recent years inside the church you can admire frescoes and sixteenth-century architecture but it is thought that the foundations are still those of a latin temple dedicated to goddess fortuna.

[close]

p. 13

lariano lariano is a common in the province of rome located about 35 km southeast of rome on the alban hills where the colonna family had another important strongholds lariano stands perched on the mt algido perhaps is the most green of the roman castles and the wood industry represents an important voice of its economy monteporzio catone monte porzio catone can be reached through a road flanked by vineyards and olive groves which winds up to the picturesque centre of the city named after its renowned citizen marco porcio catone the censor or to catone the uticense tutor of the son of lucullus in the church dedicated to st gregory the great we can admire paintings by ciro ferri giacinto brandi and by the borgognone from the main square it is possible to enjoy a breathtaking panorama in its territory worth seeing also the important villa of mondragone by martino longhi montecompatri montecompatri is a picturesque village surrounded by an untouched landscape where vineyards and olive groves prevail in the historical centre stands the important church of saint maria assunta built by wish of cardinal scipione borghese at few miles from the centre rises the sanctuary of st silvester dedicated to pope silvester i the new church built in 1660 houses paintings by luca fiammingo and other painters disciples of caravaggio.

[close]

p. 14

[close]