Ceprano is located where the Liri and Sacco Rivers meet.
It is known as the city of Argil, for the discovery, in the 1990s, of homo cepranensis, the oldest human fossil found in Europe: one more piece in the puzzle of human evolution.
The city of Fregellae dates back to Roman times, which archaeologists have identified as Ceprano’s pre-existing settlement, whose importance is described by the historian Titus Livy.
The road network found in the excavations revealed the presence of a main axis to be identified, presumably, with an urban tract of Via Latina.
An aqueduct was found and, in the archaeological complex, evidence of the remains of a vast area of the Forum, a thermal building and shrines, in particular that dedicated to Aesculapius.
The finds of the archaeological park are exhibited in the Antiquarium halls (housed in the Palazzo Comunale), where you can admire talamoni, votive terracottas, architectural fragments of the shrine of Aesculapius, and mosaic floors.
In the Middle Ages, Ceprano gained great importance in the military sense, thanks to its strategic position.
It was the scene of many events: the absolution of Frederick II by excommunication, or the deed narrated by Dante Alighieri: King Manfredi of Swabia crossed the bridge holding the bridle of the papal horse, as a sign of submission.
It is also the birthplace of many famous personalities, such as the writer Antonio Spinosa.
Worth visiting is the Church of S. Antonio Abate with the adjoining convent, a true masterpiece of 16th century art and architecture.
Ceprano is part of the Antiche Città di Fregellae e Fabrateria Nova Regional e del Lago di San Giovanni Incarico Nature Reserve, a protected natural area with spectacular marshes that have developed an interesting bird life and attract the migrations of many birds.