Itineraries

> Montecompatri -Monte Porzio Catone-Colonna - Rocca Priora

> Frascati - Grottaferrata - Rocca di Papa - Nemi - Lariano

> Velletri-Lanuvio-Genzano-Ariccia-Albano - Castel Gandolfo - Marino

Back to Monte Porzio we proceed towards Frascati, the most famous town of the Roman Castles, whose name probably derives from the freshness of its waters or according to other scholars from the frascata, a special right to collect firewood or also from the frasche (branches) which were used in the Middle Ages as a mean to cover houses. Its territory includes the area of Tuscolo with the important archaeological remains of ancient Tusculum, Latin town destroyed by the Romans in 1191.

We continue towards Grottaferrata, that rose around the abbey founded by St. Nilus in 1004, Inside the complex it’s possible to visit the splendid Church of Saint Maria with mosaics dating back to the XII century and frescoes by Domenichino. The monks of St.Nilo are Basilians, an ancient Roman Catholic order that observes Greek Byzantine rites.

From Grottaferrata a steep road leads to Rocca di Papa, also called the "window of the Roman Castles" because from here you get the best possible view of the valley below up to Rome. At its back, passing the Fields of Hannibal, a road paved with Roman basalt leads up to the crest of the Mt. Cavo.

From Rocca di Papa, covering a charming road lined with woods we reach the silent Nemi, lovely village which caresses the hill and the lake sides on whose banks stood the temple of Diana, most frequented in the antiquity by sterile women. Emperor Caligula used the lake as setting of naval battles games; remains of the Roman ships, destroyed during the second world war, are housed nowadays in the Museum of the Ships, on the lakeside, in a unique and impressive place, from which we can see the outline of the village, dominated by the Ruspoli palace.

From the still Nemi another detour leads us to Lariano 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.