The municipality of Canterano rises on a hill behind the Ruffi mountains. Canterano is an ancient trade route used perhaps already by the Etruscans, then by the Romans. Its strategic position and control over the Aniene Valley is testified by a number of findings. Two Neolithic axes, seven bronze axes discovered in a warehouse and preserved in the ‘Museo Pigorini’ in Rome, the remains of polygonal walls and Roman tombstones testify to the ancient origins of Canterano and its importance.
The high religious value of Canterano is testified by the presence of many churches that can still be visited today. The Church of Santa Maria Assunta was built on the living rock in the 17th century, while the Sanctuary of the Madonna degli Angeli on 2 August concludes the procession from the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome with an evocative torchlight procession.
Among the many abbots in the area, Giovanni Torquemada is remembered. He is known for having imported the first printing press in Italy in 1456, in the nearby Monastery of Santa Scolastica in Subiaco.
The delicacies we can enjoy in Canterano are the products of the forest. In fact, in the kitchen we encounter mushrooms and truffles, black, white and ‘scorsone’. Taste the ‘fregnacce’, fettuccine made of only water and flour, cut wide and thick by hand, and then seasoned with tomato sauce, garlic and chilli pepper.