The Hill Towns of Central Italy

I live in Nettuno, Italy, a one hour train ride south of Rome. My town is beautiful in itself with a Borgo (old Medieval Town) with narrow cobblestone streets complete with a Fortress and Harbor. From my house I can take a 10 minute stroll down through two Piazza’s and through the Borgo and find myself with feet in the sand staring at an endless horizon of sea and beach.

Nettuno is a holiday town for many Roman city dwellers who want a quick train ride to a beach. This means my town is hopping busy in the summer months and sleepy in the winter, fall and spring. Nettuno is not as glamorous as its seaside neighbors of San Felice and Sabaudia but it boasts hundreds of great restaurants, delicious Gelatorias and coffee bars on every corner. I particularly like that in a short walk I can be at a grocery store or at the beach. I even have an Old Navy (or OVS as it is called in Europe) within walking distance, whats not to love?

Nettuno is settled in the vast valley called the Pontina Plain and for thousands of years was a malaria invested marshland. In fact, the only ancient “cities” in Lazio are on the coast or on the hill towns. Of course, aside from the mosquito infestation, it was much more strategic to live on the coast where you could see the marauder bands coming or else live on the Hilltops where alert could be sounded so all could seek shelter in the safety of the walled city.

Hand glider flying over the Pontina Plain in Lazio, Italy — Hand glider flying from the hill town of Norma over the Pontina Plain in Lazio, Italy

That is why today, the most picturesque towns of Lazio are perched on a rocky beach or clinging to a hill side. Aside from driving up and down our coastline and enjoying the beautiful Coastal towns of Sabaudia, San Felice, Terracina, Sperlonga, Gaeta and Formia, we also enjoy the short drive inland to our beautiful hill towns.

The hill towns of Priverno, Roccagorga, Maenza, Norma, Sermoneta and Cori are a few of my favorites. Each of these hilltowns are only a 30 minute or one hour drive from our house. Each one is like stepping back in time, to a time when streets were designed for horses, not cars and electricity had not yet been invented. These towns had narrow cobblestone streets that huddle around a central town square. This was for good reason in a time when someone was always out to conquer someone else. The towns usually have remnants of an ancient wall that protected the people from intruders and a castle in which the people could seek shelter.

The Lazio Hilltown Of Cori — Cori Hilltown in Lazio, Italy

I would say the most perfectly preserved hilltown in my area is Sermoneta. This beautiful town dates back to the 13th century when the Caetani family became the governing authority and constructed the Castle that is still open for visitors.

Roccagorga a hill town in Lazio, Italt — Roccagorga a hill town in Lazio, Italy

I personally love to bring my visitors here and walk them through the golden hued stone streets that wind and climb up towards the castle. As soon as you park your car, Sermoneta is ready to delight you. First you have a view of the valley below with olive trees and cute stone houses. Soon you are entering the city walls and you can still discern the tiny openings in the stone wall that are clearly for a bow and arrow. You can just imagine the knights or calvary men standing in their tights and armor peering out through the openings and drawing back the arrow as they focus on the intruders.

Entering the Hill Town Of Sermoneta in Lazio, Italy — Entering the Hilltown Of Sermoneta in Lazio, Italy

Just after craning your neck to look at that little peek into the past you turn big eyed to the streets in front of you. You see large wooden doors in arched stone doorways complete with Medieval hardware and locks that still function for modern day shop keepers. I love the large ironworks that adorn the windows and balconies.

As you wind your way up the well worn cobblestone streets you pass a large piazza with restaurants that invite you to sit down and rest up a bit with a cheese platter and a glass of wine. We stroll past a mini bakery that makes cookies and places them out by the front door to entice you to poke your head into the shop to discover the source of the intoxicating aroma that is waifing through the air. A gelato shop is conveniently located by the piazza that is selling delicious gelato in such flavors as honey walnut and fragrant mango.

We usually wind through the streets gaping at all of the picturesque apartments with stoops in the streets and a nona hanging her laundry overhead. We love to show our guests the lookout point down a large and wide stone stairway that spills out to a grand piazza with views of all of the Pontine Valley.

