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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.
Page revised in July 2012.

To my Italian visitors

From Civitavecchia to Civita Castellana Nepi and Castel Sant' Elia

Nepi

Livy called Sutri and Nepi Claustra Etruriae (Gates of Etruria) because of their strategic position from a military point of view. By holding them the Romans could advance into Etruscan territory and at the same time prevent the enemy from attacking Rome.

XVIth century walls
Walls built in 1540 after the town was assigned by Pope Paul III to his son Pierluigi Farnese, Duke of Castro

Nepi is located on a terrace between two deep ravines, so it just needed a short stretch of walls to become an impregnable fortress. The walls designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, the architect of the Farnese, are situated very near the foundations of those built by the Etruscans in the Vth century BC.
Nepi was conquered by the Romans in 380 BC. After the destruction of Falerium (Civita Castellana) at the end of the First Punic War, the town acquired importance and in 88 BC its inhabitants were granted Roman citizenship.
Nepi declined in the VIth century AD when it was affected by the Greek-Gothic War and it was plundered by the Longobards. This caused the disappearance of its ancient monuments.

Cathedral
Cathedral: (left) XVIth century bell tower; (right) a Roman sarcophagus portraying the fall of Phaeton and a section of the medieval choir screen in the porch of the church

Records indicate that during the Xth century Nepi was again a town of some importance. In the XIIth century, similar to other towns of the region, it became an independent township.
Nepi was the seat of a diocese and in 1180 a large cathedral was built on the site of a previous medieval church. Unfortunately almost all of the original building was destroyed in 1798 when French troops set it on fire.

Cathedral
Medieval Nepi: (left) Madonna delle Grazie; (right) portal of S. Biagio

The Cathedral and other medieval churches were embellished with fragments of ancient Roman buildings and sarcophagi. The lintel of the portal of S. Biagio is a small Late Empire sarcophagus whereas the side pillars are a medieval work, although based on ancient patterns.

Views of the old fortress
Towers of the Borgia fortress; (inset) coat of arms of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia

One of the first decisions of Pope Calixtus III was to create his nephew Rodrigo Borgia cardinal and to appoint him generalissimo of the papal troops. In this capacity Cardinal Borgia associated his name with the construction of a series of fortresses, such as those at Soriano and at Subiaco. At Nepi he built a fortress which was eventually incorporated into the Farnese fortifications. In 1492 Cardinal Borgia was elected Pope Alexander VI and in 1499 he assigned Nepi to his daughter Lucrezia, who spent many months there during her second widowhood.

Main gate of Nepi
(left) Porta Romana with the coat of arms of Pope Paul III; (right) southern corner of the walls with the coat of arms of Pierluigi Farnese and Monte Soratte in the far distance. The coat of arms of the Farnese can be seen in the image used as background for this page

In 1545 in the frame of the negotiations for the assignment of Parma to Pier Luigi Farnese, Pope Paul III returned Nepi to the direct authority of the Papal State, so the town was a Farnese fiefdom for only a very short period of time.

The aqueduct and Palazzo Comunale
Palazzo Comunale

The Farnese commissioned Sangallo with the construction of a palace, as they had done in many other towns (see that at Gradoli) which was unfinished when they left Nepi. It was turned into the town hall and it was completed in the early XVIIIth century.

The aqueduct
The aqueduct

Acqua di Nepi is a natural sparkling water which is very popular in the restaurants of Rome. The springs near Nepi were renowned in antiquity and their water was captured and reached the town; some believe that Nepet, the Etruscan name of Nepi, meant water. In 1727 a two mile long aqueduct was completed and a large fountain was designed by Filippo Barigioni at the centre of Palazzo Comunale.

Main Fountain
Main Fountain

The construction of the aqueduct and of the fountain was promoted by Cardinal Renato Imperiali who did the same at other locations such as Corneto and Montalto di Castro. The tower and the snakes which are depicted in the fountain are a reference to the coat of arms of Nepi and to that of Benedict XIII, the reigning pope.

Castel Sant' Elia

View of Castel Sant'Elia
View of Castel Sant'Elia

Castel Sant'Elia was built during the Middle Ages on a very small terrace perched on the edge of a deep ravine near Nepi. The reference to Prophet Elijah is probably due to the fact that the terrace seemed a likely location from which Elijah could ride his fiery chariot to Heaven.

Castel Sant 'Elia
(left) Entrance to the older part of the town; (centre) restored gate of the new walls; (right) S. Antonio Abate

The small medieval settlement was a property of Spedale di S. Spirito in Sassia for many centuries until it was acquired by the Farnese, who included it in the Duchy of Ronciglione. The Farnese promoted the development of Castel Sant'Elia and new walls marked the enlarged extent of the settlement. In the second half of the XVIIth century the small town returned under the direct rule of the Papal State. The parish church was rebuilt during the pontificate of Pope Clement XII.

Madonna della Rupe
(left) The rock containing Cappella di Madonna ad Rupes; (right) altar with a XVIth century painting

In the VIth century Benedictine hermits lived in caves cut into the rock near Castel Sant'Elia. According to tradition Pope Gregory the Great met Queen Teodolinda, wife of two consecutive Longobard kings, in a church of these hermits.
In 1777 Fra Giuseppe Rodio, a Franciscan monk, decided to live as a hermit in one of the caves. In 14 years he cut 144 steps into the rock to allow pilgrims to visit the chapel of his cave which was dedicated to Madonna ad Rupes (Our Lady of the Rocks).

Ancient Basilica
Basilica di S. Elia or S. Anastasio

The ravine beneath Castels Sant'Elia was regarded as a holy site from the time of the Etruscans. The Romans built a temple to Diana on a small terrace at the foot of the rock. The Benedictines built a church there in the VIth century. It was renovated in the VIIIth century and it was entirely rebuilt in the XIth century. The church is dedicated to St. Anastasius of Suppentonia (the Latin name of the ravine) who was the first abbot of the Benedictines.

Ancient Basilica
Basilica di S. Elia - interior

The church was built using columns and capitals of ancient buildings. The floor and the altar show early examples of Cosmati decoration. The marble chair is thought to come from the older church. After the Farnese left Castel Sant'Elia the church was not properly maintained. In the late 1960s the building was thoroughly restored and the roof was entirely replaced.

Details of the portals
Details of the portals: (above) central portal: the relief shows a series of animals having at the centre a winged creature; the two ram heads are a Christian symbol; (below-left) left portal with two peacocks (symbol of Resurrection) eating grapes (symbol of Eucharist); (below-right) right portal with a XVIth century fresco in a medieval frame

The decoration of the portals is mainly medieval although some ancient marbles were utilized. The left portal was decorated with fragments of the choir screen of the old church.

view towards Monte Soratte
View of the ravine and of Monte Soratte from Castel Sant'Elia


From Civitavecchia to Civita Castellana - other pages:
Civitavecchia, Allumiere and Tolfa
Oriolo Romano and Capranica
Sutri
Bassano and Monterosi
Civita Castellana

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.

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