Holiday apartment in Poli: Frescoes, forest paths and festivals

Poli features a historic center with churches, chapels and paths through wooded landscapes. The center lies as a “fuso d’acropoli” on a tuff ridge. A main street running lengthwise through the town and more than thirty narrow lanes arranged in a herringbone pattern shape its appearance.

Frescoes, churches and historic buildings in Poli

Palazzo Conti is a medieval fortress that was converted into a baronial palace in the 16th century. The building belongs to the regional network of buildings in Lazio recognized as historic residences. Its interiors are entirely decorated with frescoes. These include the entrance hall, courtyard, loggia and the apartments of Torquato I and Lotario II.

Palazzo Pelliccioni is a historic building in the center of Poli. It has a fully decorated hall of approximately 60 square meters, as well as two rooms with painted wooden ceilings. The Chiesa Arcipretale di San Pietro Apostolo was built from 1603 to 1609 and consecrated on October 2, 1734. Its 39-meter-high bell tower is in the Baroque style and was constructed from 1603 to 1607. One of the five bells bears twelve figures depicting popes from the Conti family.

The Cappella della Pietà was built entirely at the expense of Violante Farnese, the wife of Torquato I. Conti, Duke of Poli. It takes its name from a marble Pietà group by Adriano Schirati. The Museo Civico del Territorio is housed in the former Chiesa di San Giovanni. This church was built partly into the natural rock, probably dates from the late 14th century and is decorated with frescoes from the 15th and 16th centuries.

According to its architectural features, the church of Sant’Antonio Abate dates from the 14th century and has a single-nave layout.

Outside the town center lies Santa Maria del Peschio, a small rural church by the Fosso dei Maiori. Periodic rites to bless the fields were held there. The church preserves a fresco of the Madonna and Child enthroned, together with a saint. The frescoes belong to the artistic tradition of the early 15th century. The Cappella Rosa was built in 1857 as a funerary chapel and features illusionistically painted architectural elements, as well as panels depicting landscapes and various species of trees.

Nature and paths around Poli

Vascaccia is a largely underground rectangular cistern whose walls survive to a height of up to 1.80 meters. The Bosco della Riserva consists predominantly of high-trunk oak forest.

Poli’s network of paths includes hiking and cycling routes through nature. Springs, panoramic views and diverse flora and fauna characterize these routes. A path from Colle Corvia in the Poli area leads through wooded landscapes with panoramic views of the Monti Prenestini and reaches the Grotta del Mortale, an ancient Roman-era cistern.

The hiking trail to Guadagnolo begins at Piazza Mons. G. Cascioli in Poli. It leads through wooded terrain along the historic Tratturo Poli–Guadagnolo to Guadagnolo or to the Santuario della Mentorella.

Festivals and rural cuisine

The Festa di Sant’Eustachio takes place on the Sunday after September 20 and is associated with the historic reenactments of the Lazio region. The Festa dell’Ospitalità includes tastings of traditional dishes from rural cuisine.

More places for your travel planning: Santa Marta, Ciampino, Torvaianica, Isola Farnese, Civitavecchia, Torrimpietra, La Pisana and Allumiere.

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