Like many medieval villages, Sermoneta, one of the most evocative and best preserved villages in Lazio, stands on a hill surrounded by chestnut groves and centuries-old olive groves. The element that dominates the whole city is stone.

The streets, alleys, houses, steps, civil and cult buildings are all built with this material that contributes to a particular aspect giving the impression that the time has stopped. Thanks to its proximity to Rome, from which it is only 60 km away, and its intact charm, Sermoneta has become a favorite destination for the Romans who come to spend a quiet weekend or a short weekend there. day trip.

In addition to a walk through the winding alleys of the village, in Sermoneta there are some places where every respectable tourist must stop. It is obviously part of the Caetani Castle, which overlooks the whole country and is an authentic city — fortress dating back to the twelfth century.

Its imposing walls come alive during the “Flag-Winding Ducato Caetani” event that recalls the echoes of remote times when the Caetani family ruled. From the castle you can take the beautiful Via delle Scalette, a steep staircase that descends from the castle “aerial” to the Belvedere, from which the view ranges boundless to the sea.

Then there are the churches including the austere Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and the Renaissance Church of the Annunziata. Outside the walls of Sermoneta there are instead Convent of San Francesco, which can be reached along the panoramic Via San Francesco, and the extraordinary Abbey of Valviscicolo, still today inhabited by the Cistercians, with an enchanting cloister: completely in stone and adorned with flowers and climbing plants, it immediately offers, as soon as you enter, a full immersion in the medieval atmosphere .