Rocca Sinibalda
Rocca Sinibalda, dominated by the imposing 11th century Castle, stands on the hills of Alta Sabina, between the green woods and the valley crossed by the river Turano.
Population
795
Area
49,56 km²
Altitude
552 m
Where is it?
Rocca Sinibalda, with its 700 inhabitants, is located 552 m. above sea level, about 20 km from Rieti, and covers an area of 49 square km. The territories of Alta Sabina, between the hills and slopes of the picturesque Turano Valley, are crossed by the spiritual Way of San Benedetto da Norcia. This small medieval village is the arrival point of the 6th stage of the journey and the starting point of the 7th. The medieval castle – redesigned in the 16th century by Baldassarre Peruzzi – controls the village and overlooks the valley below. Beyond the village, the road continues south, crossing woods, clearings, the pretty hamlet of Posticciola, passing by the imposing Turano dam, built in the 1930s to bar the course of the Turano river and give rise to the homonym artificial lake. The surrounding landscape includes several villages and other attractions such as the “Old bridge” of Beatrice Cenci, the Belvedere of Rocca Sinibalda, the Fab Lab Turano, the Agapito Miniucchi Civic Museum in Rocca Sinibalda and the widespread Museum of the Peasant Arts in Posticciola.
What to see?
Rocca Sinibalda is overlooked by an imposing castle, one of the most fascinating Italian castles dating back to the year 1000 and recognized as a national monument in 1928. The current form of the castle, open to visitors all year round, was designed in the Renaissance by Baldassarre Peruzzi. Its structure includes the castle’s keep and the elegant residential building, that are connected by a system of walls and towers. Other historical-architectural attractions include the Parish Church of Sant'Agapito, located inside the town, characterized by bell gable, that preserves a 16th-century canvas of the Roman school, and Church of Santa Maria della Neve , located in the hamlet of Vallecupola. On a cultural point of view, the municipality of Rocca Sinibalda is famous for the Library and House-Museum dedicated to the local poet and sculptor Angelo Di Mario. This complex contains about 9,000 volumes and magazines, in addition to almost 300 bronze and ceramic sculptures, and is located in the small hamlet of Vallecupola, a place of poetic and artistic inspiration where Angelo Di Mario lived up to the age of 30.