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Piazza Vacuna: The Square of the Goddess of Holidays in the Heart of the Monti Lucretili
Vacuna, the Roman origin of the modern-day word "vacation". The Sabine goddess of rest after fieldwork had a temple right here, in Roccagiovine, and Piazza Vacuna bears her name. Horace wrote letters here, Ovid and Varro mentioned her, the Sabines celebrated her in December with the Vacunalia. Nothing visible remains of the temple, however an inscription walled into the castle confirms that Emperor Vespasian restored it at his own expense. The square is the heart of the village: arriving via the winding road from Licenza, the final bend reveals the view of the Baronial Castle dominating everything from above.
The Fountain of 1857
In the centre of the square stands a stone fountain with four spouts shaped like dogs' heads, donated in 1857 by Prior Giuseppe Rufini and Alessandro del Gallo, Marquis of Roccagiovine. On the architrave is carved the phrase: "The clear spring that greets the ruins of Vacuna's temple gladdens the dwellings of Roccagiovine". The water is fresh and drinkable, fed by springs from the Lucretili hills.
A Starting Point
Today the square is a meeting point for cyclists and hikers heading into the Monti Lucretili Park. From here trails depart towards Monte Follettoso and the Lagustelli di Percile lakes. A few minutes' walk away is Horace's Villa, given to the poet by Maecenas in 33 BC, and the Nymphaeum of the Orsini, a monumental 15th-century fountain hidden in the woods.
