Piglio, in its dominant position in the Sacco Valley, is located in the province of Frosinone about 70 km from Rome. Set on a rocky spur of the Scalambra massif at an altitude of 650 m above sea level, the village is divided into a series of streets that lead to the highest part of the town, and the ruins of the Orsini Castle. The houses with “herringbone” brickwork are built on the edges of the hill, on a steep slope, and were used as defences due to lack of city walls.
The Scalambra massif, with its numerous caves, was a place of passage for numerous ascetics who, around the 13th century, followed the example of Saint Francis of Assisi. One of these, friar Andrea Conti, settled in the place just above the inhabited area where today we find the complex of the Convent of San Lorenzo and the church similar in shape and size to the Church of Sant’Andrea al Quirinale in Rome. The Church preserves the urn with the remains of Friar Andrea.
Located in the historic centre are the 11th century baronial palace, the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta and the Church of the Madonna delle Rose, much revered because it was thought to be responsible for the miraculous liberation from the plague in 1656.
The municipal territory, with hilly and mountainous landscapes and altitudes ranging between 290 and 1,420 metres above sea level, is agricultural, and grows olives and grapes. Piglio is known for its production of the renowned Cesanese DOCG red wine and on the first Sunday of October, the characteristic grape festival takes place.