The peculiar frescoed alleys of Sambuci wind throughout the Aniene Valley, between the Tiburtini and the Ruffi Mountains. The village is dominated by the Theodoli Castle, which hosts a magnificent Italian garden. The place name derives from the once flourishing elderberry plant, used in the preparation of medicines and liqueurs.
Theodoli Castle in Sambuci
The Theodoli Castle in the Aniene Valley was, in the Early Middle Ages, a defensive and watch fortress. When, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, it was acquired by the Astalli Family, Cardinal Camillo Astalli turned the Castle into a noble palace, adding the loggia and the Italian gardens. The two different architectonical styles can still be recognised today.
Castello Theodoli – Ig @visit_valdaniene
In the fifty thousand sq.m. garden, now a municipal park, the hedges are shaped into the symbols of the two families of the Astalli (three circles), and the Theodoli (four wheels). Wandering around the garden, we come across the statues of the four seasons. Inside, we will breathe the charming, magical atmosphere of the ceramic floors and the rooms frescoed, among others, by Giovan Angelo Canini, a disciple of Domenichino. Guides in historical dresses will accompany us on a tour of the Theodoli Castle. According to legend, a ghost nicknamed La Signoraccia or Pantasema del Fontanone, has been hunting the place for centuries.
She was a beautiful servant and guardian of a mysterious treasure belonging to her master. She was about to get married, but the Marquis of the Castle shattered her dream availing himself to the Jus Primae Noctis. The groom to be attempted to kill the Marquis but died, and the girl, desperate, took her life soon after, swearing eternal revenge against the nobleman. The treasure was never found, even though, it is said, the Marquise Maria Theodoli kept invoking the cypress trees in the park.
On September 8, a three-day feast is held to celebrate the birthday of Maria SS. Bambina. The event includes several folkloristic performances and a suggestive torchlight and candlelight procession. On the last evening, the Signoraccia, a large papier-mâché puppet in the shape of a woman, the “fantasima”, is burned among dances and songs, a re-enactment of an ancient pagan rite, the farewell to summer and a hope for the cold season.
Sambuci – @prolocosambuci
The Astalli Family brought to the village of Sambuci important changes, enclosing it within walls and making it accessible through two doors. The buildings along the main road, via Girolamo Theodoli, were once entirely decorated with frescoes, some of which still visible today.
Sambuci – Facebook @prolocosambuci
“Nec petias turpia rogatus nec facie”
One of the two cylindrical towers in piazza Roma bears the quote “Do not desire unworthy things and do not start them even if you are forced to”. Some attribute it to Cardinal Camillo Astalli, while others consider it a warning to men against women. In 1800, the Palace and the village were acquired by the Piccolomini Family, and then passed into the hands of the Marquises Theodoli, to whom the main road of Sambuci is dedicated. They became the property of the Municipality only at the end of 1900. On the last Sunday of October in Piazza di Corte, in front of the Theodoli Castle, autumn is celebrated with the Sagra della Polenta, a typical poor dish, often accompanied by spareribs and sausage sauce, and broccoli. The Sagra della Polenta coincides with the celebrations for San Celso, the Patron Saint.
The Church of San Pietro Apostolo – www.beni-culturali.provincia.roma.it
The relics of San Celso are preserved under the high altar in the Church of San Pietro, founded by the Benedictines Monks in the upper part of the town, below the castle. The single nave Church still retains a window, from which the nobles could attend religious functions without leaving the castle.
But even the town itself, located along the Cammino di San Benedetto, owes its origins to the Benedictine Order.