Nearby
Posta Fibreno sits in the middle: to the west, the towns of Cicero and the paper mills; to the east, medieval villages at the foot of the Meta mountains. Almost everything is within half an hour's drive. Before you set off, read the history of the valley.
How far
Approximate road distances and driving times.
| Place | What to see | Km | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Posta Fibreno | Reserve, La Rota, mill, Lago Chiaro | 1 | 15 min on foot |
| Vicalvi | Lombard castle | 3 | 5 min |
| Alvito | Cantelmo Castle, the Peschio quarter | 7 | 12 min |
| Sora | Rocca di San Casto, old town | 11 | 15 min |
| Abbey of San Domenico | Abbey on the site of Cicero's villa | 12 | 18 min |
| Isola del Liri | Great Waterfall, castle, industrial heritage | 14 | 20 min |
| San Donato Val di Comino | Medieval village, gateway to the National Park | 15 | 20 min |
| Arpino | Civitavecchia acropolis, pointed stone arch | 18 | 25 min |
| Atina | Archaeological museum, Palazzo Cantelmo | 18 | 25 min |
| Settefrati | Village and road to Canneto | 20 | 25 min |
| Picinisco | Village below Monte Meta | 24 | 30 min |
| Abbey of Casamari | Gothic Cistercian abbey | 26 | 30 min |
| Sanctuary of Canneto | Marian sanctuary in the National Park | 28 | 40 min |
| Forca d'Acero | Mountain pass and beech woods of the National Park | 30 | 40 min |
| Abbey of Montecassino | Abbey founded by Saint Benedict | 50 | 55 min |
| Rome | Via the A1 and the Sora expressway | 130 | 1 h 40 |
Sora · ≈ 12 km
The complex was founded in 1011 where the Fibreno joins the Liri, on the site where tradition places Cicero's family villa. It was dedicated to Saint Dominic the Abbot in 1104.
The earthquake of 13 January 1915 destroyed almost the entire vault. Today the façade is plain, with three doors and a rose window. Some limestone blocks carved with rural motifs, reused in the doorposts, probably come from Cicero's birthplace; a semicircular slab of Greek Parian marble rests on the main portal.
Free entry. Approximate opening hours: every day 9 am–7 pm.
≈ 18 km
A Volscian and later Samnite town, conquered by Rome in 305 BC. Legend says it was founded by Saturn. Two leading figures of republican Rome were born here, Gaius Marius and Marcus Tullius Cicero, as was the painter Giuseppe Cesari, the Cavalier d'Arpino, in whose Roman workshop the young Caravaggio worked. His paintings can be seen in the churches of San Vito and San Michele.
Above the town, the Civitavecchia acropolis keeps megalithic polygonal walls and a rare pointed arch built from huge stone blocks, as well as the so-called Tower of Cicero, with views over the Liri Valley and the mountains of the Park.
Arpino is a stage of the Way of Saint Benedict. The walking routes.
≈ 14 km
The historic centre stands on an island formed by the Liri. At the Boncompagni-Viscogliosi Castle the river divides: the left branch forms the Cascata Grande, a vertical drop of about 27 metres right in the town centre; the right branch forms the Valcatoio waterfall, which runs down a slope.
The castle, owned by the Della Rovere family, passed in 1579 to Giacomo Boncompagni, son of Pope Gregory XIII, and became the seat of the Duchy of Sora. It is privately owned and can be visited by appointment.
In the 19th century the power of the water made Isola the paper-making centre of the Kingdom of Naples, with paper and wool mills. Buildings and machinery remain today as industrial heritage.
The best viewpoint is Ponte Napoli, on Corso Roma. In the evening the waterfall is lit up.
Castles and villages
Vicalvi, Alvito and Picinisco were part of the same medieval defence system: from each castle you could see the next.
The Lombard castle overlooks the village from a hill. Owned by the Princes of Capua, in 1017 it passed to Montecassino, then to the Counts of Aquino and the Cantelmo family, who left it for Alvito. The ruins still show the phases of construction. They say a lady of the castle still appears there.
The town is divided into three parts, Castello, Peschio and Valle, enclosed by partly surviving walls. The Cantelmo Castle, on the hilltop, belongs to the town and is being restored. Erminio Sipari, founder and first president of the Abruzzo National Park, was born in Alvito.
An ancient Volscian town on the Liri, capital of the Boncompagni duchy from the 16th century. Above the town, on Monte San Casto, are the remains of the fortress; in the centre, the cathedral and the riverside.
On a hill facing the Mainarde mountains. Comino Valley Archaeological Museum, Palazzo Cantelmo, Piazza Saturno, a Roman cistern. Atina Jazz in July. Home of the Cannellino bean PDO.
Below Monte Meta (2,242 m). A village of shepherds and of heavy emigration to Great Britain. The “Lost Girl” trail leads to Casa Lawrence, linked to the writer D. H. Lawrence. In August, the Pastorizia in Festival sheep-farming festival.
One of the most photographed medieval villages in the valley: Porta Orologio, the cathedral, the sanctuary. The trail to Forca d'Acero starts here.
In the Canneto Valley, inside the National Park, at over a thousand metres. From 18 to 22 August the “compagnie”, groups of pilgrims, arrive on foot from Lazio, Campania, Abruzzo and Molise. In 2024 it was recognised as a regional sanctuary. Emigrant communities also celebrate the Madonna di Canneto abroad, for example in Toronto.
A Cistercian abbey, a rare example of Cistercian Gothic in Italy, still home to monks. It is a stage of the Way of Saint Benedict.
Founded by Saint Benedict in 529, where he wrote his Rule. Destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt. Final destination of the Way of Saint Benedict.
At check-in you receive an itinerary built around your interests and your family's villages.