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Marino in the Castelli Romani: fountains that flow with wine and the Mithraeum beneath the village
Located just 23 km from Rome, in the Castelli Romani Regional Park, Marino stands on a peperino (volcanic stone) spur overlooking Lake Albano. It is known throughout Italy primarily for its Grape Festival (Sagra dell’Uva). It is the oldest in Italy, celebrated since 1925 on the first Sunday of October, when the Four Moors Fountain (Fontana dei Quattro Mori) flows with Marino PDO wine instead of water.
Beneath the village: the Mithraeum and the peperino tunnels
Below the historic centre lies a parallel city, little known even to frequent visitors of the Castelli Romani. Caves and tunnels carved into the peperino rock house Roman cisterns and, among the treasures of Underground Marino, a Mithraeum: a 2nd-century AD fresco depicting the god Mithras in the act of slaying the white bull. It is one of the few Mithraea in Italy featuring a frescoed scene, next to the Barberini Mithraeum in Rome and that in Santa Maria Capua Vetere.
The parade, the palace, the donuts
Palazzo Colonna, designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger between 1532 and 1622, is now the seat of the Town Hall. It serves as the finishing point of the historic parade that reenacts the return of Marcantonio Colonna from the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. Closely linked to Marino wine is the Sagra delle Ciambelle al Mosto (PGI), showcasing local ring-shaped sweetbreads made with grape must, held on the third Sunday of October, and featuring a recipe dating back to the 17th century.
