During your stay in Chiusa della Vasca, situated in Castelnuovo di Farfa, in Rieti district, in Lazio, you can visit hermitages, roman villas and monasteries among the beauties of Sabina.
ABBAZIA DI FARFA
The Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria di Farfa is a national monument, a place of pilgrimage and preserves a rich cultural and artistic heritage. With guided tours you can discover the monastery and the church, the cloister, the crypt and a rich library.
The Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria di Farfa
FARA SABINA
The Monastery of the Poor Clares is a place surrounded by silence and peace. It’s a magnificent building dating back to the seventeenth century perched on the mountain, and offers a spectacular view. It was built on an old medieval castle and became a monastery in 1673.
In the Civic Archaeological Museum, among many beautiful exhibits, we can admire the throne of the Sabine king, an exceptional discovery made in 2006, which is part of a tomb complete of funerary equipment and prestigious objects.
MONTOPOLI DI SABINA
The Ugonesca Tower is the oldest building in Montopoli di Sabina. Dates back to the 1000 and was built to defend the Abbey of Farfa. It has a square plan, and has been restored recently. From the Tower you can see the abbey and the whole valley of the Farfa and the Tiber.
VILLE ROMANE
In Sabina there are numerous Roman villas such as the Villa of Cottanello, where we can still see some parts of the floor mosaic in different rooms. The Baths of Lucilla, so called because restored by Lucilla, daughter of Marcus Aurelius. The bathrooms are equipped with an underground complex hydraulic system, tanks and tunnels. Not far from the Villa of Orazio there are a thermal system, a central garden and mosaic floors.
Cave of St. Michael
EREMI
The Cave of St. Michael is a small rocky hermitage carved into the rock, near Roccantica, probably it was originally dedicated to the goddess Vacuna, as evidenced by a figure carved in the rock. According to the legend, the cave hid a dragon that had just devastated the area, and two angels came down from heaven to defeat him, so the cave was dedicated to St. Michael.
The hermitage of St. Leonard is also located near Roccantica, hidden in the woods of what was a busy street during the Middle Ages, today there are only ruins.
The hermitage of St. Cataldo is located at the foot of the mountain near Cottanello. It dates back to the tenth century and was a refuge for the Benedictine monks. It is accessed by a stone staircase and inside preserves beautiful frescoes, some covered by later paintings in baroque style with scenes from Genesis.
Hermitage of St. Cataldo
SANTUARI
In Vescovio there are the ruins of the Roman town of Forum Novum. On them was built the Church of Santa Maria, one of the most beautiful monuments in the Romanesque style. It was restored with the construction of the bell tower.
PALAZZO FORANI
Forani palace is surrounded by greenery near Casperia, it dates back to the thirteenth century, although many furnishings and facilities date back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Its rooms are very charming, overlooking a beautiful park.
