Around the Villa
A landscape to discover,
at just the right pace.
Lazio · Ciociaria · Lake Canterno
The territory
Villa Sant'Erasmo is the perfect starting point for discovering a still-authentic corner of Lazio.
Just steps from the Villa, the landscape of Lake Canterno meets medieval villages, art towns, ancient abbeys, waterfalls and monasteries.
A landscape best explored slowly, returning each evening to the quiet of the Villa.
Places to discover
01 · Nature · Landscape
A karst lake set among the woods, just minutes from the Villa. It changes shape with the seasons, but every evening it gives back the same thing: silence.
FROM THE VILLA · 5 MIN
Things to see
The waterside path, between reed beds and clearings open to the landscape.
In the low light, the surface becomes a mirror of the hills.
From the scenic roads, the basin appears whole, held by the mountains.
02 · Spa · Historic town
A spa town celebrated across Europe, with thermal architecture, nineteenth-century parks and a medieval old town gathered on the hill.
FROM THE VILLA · 8 MIN
Things to see
The thermal complex set in greenery, at the heart of the town's tradition.
Alleyways, staircases and squares of the medieval old town.
Along the lanes of the old town, murals turn facades into an open-air art trail, telling the city's identity, traditions and stories through colour and image.
03 · Hilltop village · Castle
A hilltop village that has watched over the valley for centuries: when Fumone smoked, all of Campagna Romana knew. At its top, the castle and its hanging gardens.
FROM THE VILLA · 4 MIN
Things to see
The fortress at the summit, with its famous hanging garden suspended over the valley.
Stone streets and medieval arches climbing towards the fortress.
Within the walls of Fumone Castle, history and legend intertwine: Pope Celestine V was imprisoned and died here. Old tales of presences and ghosts still accompany a visit, making the castle one of Ciociaria's most fascinating and mysterious places.
04 · Archaeology · Cyclopean walls
Above the rooftops of the town, the Acropolis: megalithic blocks laid millennia before Rome, still perfectly fitted together without mortar.
FROM THE VILLA · XX MIN
Things to see
The sacred plateau enclosed by the megalithic walls, with the cathedral at its summit.
Huge limestone polygons, a pre-Roman feat of engineering.
The monumental entrance to the Acropolis, with its monolithic lintel.
05 · City of the Popes
The City of the Popes: stone alleyways, the palace of Boniface VIII, and a cathedral that hides, beneath its floor, one of the wonders of medieval Europe.
FROM THE VILLA · XX MIN
Things to see
Austere Romanesque architecture overlooking the valley, with a Cosmatesque floor.
The "Sistine Chapel of the Middle Ages": vaults entirely frescoed in the 13th century.
The thirteenth-century papal halls in the heart of the upper town: walls frescoed with medallions and diamond patterns, pointed arches and terracotta floors telling over seven hundred years of history.
An ancient medieval house in the heart of Anagni, bought in 1860 by the Swedish baron and alchemist Alberto Barnekow, who turned it into a unique and mysterious place. For over twenty years he decorated its facade with frescoes, inscriptions and alchemical and esoteric symbols, still bearing witness to its fascinating history today.
06 · Cistercian architecture
One of Italy's purest examples of Cistercian architecture. No ornament: only proportion, stone and light. Silence here is a design choice.
FROM THE VILLA · XX MIN
Things to see
Paired columns and an inner garden, the contemplative heart of the abbey.
07 · Monastery · Woodland
A 13th-century monastery hidden in the woods of the Monti Ernici, with its frescoed ancient pharmacy and garden of medicinal herbs.
FROM THE VILLA · XX MIN
Things to see
Courtyards, church and the Carthusian monks' cells, among the mountain's beech woods.
Rooms entirely frescoed in trompe-l'œil, among original jars and stills.
Illusionistic perspectives from the late eighteenth century, preserved intact.
08 · River Liri · Town
Crossed by the river Liri, Sora brings together water and stone: tree-lined riverside walks, open squares and the ancient memory of the Liri Valley.
FROM THE VILLA · XX MIN
Things to see
Overlooking Sora from Monte San Casto, the ruins of the ancient fortress recount centuries of history and the town's defence. Reached along scenic paths, the castle offers a spectacular view over the Liri Valley and the surrounding mountains.
An 11th-century Romanesque church built on the ruins of Cicero's villa.
09 · A waterfall in the old town
A case unique in Europe: the river splits and plunges twenty-seven metres into the centre of the town, at the foot of the castle.
FROM THE VILLA · XX MIN
Things to see
The waterfall plunging into the heart of the town, at the foot of Boncompagni Castle.
Alleys, bridges and views over the water between the two branches of the Liri.
The historic seat of the Boncompagni family, the castle overlooks the waterfall from atop the cliff. Frescoed interiors, gilded coffered ceilings and centuries of nobility embody the town's seigneury.
10 · Monasteries · Waters
Where Western monasticism was born: the Sacro Speco clinging to the rock, Santa Scolastica, and the emerald waters of the Aniene.
FROM THE VILLA · XX MIN
Things to see
The Borgia fortress overlooking the village and the Aniene valley.
Emerald-green waters between rock walls, just outside the village.
Small waterfalls and pools along the river, deep in the woods.
Staircases, arches and stone houses beneath the Rocca.
The oldest Benedictine monastery in Italy, founded by St Benedict before the Sacro Speco. A stone stronghold overlooking the valley from the hilltop, home to cloisters, libraries and centuries of silent prayer.
Experiences in the area
01
Fumone · Alatri · Anagni
A journey through megalithic walls, an acropolis, cathedrals and small historic towns.
02
Lago di Canterno · Isola del Liri · Subiaco
Lakes, waterfalls and river gorges just a short distance from the Villa.
03
Casamari · Trisulti · Subiaco
Centuries-old architecture set within the landscape, between Ciociaria and the Monti Ernici.
04
Fiuggi
A day devoted to wellness and the spa tradition.
Where we are
Lake Canterno · Lazio · Italy
Destination photographs: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA / CC0 / public domain licences). Assets ready to be replaced with original photography.