From this vantage point we can see the tallest building in Latina, the second largest city in Lazio next to Rome. This building is the same dimensions as Noahs Ark, if you stood it up on its side. In the glow of the fading setting sun we can see the Gardens of Ninfa below and the headlands of San Felice. This valley contains portions of the Appian way, the road the Apostle Paul took in his voyages to Rome. You can just see it winding its way thought the valley.

The “look out” point in Sermoneta, a Hilltown in Lazio Italy

As I mentioned earlier, this valley was not inhabited for thousands of years because of the swamps and mosquitos. Through the years many Caesars tried to drain it but it was not until Mussolini that it was successfully drained and cities began to be built. From the 1950’s onward cities such as Latina and Aprilia came to be built and prospered alongside Rome. From our look out point here in Sermoneta we can see all across these cities and even the towns of Nettuno and Anzio.

Roccagorga, Central Italy hill town in Lazio

Our visitors are always delighted with the charms of Sermoneta because it is a perfectly preserved Medieval city that still has a healthy population of full time inhabitants who still sit in the piazza in the late afternoon catching up on the latest news.We love the sunset views from this look out point and sometimes we climb up to the Orange Grove just beyond the lookout point and settle into the concrete steps high above the Ancient City and watch the sky turn blue, violet, crimson, orange and yellow as the sun sinks down over the horizon.

The swings in Sermoneta, a Hilltown Town Of Lazio Italy

There are a set of swings in a playground in the Orange Grove that always awaken the child in me. I find myself sitting in the saddle of the swing, grasping the heavy metal chains in both hands and pushing myself ever heavenward. I feel the familiar flutter in my heart as the motion of the swing sweeps me back to my childhood as my hair flows forward then swooshes back as I free fall in the swing. I will never tire of the freedom of flying in a swing, especially to a beautiful sunset in Sermoneta.

The tower in Cori near the Temple Of Hercules, Lazio Italy

I love the Hilltown Of Cori because aside from the cute old world style, it also has some ancient Roman Ruins that date back 2000 years. This is the Temple of Hercules, its columned temple still looks out over the valley even after 2000 years. I’m still surprised when I visit there to see school children hanging out among the ancient columns and old men shooting the breeze on a park bench in the shadow of the ancient temple. The town of Cori hosts a weekly market on Saturdays where fresh fruits and vegetables are sold. I love to walk the streets and look out over the valley with its large castle looming on the horizon.

The Temple Of Hercules at sunset in the Hilltown Of Cori in Lazio Italy

The Hilltown Of Priverno is still one of my favorites even though it does not have a castle or any Roman ruins. It’s not as perfectly preserved as Sermoneta but it is a real functioning Italian town full of local charm. There is the Abbey Of Fossanova that dates back to the eleventh century and is a great place to stroll through and enjoy a coffee in the cafe.

Maenza and Roccagorga are little hidden gems that rarely see a foreign visitor. Yet the streets are picture perfect with stunningly beautiful buildings.

I love the Hilltown Of Norma for is gorgeous views of the valley, in fact, frequent handgliders are always spotted hurling themselves off the heights of the Hilltown Of Norma and gliding over the valley below. Norma is also very close to the insanely beautiful Gardens of Ninfa. I highly recommend that any visitor to Lazio make this day trip to the gardens, but you must make reservations and the Gardens have specific times they are open but are stunningly beautiful.

Abbazia di Fossanova (Fossanova Abbey) near Priverno

Central Italy in the Region Of Lazio is full of these beautiful Hilltown that rival the hilltowns of Tuscany but never get the publicity. That seems to be ok with the the locals as they go about their everyday life climbing up and down the narrow well worn cobblestone streets.

I especially love to be in lower Priverno as the sun starts to set and the sky puts on its evening show. Soon the little hill towns of Maenza, Roccagorga and the old section of Priverno on the hillside all light up like clusters of fireflies twinkling in the blackness of the hills. They sparkle like diamonds on a broach pinned to a velvet dress that are the hills of Lazio.