Monte San Giovanni Campano

Situated on the Southern Via Francigena and the Benedictine Way, an important node of the Sistema dei Cammini del Lazio, Monte San Giovanni Campano owes its name to these spiritual roots: 'San Giovanni' in fact refers to the 6th-century Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist. The ancient heart of the village lies along the slope of a rocky hill and is secured, on the only side not protected by overhangs and steep slopes, by an imposing boundary wall: no less than thirty-six turrets are positioned along the perimeter of the village, many of which are now incorporated in houses or covered by vegetation. Not to be missed, of the local cuisine, is 'sagne e fagioli', a traditional dish, together with 'fedelini', thin fettuccine prepared by hand as in the past.