Italian artworks

It is located in the upper Aniene valley, on the edge of the Monte Simbruini Regional Park, of which it is one of the gateways. This is an ancient town, as can be seen from the surrounding walls, which were rebuilt in the 15th century on Roman foundations. On the colossal remains of the ancient acropolis overlooking the village, stands the medieval Caetani fortress. The heart of the town is Piazza della Civita, from where you can wander through the cobbled alleyways of the medieval centre. Leaving the town and heading south along 5 km of winding road, you come to the Arcinazzo uplands, an expanse of undulating land that reaches an altitude of 800 m, and the starting point for many hikes and excursions.

One of the most important churches in medieval Europe, this was once the stage for historic events and ceremonies, which have made Anagni famous. The town has also been a papal seat. Among many notable events in Anagni, the saints canonised here include St Bernard of Clairvaux (1174) and St Clare of Assisi (1255), in 1243 Pope Innocent IV was elected here and Frederick Barbarossa was excommunicated here in 1160. Next to the plain facade stands the majestic Romanesque bell tower, lightened by mullioned and triple lancet windows. Inside the church one is immediately struck by the refined Cosmatesque floor, the array of architectural and decorative elements representing the transition from Romanesque to Gothic, and the wooden triptych of the Saviour on the right nave. But the real treasure is the crypt, dedicated to St Magnus and embellished with a cycle of frescoes depicting the Creation, stories of the Ark of the Covenant, the Apocalypse and the life of St Magnus, patron saint of Anagni. The frescoes are considered masterpieces of the European thirteenth century, in terms of scope and brilliance. Through a narrow passageway, the crypt leads to the oratory of St Thomas Beckett, also frescoed. You can also visit the adjoining Cathedral Museum, itself a treasure trove of wonders, the Treasury, the equisite library, the chapter house, the sacristies, the lapidarium and the archaeological collection, as well as the collections of fine textiles and fabrics.

Standing upon a hill in the Sacco valley, Ferentino is thought to have been built by the Volsci people and later conquered by the Ernici, who erected the mighty wall around the highest part of the historic centre. The walls were built between the 7th and 6th centuries BC and have a series of twelve gates through which you reach an elevated scenic area. A dominant feature of the acropolis is the Romanesque cathedral, built in the 10th century and rebuilt seven centuries later. Inside the church there are striking decorations, such as the medieval Cosmatesque floor and other contemporary architectural elements dating from the same period. The apses of the cathedral, the bell tower and a part of the bishop's palace are all built on the foundations of an ancient temple. In Roman times, the city flourished and it was also a favourite holiday destination for the aristocracy, hence the many elegant villas and homes. The town still attracts tourists today, because of the thermal baths located near the centre. Ferentino's period of greatest splendour, however, was the Middle Ages, when the town was the seat of the papal legate. It remained the chief town of southern Lazio until the mid-16th century. The Romanesque church of Santa Maria Maggiore, built in the Cistercian Gothic style in the mid-12th century, is worthy of note. The sober façade features a large, central rose window, while inside it has a nave and two aisles in the Gothic style.

You'll find a more modern side of Trivento on the flat, thin strip running along the sides of the main road, ending at the top above the river Trigno with the hill, on which the historic centre is built in a fan shape around the Cathedral. Tradition has it that the church was founded in the early days of Christianity on the site of an ancient temple dedicated to Diana. More certainly 17th-century is the bell tower, and both a fourth- or fifth-century baptistery and the crypt dedicated to St. Castus are notable inside. The latter is divided by columns and pillars into seven small naves, beneath which are preserved wooden statues, tombstones, frescoes and a 12th century lunette with sculptural reliefs depicting the Trinity. Also worth seeing in this almost small town are the 18th-century chapel and the bishops' hall with portraits of prelates in the Bishop's Palaceand the former 16th-century Church of the Holy Trinity set up as Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art: Here, liturgical vestments and sacred furnishings between the 16th and 19th centuries from the area are displayed, including a 17th-century reliquary with the Holy Thorn. In historical terms, before becoming the Roman municipality of Terventum the place had been a stronghold repeatedly ravaged during the Samnite wars, only to rise to the rank of diocese in early Christian Italy in the fourth century. In terms of nature, however, Trivento is home to the Park of the Cenozoic Morge of Molisewhich unites a number of municipalities in Molise for the purpose of collective promotion.

The Forum is the large central square of the city, which measured approximately 150x36 metres and was divided in two by the decumanus maximus that crossed it transversally. In the square, citizens gathered to meet, discuss and trade or to learn about decisions made by the city's administrators. The north-western part was the sacred part. It was dominated by the Capitolium, the city's main temple, possibly dedicated to the Capitoline Triad or to other deities that cannot be identified at the moment. The Capitolium of Julia Augusta Bagiennorum measured about 10x23 metres and was built on a podium about 4 metres high, accessed by climbing a large frontal staircase. Once at the top, one crossed a portico, the pronaos, and then entered the cella, a large hall in which the large statues of the deities and also the treasures offered to them for good luck were kept. A double-sloping roof covered the temple and was decorated both in the tympanum and along the sides with antefixes with a "palmette" motif. Parts of the marble decorations, some terracotta antefixes, the probable end of the shaft of one of the statues of the gods and the curl of the throne are exhibited in the Museum. In front of the temple, traces of an ara, an altar used for votive sacrifices, were also found. The temple was surrounded on three sides by a single-nave portico overlooked by various rooms; one of these, rectangular in shape and paved, has been interpreted as a curia, a building reserved for the meetings of the senate. AR Experience: click here to activate the immersive experience and step back in time.

An ethnographic museum-workshop housed in an old courtyard house, in which Aunt Savina, the last owner of the house, used to handcraft candles. In the first room of the museum, there is a candle workshop, ancient tools and moulds for votive offerings. The other rooms tell the story of local craft traditions through the setting up of workshops for loom weaving, spinning, embroidery, fabric dyeing and basket weaving. The museum also organises demonstrations and workshops. It is part of the MIF - Museum of Women's Entrepreneurship.