Montelibretti is home to the Sabina DOP extra virgin olive oil, among the finest Italian ones, thanks to the presence of numerous different olive varieties.
Montelibretti, panorama
In addition, the area around the village boasts a pristine flora and fauna, several sulphurous and ferruginous springs, and an important Lipizzan horse breeding farm. The countryside equestrian centre on the hill of Montelibretti has been chosen by Mario Monicelli to recreate the Friulian Zanin farmhouse in his famous movie “The Great War” (1959), with Alberto Sordi and Vittorio Gassmann.
Montelibretti, a typical alley
In the historic centre, stand the majestic seventeenth-century Palazzo Barberini, the former Orsini Castle, and the 1535 Church of San Nicola di Bari, the patron Saint, celebrated on May 10. The church preserves the seventeenth-century paintings of the “Madonna Enthroned with Child” and the ” Saints Dominic and Catherine“.
Worth a visit are also the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the co-patron Saint celebrated on the second Saturday of October, the Church of the Madonnella, and, both in the Umbertine style, the Town Hall and the Palazzo della Scuola, the former Town Hall.
In 1970, in the district of Colle del Forno, numerous remains of an Etruscan necropolis were discovered, some of which are preserved in the National Museum of Copenhagen. The site probably belonged to the ancient city of Eretum and the tombs consist of underground chambers accessible through a corridor.
A Lipizzan Horse at the Montelibretti Breeding Centre
Today, Montelibretti hosts the Roma 1 Research Area of the largest CNR, which includes the Institutes for Environment, Bio-Agrifood, Cultural Heritage, Functional Materials, and Health and Well-being. Exclusive in Montelibretti is also the State Lipizzan Horse Farm (ASCAL). This traditional breeding practice was inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2022.
The statue dedicated to Piero D’Inzeo at the entrance to the Montelibretti Military Equestrian Centre. Photo by FB FISE
Montelibretti is also home to the Military Equestrian Centre, where the Olympic champions, the D’Inzeo brothers, made the history of the Italian equestrian discipline. A bronze monument dedicated to Piero D’Inzeo was erected at the entrance in 2023.
Delicious cherries, peaches, apricots and plums are cultivated here, while the typical recipes are the cacchiarelle, a sort of white pizza, and homemade PAT bread seasoned with olive oil, celebrated in November during the festival “Pane, Olio, e…”.
The Spring Festival in Montelibretti (PH By FB comune-di-Montelibretti)
But the most important events in the village are the Feast of Sant’Antonio Abate, held in January, and the evocative Spring Festival. The latter is celebrated on the first Sunday of June with historical reenactments, a Renaissance costume parade, an equestrian challenge, and a dinner in the taverns and on the main square, attended by the inhabitants of the local four districts.
Montelibretti lies along the St. Francis’ Way (part of the Lazio Network of Routes), on the fifth stage, which stretches from Ponticelli di Scandriglia to Monterotondo.