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Borgo di Farfa in Fara in Sabina: workshops, abbey and fairs in the heart of Sabina
Borgo di Farfa is a hamlet in the vicinity of Fara in Sabina, in the province of Rieti. Its name comes from the river Farfa — the Farfarus described by Ovid, or the Fabaris of Virgil. It is a village that grew up around its famous Benedictine abbey, with artisan workshops featuring typical wooden lintels dating back to 1480.
A village born out of the staging of fairs
The workshops are not a stage set. The monks built and rented them out during the spring and autumn fairs, which from the 15th century onwards attracted merchants from all over Italy. The streets took their names from the goods sold there or from where the merchants came. Nearby, inns and taverns sprang up.
The basilica
The heart of the village is the Basilica dedicated to Mary, with a 14th-century portal topped by a lunette, frescoed with the Madonna and Child, dated 1508. Inside, three Renaissance naves house the Last Judgement by Henrik van der Broek, who in 1561 painted it in oil directly onto the wall. Also worth seeing are the grotesques from the school of the Zuccari (1576) and the gilded coffered ceiling bearing the Orsini coat of arms.
A holy door in the Sabina
One of the entrance doors to the Basilica of Santa Maria di Farfa was consecrated as a Holy Door in 2000, the Jubilee year. It was reopened in 2015 for the Extraordinary Jubilee dedicated to Mercy called by Pope Francis. The complex has been a National Monument since 1928, and is a stopping-off point on the Way of St Francis.
