The Preneste countryside and its divine mysteries
THE COLONNA FAMILY FIEFDOM
In the gently rolling Roman countryside, which gradually rises towards the hills of the Monti Prenestini, ancient ruins and towers tell visitors of a distant past. These include the necropolises of the Iron age, close to Osteria dell’Osa, and the ancient city of Gabii , once close to the Gabino and Regilio lakes, long dry and replaced by green and fertile plains. Visitors can also admire Palestrina, the powerful Preneste, seat of the renowned Sanctuary of the Fortuna Primigenia – or Temple of Fortune, an important religious - and prestigious oracular - site where Italic people used to flock to question the Destinies. These are fascinating archaeological sites which give the whole area an archaic air, full of atmosphere.
These lands were the fiefdom of the Colonna family, a prestigious Roman noble family which generated many famous popes. Castles and sumptuous palaces are what is left to testify the history of this powerful people, particularly Palazzo Colonna Barberini (Palestrina), Rocca di Cave (Genazzano), Palazzo Rospigliosini (Zagarolo), and Rocca Colonna (Castel san Pietro Romano).
This fertile land, where vineyards and olive groves grow excellent fruit, continues to pursue its ancient traditions and, despite the widespread recent tampering, still offers some of the splendid views of nature which for centuries fascinated - and was immortalized by - many foreign painters. It was they who saved the marvellous Serpentara wood, in Olevano Romano, when it was threatened by the building of the railway. Today the artists’ works can be viewed in the Museo Centro Studi per la Pittura di Paesaggio (museum study centre for landscape painting). The first itinerary is a specific visit to Palestrina and its rich historical and archaeological heritage. The second itinerary will focus on the latter’s neighborhood and make its way through the many local remarkable examples of architecture, mostly connected with the Colonna family, as well as an important and varied museum circuit.
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Historycal itineraries
