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Roccasecca dei Volsci: A Medieval Village in the Amaseno Valley
Roccasecca dei Volsci stands 376 metres above sea level on a spur of Monte Curio, 111 km from Rome, in the province of Latina. The historic centre has an unusual medieval layout: the houses have grown out in concentric rings around the core of the town, namely Piazza Umberto I. Overlooking the square are the Church of Santa Maria Assunta (St Mary of the Assumption) — with paintings by pupils of Caravaggio's school — and Palazzo Massimo, a 14th-century building repeatedly remodelled, now home to the Town Council and the Oil Museum.
The Two Small Temples of Cardinal Massimo
On the hill facing the town, Carlo Camillo Massimo — future cardinal and prominent figure in the Curia under Innocent X and Alexander VII — had the Tempietto di San Raffaele (St Raphael Temple) built in 1659, featuring a red brick façade with four pilasters and pediment, barrel-vaulted interior with frescoes attributed to the school of Domenichino: scenes from the cycle of Tobias and Tobit from the Old Testament. Two years later, in 1661, the same Cardinal had the circular Tempietto di Santa Maria della Pace (Temple of Our Lady of Peace) built at the foot of the hill, in Bramante style, with a dome covered in coloured majolica and a fresco of the Virgin and Child. This church is a pilgrimage destination every year.
At the Table
Oil, goat cheeses and lamb are the products of the area. At the end of August the Sagra della Capra (goat products) is held, in September the Sagra delle Caciottelle (cheese products). On Corpus Christi day the village prepares an Infiorata with petal compositions laid down on the streets of the historic centre.
