The municipality of Carpineto Romano lies on the eastern slope of the Lepini Mountains. The territory of Carpineto Romano presents various karstic formations with caves and chasms. This characteristic favoured the settlement of the descendants of the Circeo Man in the Palaeolithic Age, as evidenced by the stone tools found there. There are numerous finds from the pre-Roman period dominated by the Volsci people, and Roman.
Carpineto Romano underwent an urban transformation with the arrival of the De Ceccano family in 1157 and was divided into two districts, ‘Dammonte’ and ‘Dabballe’.
Expressions of medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and modern art can be found in the village. Palazzo Pecci was the birthplace of Gioacchino Vincenzo Pecci, who became Pope Leo XIII in 1878. During his pontificate, Carpineto Romano was enriched with splendid churches and monuments, still visible today.
In 1968, a painting on canvas depicting St Francis in Meditation by Caravaggio was discovered in the Church of St Peter. The work underwent restoration in Rome, which confirmed its attribution to the great painter. The painting is currently housed in the National Gallery of Ancient Art. A copy of the work is kept in the Museo Territoriale in Palazzo Aldobrandini while waiting for the original to be relocated.
The Museo Agropastorale (Agro-pastoral Museum) is in the small Church of the Natività di San Giovannino (Church of the Nativity of St. John) and preserves working tools that belonged to the farmers and some documents on the agricultural and craft activities of the area.
The village preserves a picturesque folk tradition on the portals of the oldest houses where coats of arms and proverbs carved in the local dialect can be seen.
The typical cuisine of Carineto Romano is of pastoral origin. The use of milk in the preparation of typical dishes such as polenta in bianco is fundamental.
The ‘Pallio della Carriera’ is a historical re-enactment in costume set in the period of greatest splendour of the Aldobrandini family, under the dukedom of Donna Olimpia Aldobrandini. The ‘Pallio’ is held in August in honour of Saint Augustine, the patron saint of Carpineto Romano. In fact, one of the most heartfelt moments of the Pallio is that of the transportation on the shoulders of the machine with the statue of the patron saint through the streets of the village.
On the Saturday before the feast of the saint, the historical procession of four hundred participants parades in seventeenth-century costume for the arrival of Donna Olimpia Aldobrandini in her duchy.
Local food and wine is the protagonist in the seven district hostaria with the recipes and culinary techniques of the noble and popular classes of the time. The menu of the Cena del Cardinale is studied down to the smallest detail and accompanied by original music from the 1600s.
The Sunday following 28 August is the Disfida equestre all’anulo aereo, the race between the 7 jockeys of the 7 historical districts for the conquest of the Pallio.