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

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Around Monte Cimino Soriano al Cimino

Soriano is the largest town at the foot of Monte Cimino. It had great importance in the XIIIth century when the popes used to live in nearby Viterbo. Pope Nicholas III (1277-80) accused the lords of Soriano of heresy and conquered this town in order to give it to his brother Orso Orsini. For the advantages the pope gave to the members of his family, Dante put him in his Inferno and made him say:
e veramente fui figliuol dell'orsa,
cupido si per avanzar gli orsatti
(and I truly acted like a bear/greedy (of money) to favour the little bears)

View of Soriano
View of Soriano

The castle was built by Pope Nicholas III in 1278 and its imposing mass dominates the view of Soriano.

Castello Orsini and coats of arms of Callistus III, Innocentius VIII and Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia
Castello Orsini and coats of arms of Pope Calixtus III, Pope Innocentius VIII and Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia

The medieval castle was strengthened in the second half of the XVth century: two coats of arms of popes of that period (Pope Calixtus III, 1455-58 and Pope Innocentius VIII, 1484-92) attest to the importance of the fortress for the defence of the papal state: a third coat of arms, that of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia is a sign of the role played by him for nearly fifty years, at first as Vice Chancellor of the pope under five popes and finally as Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503).

Medieval and Renaissance Fountains
Medieval and Renaissance Fountains

Soriano can rely on an ample supply of water and has several fountains. Pope Nicholas V (1447-55) is honoured in the so called Fontana di dentro, the fountain inside the old walls of Soriano. The fountain has the typical spindle shape of the fountains of Viterbo. In the second half of the XVIth century Soriano belonged to a German cardinal who built another fountain outside the walls.

Porta S. Giorgio e S. Eutizio
Porta S. Giorgio and S. Eutizio

In the XVIIIth century Soriano was acquired by the Albani, the family of Pope Clemens XI (1700-21). Under their rule Soriano was enlarged and given new walls. A large gate announced to the travellers coming from Rome that they were entering a town belonging to the Albani (the three mountains topped by a star were the heraldic symbol of the Albani). The Albani gave a new façade to S. Eutizio, the main church of the old part of Soriano (the image in the background of this page shows the star of the Albani in the ceiling of S. Eutizio).

Palazzo Albani e Fontana Papacqua
Palazzo Albani and Fontana Papacqua

The Albani enlarged the palace built by the previous owners of Soriano and which had been designed by il Vignola. The gardens are embellished with several fountains, one of which is directly sculpted in the rock.

il Duomo
il Duomo

Soriano was bombed during World War II and the entrance to the old town was greatly damaged. The large cathedral is a late XVIIIth century building designed by Giuseppe Camporese and its façade shows the impact of Neoclassicism on a typical Baroque design.


Around Monte Cimino - other pages:
Ronciglione
Caprarola, Carbognano and Fabrica
Corchiano, Vignanello and Vallerano

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.