Roccantica
An ancient town where history and legend merge, a village of stairs and suggestive corners but also of nature walks: all this and much more to discover is Roccantica.
Population
540
Area
16,7 km²
Altitude
457 m
Where is it?
With an area of 16km2 rising to a height of 457 meters a.s.l. Roccantica, whose population is placed on a ridge of the Sabine mountains, has about 550 inhabitants. The village's highest point is reachable by Mount Pizzuto (1288 meters).
What to see?
In the municipal area, there are many interesting religious buildings. The church of Saint Valentine is noteworthy; it dates back to the end of the eighth century and is flanked by a bell tower that also serves as a war memorial. The church stands in the central square of the same name at the entrance to the village. The structure of the first building was partially demolished and buried in 1932, but a part of the apse with a severe stone mullioned window and the bell tower remains. It is also interesting the thirteenth-century church of St. Catherine of Alessandria, which for a long time remained privately owned and inaccessible to most people, with a modest exterior appearance but with exquisitely frescoed interiors. Of great importance is the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta. A remarkable place for all inhabitants is the sanctuary of the Madonna of Piedirocca, located close to the Tower of Pope Nicholas II. A wide staircase reaches and connects the sanctuary to the small square of the churchyard, from where visitors can enjoy a breathtaking view beyond the distant Soratte. The previous structure of Roccantica was protected by a triple circle of walls. It remains the Tower of Pope Nicholas II, which dates back to 1000. The Tower has a square section located in the highest part of the town, from which you can admire the vast landscape of the Tiber valley. The Tower is linked to an episode of an assault on the fortress. According to tradition, troops in the service of the Altavilla family were seen liberating the fortress where a legacy of Pope Nicholas II was closed off. He was defended by the inhabitants from the attack brought by the Crescenzi, supporters of the anti-pope. For those who love walking into nature, it is impossible not to visit the Hermitage of St. Leonard, which is presumed to date back to the VIII-IX century. It can be reached by walking for about 30 minutes from the Church of Saint Valentine and is inserted in a fascinating wooded setting. Here is a fresco representing St. Leonard and St. Catherine, a work by Jacopo of Roccantica. Along the way to reach the Hermitage, visitors can pass by the remains of what was once a water mill, recognizable by the stone wheel of the millstone. For lovers of free climbing, the Hermitage of St. Leonard is also an equipped crag.
