The hamlet of Colonna is among the smallest of the Castelli Romani. It stands on a hill of volcanic origin and is part of the ‘Castelli Romani e Prenestini’ Mountain Community. Colonna’s very ancient origins are based on archaeological findings dating back as far as the Bronze Age.
The most accredited story on the origin of the name traces it back to the only surviving column of an ancient settlement, from which the Roman Colonna family also took its name in the early 11th century. The baronial palace is one of the main monuments, at the top of the hill, with a large, rusticated portal.
This small town was chosen by Gabriele D’Annunzio, who stayed here for some time after his marriage to his first wife, Duchess Maria Harduin: the Colonna Railway Station Museum commemorates his presence.
Between 1953 and 1956 a water reservoir was built, known affectionately as the dindarolo by the inhabitants of Colonna because of its piggy bank appearance, which makes the image of this village characteristic.
A must-see is the Baronial Palace, built on the primitive Roman castrum by the Colonna family, and the Railway Station Museum in Colonna, on the Rome-Fiuggi-Frosinone line, designed as early as 1907.
A typical product of the countryside is the Italia grape; the IGP Latina kiwis and peaches are also of excellent quality. Among the typical dishes not to be missed are pincinelle, homemade pasta, artichoke hearts with marjoram, fettuccine alla papalina and mustaccioli, diamond-shaped pasta covered with a chocolate glaze. This is the production area of Montecompatri-Colonna DOC wine.
For wine lovers, Colonna is a wine town and is part of the Roman Castles wine route! All the more reason for a trip out of town just a few kilometres from Rome.
Among the events in the calendar, we would like to mention three that are in this order: the Sagra dell’Uva Italia (Italian Grape Festival), the Sagra delle Pincinelle (Pincinelle Festival) in September, and the Festa di San Nicola di Bari, the town’s patron saint, in December.