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Sambuci: Lanes, Ghosts and Italian Gardens in the Aniene Valley
The name comes from the elder, a plant once so widespread on these hills that it became a place name. Sambuci is located 51 km from Rome in the Aniene Valley, between the Tiburtini and Ruffi Mountains, enclosed within medieval walls with entry through two gates. The main street — Via Girolamo Theodoli — was once entirely frescoed with scenes of daily life and allegorical figures. A few fragments are still visible on the façades. On a cylindrical tower in Piazza Roma an admonition in Latin is carved: "do not desire unworthy things, and do not do them even if you are driven to do them". This saying is attributed to Cardinal Camillo Astalli. Or perhaps it is advice to men on how to behave with women. No one knows for certain.
The Castle and the Signoraccia
Castello Theodoli dominates the village from above. It started out life as a medieval fortress, and became a noble palace in the 17th century thanks to Cardinal Camillo Astalli, who added the loggia and transformed the grounds into Italian gardens. The 50,000 square metres of parkland are now municipal. The castle allegedly hosts the Signoraccia: the ghost of a young woman whose heart was broken by the marquis invoking the ius primae noctis (the right to sleep first with a vassal’s bride on her wedding night). Every 8 September, during the feast of Maria Santissima Bambina, her papier-mâché effigy is burned in the square amid songs and dances.
Traditions
Sambuci is a stop on the Way of St Benedict — the origins of the village are linked to the Order, which founded the Church of San Pietro (St Peter) here. At the end of October the Sagra della Polenta is held, when pork rib and sausage sauce add to the flavour, together with the feast of the patron saint, San Celso, and saying farewell to summer.
