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Monteleone Sabino: links with Rome, and the dragon vanquished by St Victoria
The name Monteleone Sabino is something of a mystery: it may derive from the many Roman lion sculptures found here, or from the rule of the Brancaleoni family. In this village in the Sabina region, you are walking over the remains of the Roman town of Trebula Mutuesca. But the true heart of the place is the sanctuary of Santa Vittoria, a Romanesque building standing in quiet isolation amid the greenery, which guards a remarkable and powerful story.
The sanctuary in the countryside
The church is situated a short walk from the village. This 12th-century building is simple and solid. Its most extraordinary feature lies beneath the floor: an entire network of catacombs that can be visited, bearing witness to a faith whose roots reach back to the earliest centuries of Christianity. Inside, fragments of frescoes and stone reliefs tell stories spanning many centuries.
A village built with ancient Rome
Strolling through the narrow lanes, you can spot Roman fragments — capitals, inscriptions — set in the walls of houses. Inside the church of San Giovanni Evangelista (St John Evangelist) there is a fine 17th-century canvas by Vincenzo Manenti. Not far away, the Roman amphitheatre and the archaeological museum complete our journey through time.
The legend, and flavours of the Sabina
The devotion to St Vittoria springs from a legend: it is said that the young saint defeated a dragon that was terrorising these lands. Beyond the celebrated bruschetta with Sabina DOP extra virgin olive oil, be sure to seek out the fettuccine alla trebulana, battered fritters, and the ring-shaped aniseed biscuits known as ciambelletti.
