Part I

Cover: Abraham Oertel, “Latium” from “Theatri orbis terrarum parergon”, Anversa 1595.

Through a historical excursus, Angelo D’Ottavi, an expert and scholar of local traditions, introduces us to this area, telling us about its history, customs and traditions, with a series of appointments in which we will get to know and discover the beauties and mysteries of these ancient villages.

Just a few kilometers from the capital, surrounded by greenery and rich in history and culture, the Castelli Romani offer places of great tourist and cultural interest with their splendid palaces, majestic manour houses, monumental churches and rich museums, bearing witness to a fascinating past steeped in history. According to the reconstruction by the historian Giuseppe Tomassetti, the name dates back to the 14th century, when many of Rome’s inhabitants, in order to escape the economic and political difficulties caused by the transfer of the papal seat from Rome to Avignon, sought refuge in the castles of the Roman feudal families of the Savelli (Albano and Castel Savello, Ariccia, Castel Gandolfo, Rocca Priora), the Annibaldi (Molara, Monte Compatri, Rocca di Papa), the Orsini (Marino) and the Colonna (Monte Porzio Catone, Nemi, Colonna, Genzano and Civita Lavinia).

The area of the Castelli Romani extends over a circular-shaped surface and roughly covers the volcanic structure of the Colli Albani, active up to ten thousand years ago. Woods, verdant glades and lakes occupying the bottom of the craters, then as now, offer enchanting landscapes that have captivated travelers of every era. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, young and wealthy scions of the European aristocracy undertook the Grand Tour, their long journey through continental Europe of indefinite duration during which they set out to perfect their knowledge, making it one of their favorite destinations.