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Monteleone Sabino

An enchanting village set in a territory surrounded by nature and rich of history and legends.

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Population

1.236

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Area

18,8 km²

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Altitude

496 m

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Where is it?

Monteleone Sabino, counting 1,231 inhabitants, rises 496 m. above sea level and occupies an area of 19 square kms., on the southern foothills of the Monti Sabini. The medieval village develops along the ridge of a hill, surrounded by an unspoilt landscape excellence crossed by the Farfa river.

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Its origins?

The village of Monteleone Sabino founded in the early Middle Ages, starting from the castle probably built around the 9th century by the abbots of Farfa. For some time the castle continued to be mentioned as belonging to Trebula although, in 943, a bull of Pope Martin II cited the village of Leonem Montanianum. Monteleone probably owes its name to the presence, in its area, of many sculptures representing lions, two of which are placed at the entrance to the village. Yet another theory is that it had been for a long time under the dominion of the Brancaleoni family of Romania. It was owned by the Orsini family until 1604 and, in 1700, the Chamber assets were entrusted in emphyteusis to the Gamberi-Lancelotti family. In recent times Monteleone is remembered for the massacre carried out by the Germans on 24 April 1944, when the occupying soldiers raked up eleven innocents – ten from Monteleone and a passing street vendor – and shot them near Santa Vittoria.

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What to see?

Walking through the streets of Monteleone Sabino will allow visitors to discover its early-medieval elements. Today, only the following remain from the 11th-century castle: the square towers with the access gate (Porta Pica) and the ruins of its mighty keep. The medieval village still preserves the characteristic alleys that show some finds from the Roman era. Do not miss a visit to the parish church of San Giovanni Evangelista, dating back to the 15th century and rebuilt in neoclassical style in 1770. The church still preserves the original portal with decorations from the Roman age. The Civic Archaeological Museum preserves important finds from Trebula Mutuesca, an ancient Sabine city. The exhibition itinerary, ranging from the pre-Roman to the Roman age, shows important sculptural and ceramic finds from archaeological excavations. Not far from the historic center stands the main attraction of Monteleone: the majestic Romanesque Sanctuary of Santa Vittoria, erected on a hill and surrounded by a gardened space. From an architectural and artistic point of view the interior and the bell tower are very interesting. Not far from the church of Santa Vittoria, visitors can notice the imposing remains of the amphitheater of Trebula Mutuesca, dating back to around the first half of the 2nd century and brought to light by archaeological excavations, begun in the 1950s and then continued from 2000 to today, which permitted the reconstruction of the entrance portico to the temple and the discovery of a gallery below the arena, covered by a barrel vault (now collapsed) and reachable through a long hypogeal corridor. The excavations also brought to light a semicircular room characterized by a large rectangular niche and a series of limestone shelves that perhaps supported a wooden structure, however this archaeological site cannot be visited, at the moment, due to work in progress, but it is only visible from the outside.