ITINERARIO SEZZE-ROCCAGORGA-MAENZA-PROSSEDI-PISTERZO- ROCCASECCA DEI VOLSCI- PRIVERNO-FOSSANOVA-SONNINO
Torna all'elenco
(Length: approximately 110 km - The Medieval Villages of Monti Lepini and Monti Ausoni). Taking the SS 156 from Latina to Sezze Scalo (Museum of Peasant Civilization) and then continuing for approximately 24 km, we reach SEZZE (319 metres above sea level), a village whose prehistoric origins are testified by a number of important finds (Riparo Roberto, Grotta Iolanda and Grotta Arnalo dei Bufali, in which a drawing of a man dating back to between the Mesolithic and Aeneolithic ages was found on the walls). The oldest part of the village is surrounded by polygonal walls built in four different styles, while the Romanic and Gothic-Cistercian cathedral (Duomo), the church of S. Pietro, the former Convent of the Poor Clares (closed) and the municipal Antiquarium all date back to the middle ages. The village also has a fine Toy Museum. In the surrounding countryside we may visit the Roman ruins of Le Grotte building and the Arches of S. Lidano, which are all that remain of a temple dedicated to Juno. Approximately 9 kilometres from Sezze lies ROCCAGORGA (289 metres above sea level), a small village built around Palazzo Doria Panfili, a feudal home restored between the 17th and 18th centuries. The village includes the 18th century church of S. Leonardo and S. Erasmo (with an underlying rest area: Rifolta), the delightful church of S. Antonio, the Museum of Aeronautics (with a fine polychrome cupola) and the Monti Lepini Ethnic Museum housed in the Baronial Palace. Just a few kilometers from Roccagorga lies MAENZA (358 metres above sea level), overlooking the valley of the River Amaseno and protected by the slopes of Monte Calvello (935 metres above sea level). The village huddles round the recently restored Baronial Palace in which S. Thomas Aquinas stayed for a few days prior to his death, while the religious buildings in the village include the church of S. Maria Assunta in Cielo and the church of S. Reparata. Returning to the SS 156 (Via Monti Lepini) and heading north we reach PROSSEDI (410 m.), a medieval village on the border with the province of Frosinone. Despite restoration initiatives completed in the 18th century, various stretches of the original city walls still remain intact. Other places of interest in the village include the churches of S. Nicola (Romanic) and S. Agata, the baronial palace and a fountain built by Pope Benedict XIII in 1727. The village is famous for its Good Friday celebrations. On the hillside, the horseshoe shaped hamlet of PISTERZO is home to the Palazzo del Capitano, Palazzo Gabrielli and the church of S. Michele Arcangelo. On the way back down the valley, it is possible to visit ROCCASECCA DEI VOLSCI (376 metres above sea level), built on a spur of Monte Curio, which offers fine views over Priverno, the valley of the River Amaseno and the Pontine marshes. The medieval origins of the village are clear to be seen in the layout of the lanes surrounding Piazza Umberto I, Palazzo Massimo and the church of S. Maria Assunta. Other places of interest include Palazzo del Capitolo and the churches of S. Sebastiano and S. Croce. Overlooking the village from the top of the hill is the classical temple of S. Raffaele (in which there are a number of 17th century frescoes attributed to the school of Domenichino), while the round temple of S. Maria della Pace lies just a few metres below. Returning to the SS 156 and heading south, one finds the medieval village of PRIVERNO (151 metres above sea level) which is surrounded by thick defensive city walls. The focal point of the village is Piazza Giovanni XXIII, in which Palazzo Comunale, Palazzo Antonelli and the Romanic-Gothic cathedral of S. Maria Assunta, in which a skull that, according to a pious belief, would be the skull of Saint Thomas Aquinas, is preserved, the Delfini fountain and Palazzo Valeriani-Guarinia are located. Other buildings in the village include Palazzo Zaccaleoni, the former Bishops palace, the Municipal Archaeological Museum and the churches of S. Tommaso, S. Cristoforo, S. Antonio Abate, S. Benedetto, S. Giovanni Evangelista, S. Nicola and S. Chiara. Approximately 3 kilometres below the village, a 33 hectare park contains S. Martino Castle (in which there is a Museum of Mathematics) and the Gardens of Archimedes. The archaeological area of Privernum (Mezzagosto) lies to the left of the village on the road to Frosinone and contains the remains of several villas dating back to between the 2nd century BC and the 12th century AD (when the site was abandoned). Taking the SS 609 southwards it is possible to visit the abbey of BORGO DI FOSSANOVA, the first example of Gothic-Cistercian architecture in Italy, which was consecrated by Pope Innocent III in 1208. In addition to the central nave, two minor naves and a splendid rose window, the abbey complex also includes the guest quarters in which S. Thomas Aquinas died in 1274, the cloister, the refectory and the former monastery. The Borgo includes a medieval stable building in which a Medieval Museum is now housed and a former infirmary which is now a conference and concert hall. On the way back to Latina we can visit SONNINO (430 metres above sea level), a village located on one of the hills leading to Terracina and Monte S. Biagio (Valle di Camposoriano with its Natural Monument and Monte delle Fate). The village centre occupies the upper part of Colle S. Angelo and is characterized by narrow winding lanes, steep stairways, towers and gates, stone buildings, thick defensive walls, a cylindrical tower (Torre Antonelli), Palazzo Antonelli and the churches of S. Michele Arcangelo, (a sanctuary since 1947), S. Marco, S. Giovanni Battista and S. Pietro. Not to be missed is the Border Lands Museum. A path from the village leads to the western slopes of Monte delle Fate (1090 metres above sea level) which are planted with fine holm oak, turkey oak and sage woods.
