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Lake Capo d'Acqua in Castrocielo: the water that supplied a Roman city
Lake Capo d'Acqua is a small body of water fed by natural springs at the foot of Monte Cairo, in the municipality of Castrocielo, province of Frosinone. From this lake flowed the watercourses that for centuries gave life to ancient Aquinum, a Roman colony on the Via Latina. It has been part of the Aquinum Natural Monument, established by the Lazio Region, since 2017.
Land reclamation projects over five centuries
The springs feed the so-called "Forme d'Aquino" — channels diverted and regulated by the Boncompagni princes in the 16th century to reclaim the plain, which had become swampy over time. The same channels still reach Aquino today, before flowing into the Liri river, between Pontecorvo and San Giorgio a Liri. This water supply system has thus been active and functioning for over 500 years.
The lake today
The lake has 3 hectares of protected wetland. On its bank is the Church of the Madonna del Pianto (Our Lady of Tears). Romanesque in origin it has a single nave, modified in the 18th century with three Baroque altars and an arched pronao (portico). As soon as you walk in you can immediately understand it has changed its skin more than once.
The site is accessible to people with reduced mobility, albeit with some difficulties at specific points.
