From home to the prestigious Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei to the Plague, to being passed through by Giuseppe Garibaldi and his beloved Anita [in the campaign for the the unification of Italy] in 1849, the history of San Polo dei Cavalieri is really fascinating and for this reason alone worth visiting.

San Polo dei Cavalieri features on the wine/gastronomic trail the Strada dell’Olio, which also encompasses other traditional products of the Sabina area, since its golden olive oil is of outstanding quality. Being so near Rome, it’s not surprising that it one of the local specialities is bruschetta.

If you want to get better acquainted with the town, you should start your tour with the impressive medieval castle that dominates the town square: the Castello Orsini-Cesi-Borghese, which was restored after its purchase by the Town Council in 1989. It gives a fascinating picture of what a medieval urban arrangement must have been like in small towns under the Rome of the Papal States.

Walking along the quaint alleyways of the old town, the Parish Church devoted to St Nicholas of Bari and built between the 13th and 14th centuries, may be visited. The old tower of the enclosing wall has been transformed into a bell-tower. The interior has a single nave, and to the right of the main entrance is a fresco of the baptism of Jesus; in the background the Castrum of San Polo is depicted, with its defence towers and original town walls. The fresco dates from the late 16th century, while the main altar with its depiction of St Nicholas is from the 15th century.

The oldest church in San Polo that retains its original form almost intact is the Church of Santa Lucia, built inside the Castrum of Sancti Pauli. Documentation shows that the church had a bell-tower as early as the 15th century. The interior is in the form of a Greek cross and still has its original magnificent wooden-trussed ceiling.

 

Social share
INFO UTILI
distanza da Roma 51 km
da non perdere Chiesa di San Nicola di Bari
sito web Comune di San Polo dei Cavalieri

SCOPRI ANCHE

Onano

Onano, small village in Tuscia is located on the Volsini Mountains,...

Lanuvio

Lanuvio boasts origins before those of Rome, which is just over 30...

Anagni

The municipality of Anagni is nestled on a hill in the Latina Valley...

Gaeta

Gaeta is an old Maritime Republic on the outcrop of Mount Orlando,...