Canterano, the town of Truffle located on a hill overlooking the Ruffi Mountains, lies on an ancient trade route, probably used by the Etruscans and then by the Romans. Thanks to its strategic position, the village dominated the Aniene Valley, as evidenced by several finds, such as two Neolithic axes and seven bronze axes discovered in a warehouse, today on display in the Museo Pigorini in Rome. The ancient origins of Canterano are also testified by the remains of polygonal walls and Roman tombstones.
Canterano lies on St. Benedicts Way, the religious route in the heart of Italy marked with a yellow B, which connects the three most important Benedictine sites, Norcia, Montecassino and Subiaco. A most visited place of cult is the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, built on living rock in the seventeenth century. On August 2, a procession starting from the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome arrives with a suggestive torchlight parade at the Sanctuary of the Madonna degli Angeli in Canterano.
Among the many abbots in the area, the most famous one was Juan de Torquemada, known for having imported the first printing press to Italy in 1456, to the nearby Monastery of Santa Scolastica in Subiaco.
Truffle delights at the Canterano Truffle Festival
Local delicacies are mushrooms and the black, white, and scorsone truffles. The latter has been celebrated in Canterano for over ten years with a two-weekend Festival in October. But the undisputed star of the event is the black summer truffle, harvested in the woods of the Aniene Valley. Every year, the proceeds from the festival are donated to charity.
Worth tasting are the fregnacce, a simple handmade pasta dish prepared with water and flour, hand-cut into large, thick shapes and finally topped with tomato sauce, garlic, and chili pepper.