Ferentino – ancient walls, churches and places of remembrance

Ferentino combines impressive evidence of antiquity with medieval churches, religious places of remembrance and a festival culture rich in tradition. The polygonal walls are particularly striking: the circuit of walls is around 2.4 kilometres long and preserves construction phases from the 4th century BC, the 2nd century BC and the Middle Ages. Those looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home in Ferentino will find a place where history is not confined to a single building, but is visible across different eras.

Acropolis and Roman traces

The Avancorpo is located on the acropolis, a terrace measuring approximately 170 by 80 metres and enclosed by polygonal masonry. It forms part of a Roman building project from the time of Sulla, dated approximately to the years 100 to 80 BC. Another special feature is the cryptoporticus of the acropolis. The four-armed corridor has concrete barrel vaults and surrounds a central room with three chambers. The permanent exhibition “Il Valore della Memoria” houses a site there where ancient architecture and the culture of remembrance come together.

The covered Roman Market also tells of the Roman past. It was built in the 2nd century BC and consists of a large elongated room with five square shops opening onto it. The Roman Theatre dates from the 2nd century AD. The historical picture is complemented by the Testamento di Aulo Quintilio Prisco, a document carved into the living rock in the 2nd century AD. For families with children of different ages, such sites offer starting points for very different ways of exploring: from striking walls and rooms to small details in stone and architecture.

Churches, monasteries and art

The Cathedral of Santi Giovanni e Paolo stands on the acropolis and was consecrated in 1108. The Abbazia di Santa Maria Maggiore was the first cathedral of Ferentino. As a Gothic Cistercian church, it has a rectangular floor plan with three naves and walls made of hewn travertine from Ferentino. The Diocesan Museum in the Bishop’s Palace displays works from several religious buildings in the surrounding area. The collections include portraits of bishops, archival documents, maps, removed frescoes and paintings attributed to Cavalier D'Arpino.

Further religious monuments provide different historical perspectives. The Sant’Antonio Monastery preserves medieval wall paintings with figures of saints from the school of Pietro Cavallini. The present-day Santa Chiara Monastery was consecrated on 12 October 1760; its church has an elliptical interior and preserves the relic of the heart of San Pietro Celestino. The Palazzo Innocenzo III. was built approximately in the 11th century. In its courtyard stands a pillar that once supported a lantern for lighting the outdoor area at night.

Smaller religious buildings also contribute to the diversity: San Pancrazio was built before 1066 and has a fountain and an old access staircase outside. San Valentino preserves a bell created by Andreotto Pisano in 1298 and 16th-century frescoes removed from the former church of Sant’Andrea. Sant’Ippolito was built in 1780 with a single nave. Santa Lucia, an early Christian church that arose approximately in the 9th century on the remains of Roman houses or baths, contains a fresco from 1585 depicting Saint Lucy and a lily.

Remembrance, nature and regional tradition

The Casa della Memoria is a memorial path between the remains of a building bombed during the Second World War. The path was inaugurated on 25 April 2003. A different image is conveyed by the Porta San Francesco with its tower; it takes its name from the neighbouring 13th-century church of San Francesco. The Romanesque crypt, or oratory, of Saints Filippo and Giacomo is well preserved.

Ferentino is also one of the municipalities within the Lago di Canterno Regional Nature Reserve. Those who want to include nature alongside culture can take this landscape setting into account when choosing their accommodation. The historic waters of Terme Pompeo were already known for their therapeutic properties in Roman times. The complex was expanded after the Second World War and offered hot and cold baths, medical care, showers and a thermal pool.

A special date in the annual calendar is the patronal festival of Saint Ambrose on 30 April and 1 May. It is celebrated with cultural, musical, artistic and folkloric events. Depending on the time of travel, Ferentino can thus be discovered as a destination for ancient history, sacred art, the culture of remembrance, nature or regional tradition.

More destinations for planning your trip

If you would like to compare other places in addition to Ferentino, you can also include Fumone, Palombo, Pontecorvo, Pastena, Filettino, Roccasecca, Pico and Montattico in your search.

For the overarching travel overview: Frosinone.