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Isola Farnese near Rome is the destination of our wanderings, one of the most fascinating places around the Capital.
It stands on a tuffaceous block on the Cassia a few kilometres from the G.R.A., between the Valle della Storta and the Valle di San Sebastiano, but despite this proximity to the metropolis one enters an atmosphere suspended in time.
Here everything is silence, quiet, ancient walls that hark back to a distant past.
In 1567, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, who had no financial liquidity problems, bought this village from the Orsini family, who were in financial difficulty at the time. Conveniently located at a transit point along the Via Cassia, it represented a useful stop before entering Rome.
The village, which took the name Isola Farnese from there, is located near the remains of the ancient city of Veio, originally Etruscan and later Roman.
The cardinal associated it with all the family’s vast possessions north of Rome. A stream still flows at the foot of the village, on which a mill stands, making the landscape particularly enchanting.
A dark historical event directly affected it. The Constable of Bourbon and his Landsknecht troops lurked in the area on the night of 4 May 1527.
Then at dawn they headed towards the Janiculum Hill and the Vatican area, initiating one of the most violent and brutal feats of arms that has long marked the history of Rome, the ‘sack of Rome’.
But let us continue on our excursion immersed in silence. Arriving in the characteristic village square, we are greeted by the Church of San Pancrazio, dating back to the 15th century, with beautiful 16th-century frescoes including a Madonna by Cavalier d’Arpino.
A stoup made from two Corinthian capitals from the Roman era embellishes the whole.
The access to the castle starts from the square through the narrow streets with the typical dwellings of the period, full of plants and flowers, to reach the courtyard with a panoramic view over the Cremera valley.
Descending from the castle and the hamlet, we turn right onto a downhill road that leads to the old mill with its Cascata della Mola waterfall. An incredible photographic set of Isola Farnese near Roma.
Extremely quiet, with the roar of the waters of the stream crossed by a small bridge, we enjoy a pleasant coolness.
The path then continues around the hill to reach the remains of the Etruscan city of Veio, friend and foe of ancient Rome, which leads us to hear the echoes of ancient times.
