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Cantalupo in Sabina: the village-museum that gave its name to a fruit
Some 60 km from Rome, between the River Tiber and the Apennines, Cantalupo in Sabina bills itself as an "open-air museum", and has even lent its name to a fruit known the world over (a variety of melon), introduced here by Asian missionaries in the 15th century. The area was already a favoured retreat in Roman times: 2 km from the village centre, the Tulliano Archaeological Complex - a villa built at the time of emperor Hadrian, possibly belonging to Marcus Tullius Cicero - bears witness to this. Visitors enter through the Porta Maggiore, where two 16th-century statues of Mercury and Minerva are welcoming figures. Known locally as the Bammocci, "puppets" in dialect, they are the symbol of the village.
The palazzo and the park
The main square is dominated by Palazzo Cesi-Camuccini, boasting a ground-floor portico, a first-floor loggia and two medieval towers at the rear. The interior rooms are frescoed by the Zuccari brothers with mythological subjects and landscapes with ruins, in the manner of Paul Bril. Giovanni Battista Camuccini transformed the building into a museum after 1862, assembling paintings by his father Vincenzo Camuccini, weapons and Roman artefacts. Adjacent to the palazzo is the Parco Camuccini, stretching over 4 hectares and containing centuries-old trees. It is open daily from dawn to dusk.
The oldest church
Along the SS 313 state road, the Church of Sant'Adamo stands on the tomb of an 11th-century hermit. Documented from 1150, it was enlarged in the 15th century. The late Gothic frescoes in the apse are among the rarest in the Sabina region. On 3 May every year the feast of the saint is celebrated, with the traditional blessing of animals.
