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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.

To the visitors of my web site

Around Monte Cimino Corchiano, Vignanello and Vallerano

Corchiano

Corchiano
Corchiano

Corchiano is a very small town at the confluence of two streams which have deeply cut the tufa rock. Its narrow medieval streets are deserted as almost all the inhabitants of Corchiano have moved out of the historical site. The main church has a fine portal decorated with the papal symbols.

Vignanello

The Prince of Vignanello is not a character of a Belle Epoque operetta, but the official title acquired in the XVIIIth century by the Ruspoli family heir. The town is a sort of summary of the main Roman families.

Main Gate and Collegiata
Main Gate and Collegiata

The main entrance to Vignanello is closed by a gate called Porta del Vignola, but although il Vignola appears to have designed almost all the palaces and churches in the area, this gate cannot be attributed to him as it was erected in 1692, 120 years after his death. It is decorated with the coat of arms of the Marescotti family (a Vittoria Ruspoli married a Francesco Marescotti in 1652). In 1708 the Ruspoli asked Giovanni Battista Contini, at the time one of the main architects of Rome, to redesign the square in front of the family palace. The main building erected by Contini was the Collegiata with a Baroque bell tower which has on top the heraldic symbol of the Ruspoli.

Castello Ruspoli
Castello Ruspoli

Contini did not modify the Ruspoli castle which retains its Renaissance appearance, but he added to the castle a very fine Italian garden. The entrance to the castle is still watched over by a coat of arms showing the heraldic symbols of both the Farnese and the Marescotti families. Pope Paulus III (1534-49) gave to his niece, Beatrice Farnese the title of Countess of Vignanello. The daughter of Beatrice, Maria Ortensia Baglioni married Sforza Marescotti and this explains why both families are shown. Contini designed another double coat of arms at the top of a building in the main square of Vignanello. The symbol of the Ruspoli (left) is associated with that of the Cesi (right): the two symbols are almost identical: Ruspoli, six mountains having on top a vine; Cesi, six mountains having on top a tree.

Coats of arms
Coats of arms

Vallerano

Vallerano is just two miles to the west of Vignanello. The town is located on a little hill at the foot of Monte Cimino and it is shown in the small icon at the top of this page.

Gates
The gates

The main entrance to Vallerano shows monuments of different periods: to the left a large round tower of medieval origin, but redesigned in the XVIth century; in the center the main gate embellished by a baroque clock; to the right, behind the gate, the façade of the main church completed in 1751. Vallerano has also another gate inside one of the towers which strengthened its walls.

An old church and two bell towers
An old church and two bell towers

Vallerano does not have all the coats of arms of Vignanello, but it has some very picturesque spots and its simple tufa bell towers shine under the sun.

Madonna del Ruscello
Madonna del Ruscello

Madonna del Ruscello (ruscello = brook) is a little sanctuary outside Vallerano. It was built in honour of a miraculous statue. It is still flanked by the small houses where the pilgrims slept or bought small copies of the statue. The church, designed by il Vignola, has a fine dome and its façade is decorated with reliefs (one of which is shown in the background of this page).


Around Monte Cimino - other pages:
Ronciglione
Caprarola, Carbognano and Fabrica
Soriano al Cimino

Pages on towns of Latium other than Rome In the Duchy of Castro: Farnese, Ischia di Castro, Valentano, Gradoli, Capodimonte, Marta In Maremma: Corneto (Tarquinia), Montalto, Canino A Pilgrim's Way: Via Francigena: Acquapendente, Bolsena, Montefiascone In and about Viterbo: Viterbo, Bagnoregio, S. Martino al Cimino, Tuscania, Bomarzo, S. Maria della Querce, Bagnaia, Orte, Vasanello, Vitorchiano From Civitavecchia to Civita Castellana: Civitavecchia, Tolfa, Allumiere, Oriolo Romano, Capranica, Sutri, Bassano, Monterosi, Nepi, Castel d'Elia, Civita Castellana From Bracciano to Viterbo: Manziana, Canale Monterano, Vejano, Barbarano, Blera, Vetralla Around Monte Cimino: Ronciglione, Caprarola, Carbognano, Fabrica, Corchiano, Vignanello, Vallerano, Soriano The Bracciano Lake: Bracciano, Trevignano, Anguillara At the foot of Monte Soratte: S. Oreste, Rignano, Faleria Land of the Romans' wives: Montopoli, Poggio Mirteto, Casperia, Cantalupo, Roccantica Sentinels on the Highway: Fiano Romano, Civitella S. Paolo, Nazzano, Torrita Tiberina, Filacciano, Ponzano Along Via Aurelia: Palidoro, Palo, S. Severa and S. Marinella A Walk to Malborghetto: Prima Porta, Malborghetto Branching off Via Cassia: S. Maria di Galeria, Formello, Isola Farnese To Nomentum and beyond: Mentana, Monterotondo, Palombara A Walk to Ponte di Nona: ancient monuments along Via Prenestina Via Appia Antica A short and delicious digression: Tivoli, Montecompatri, Monte Porzio Catone, Frascati, Grottaferrata, Marino, Castelgandolfo, Albano, Ariccia, Genzano, Velletri, Nemi, Rocca di Papa, Rocca Priora, Civita Lavinia (Lanuvio), Porto, Ostia Where the painters found their models: Anticoli Corrado, Castelmadama, Vicovaro, Arsoli Subiaco The Roman Campagna: Palestrina, Genazzano, Paliano, Anagni The Ernici Mountains: Ferentino, Alatri The Volsci Mountains: Valmontone, Colonna, Segni, Norma, Cori On the Latin Shores: Anzio, Nettuno, Torre Astura On the edge of the marsh: Sermoneta, Sezze, Priverno Circe's Cape: S. Felice, Terracina Veroli Branching off Via Flaminia: Riano, Castelnuovo di Porto, Morlupo, Leprignano (Capena)

Latium was enlarged in the 1920s with territories from the neighbouring regions: the map on the left shows the current borders of Latium; the map on the right has links to pages covering towns of historical Latium: in order to see them you must hover and click on the dots.