The Monastery, built on the remains of a Roman villa of which the cryptoporticus is visible, is enclosed by massive crenellated walls with a walkway, a fortress and a semicircular tower.
The beautiful church, with a Romanesque bell tower, contains the so-called Crypta Ferrata (the primitive church of San Nilo which gives its name to the surrounding town) and the Farnese chapel richly frescoed by Domenichino. The cloister, the rich archaeological museum and the library with over 50,000 ancient volumes are also outstanding. The Abbey also hosts the famous Laboratory of Restoration of Ancient Books, where the famous “Codex Atlanticus” of Leonardo da Vinci was restored.

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La Porchetta di Ariccia is a certified IGP product that is famous all over the world. The town centers of Ariccia and Frascati are full of fraschette, the typical Castelli Romani taverns.
Today there are a couple left where like in the old days, you can take your own food and just order wine, but now most offer their own menu of specialities. However, wherever you go in the Castelli Romani, ask the locals and they’ll happily show you where to eat a good sandwich with porchetta, or a plate of local cold cuts and cheeses and drink a glass of wine.You can’t go wrong, just sit down, eat, drink and relax, you’re in the Castelli Romani!

Together with the Roman Amphitheater, the Baths of Caracalla, the Villa Imperiale, the Porta Pretoria, the Sepulcher of the Orazi and Curiazi, the three Museums, the Catacombs of San Senatore, Albano is an unmissable place to tour. On Saturdays, you could even encounter Roman legionaries doing some military exercises: they are members of the Legio Secunda Parthica Severiana Association, that have recreated the costumes and weapons of the legionaries with great accuracy, and practice every week in archaeological sites.

In June the municipality often organises a Festival about the traditions of ancient Romans. Albano is also home to several beautiful churches, some of which, like San Pietro and la Rotonda, stand on the remains of Roman buildings of Castra Albana.

Info: https://www.secundaparthica.com

Discover the archaeological circuit of Albano.

Lariano is known for its artisan MCG certified dark flour bread, which accompanies porcini mushrooms collected in quantity in the surrounding woods. Among the local specialties we mustn’t forget the tasty cellitti, long gnocchetti pasta made with water and flour: after boiling they are seasoned with a quick sauce made of tomato, garlic, parsley and pecorino. Bread, porcini mushrooms, cellitti have their festivals (between May and September), on top of which festivals dedicated to bruschetta, pizza, wild boar and polenta are also added. The rustic delicacies of Lariano can still be enjoyed all year round in the typical restaurants of the village.

Visit Lariano

A special one-of-a-kind museum, is located on Via Casilina, near Colonna station (on the ancient Rome-Fiuggi-Frosinone railway line, about 600 meters from Colonna Galleria station). The Museum, mostly open-air, has a series of locomotives, carriages, freight cars and other special railway vehicles on display on the ancient railway tracks, mainly coming from the three Lazio railways, under concession. The rolling stock can all be visited and some of the exhibits have been set up with vintage photos and objects related to the railway. Many other railway objects and photographs are displayed in the station and in the goods-warehouse. In the different spaces
the rooms of the early twentieth century have been rebuilt, with furniture and mannequins in costume. Not to be missed, for fans of the genre and beyond.

Castelli Romani is one of the most appreciated tourist destinations in Lazio region, for the many renowned food and wine specialities, for its history and for the spectacular landscapes, most of which is part of the Regional Park.

Close to Rome, you have the chance to relax, unwind, and live an unforgettable experience away from the chaos of the city, while immersed in one of the most extraordinary territory the Lazio region has to offer. The natural splendour and the lovely climate make the Castelli Romani a favourite destination for those who want to experience a more authentic type of holiday. You can find out more on our website!

(For the tourist guides, please check the list below)

Tourist Guides

Choose among the following tourist guides for your guided tours!

From a geographical point of view, the territory commonly known as the “Castelli Romani” corresponds to the volcanic complex of the Colli Albani (Alban Hills), located a few kilometres southeast of Rome. From a geological point of view, the Alban Hills are what remains of the ancient Latium Volcano, formed throughout a very long period between 630.000 and 20.000 years ago with a process that can be substantially divided into the following three parts:

• Initially, an intense volcanic eruption formed an imposing volcanic cone with a base of 60 kilometres in diameter; the upper border of this enormous volcanic crater collapsed at a later stage, creating the wide caldera, of which only the north eastern edge (Monte Tuscolo and Monte Artemisio) remains today;

• After a long interval, the eruption began again and formed a smaller cone inside the caldera, of which the central part is known today as “Campi di Annibale”, while a further two secondary cones gave rise to the existing Monte Cavo and Colle Iano;

• The last stage (known as the hydromagmatic phase due to the violent explosions caused by the contact of underground waters with residual pockets of incandescent magma) formed along the south-eastern border of the original crater several other craters, which later became volcanic lakes; only two of these are conserved today (Lake Nemi and Lake Albano) while others have been dried out and are now valleys dedicated to agriculture (Prato Porci, Pantano Secco, Valle Marciana, Laghetto, Vallericcia).

The altitude range of the territory of the Alban Hills varies from 47 mamsl (in the town of Montecompatri) to 956 mamsl (Maschio delle Faete in the town of Rocca di Papa) with the majority of the towns at hill level between 300 and 700 mamsl.

Since the 17th century, the natural type of forests dominating the territory of the Alban Hills, according to altitude, were:

The Holm Oak Wood, typical of the Mediterranean vegetation region that reaches as far as 200-300 mamsl;

The Mixed Downy Oak Woods, typical of the sub-Mediterranean vegetation region that reaches 400-500 mamsl;

The Mixed Broadleaf Wood, (Oak, Lime, Maple) typical vegetation of the foothill region that reaches 700-800 mamsl;

The Beech wood, typical of the mountain vegetation region, above 800 mamsl;

The extensive chestnut woods that actually cover the complex of the Alban Hills are not a native vegetation of the area but the result of constant human activities in the area that have enormously increased in the last three centuries since the first settlements.

Human interference had gradually substituted the above-mentioned natural woods with profit-making cultivations:

Vineyards and Olive Groves, in regions up to 400-500 mamsl that substitute the holm oak and the mixed down oak woods;

Chestnut Woods, cultivated by coppicing, in higher altitude regions, replacing the mixed woods of oak, lime and maple trees and beech wood.