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Montopoli di Sabina: a village waiting to be discovered, history and good fare
Montopoli di Sabina overlooks a hill in the Nazzano Tevere-Farfa Regional Nature Reserve. As far back as Roman times, the village was chosen for the healthiness of its territory, and numerous villas were built there.
Gates, towers and a triangular square
Entry to the old town is via Porta Romana or the Renaissance-style Porta Maggiore. The Ugonesca Tower has been in place since the year 1000, and the Piazza Comunale has an unusual triangular shape, featuring an octagonal fountain.
Squares, frescoes and narrow alleyways
One square bears the name of the humanist Pietro Oddi, born and raised here around 1425. The Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli (St Mary of the Angels), a former Franciscan convent, preserves mid-17th-century frescoes attributed to Vincenzo Manenti. For the romantically inclined, there is the "vicolo baciadonne" (kiss-the-ladies alley): a very narrow passage between Piazzetta Montecavallo and Piazza Campo di Fiori.
Bocchignano, a village within a village
The hamlet of Bocchignano is home to Castello Bucciniano, a castle with three defensive walls and three natural moats. At Christmas, a Travelling Medieval Nativity Scene comes to life here, and between late May and early June the village hosts the Sabina Jazz Festival.
Sabine flavours and local festivals
The Wild Asparagus Festival takes place on 25 April each year, while the feast of Archangel St Michael falls from 20 to 29 September — and includes the ever-present Fried Pizza Festival. Typical local products include olive oil — of renowned quality since the times of Numa Pompilius — wine, wild asparagus, aromatic herbs, egg pasta, omelettes and snails.
