Canale Monterano (Roma) , Lazio
Less than an hour's drive from Rome are the Ruins of Ancient Monterano, a lost city that with its incredible scenic beauty has often been chosen as a film set for major films including Ben-Hur, Brancaleone at the Crusades , Guards and Thieves and Il marchese del Grillo.
Monterano rises in Etruscan times on a small tufa hill and is also lived in Roman times, until the arrival of the Lombards, which decimated the population.
During the Middle Ages, however, Monterano reborn under the pressure of the Bishop and the inhabitants of the nearby Forum Clodii (6th century AD) tired of the continuous German raids, leave their land and move right to Monterano building new roads but above all the solid walls defensive.
The city, therefore repopulated again, becomes an Episcopal seat and one of the most important centers of the Sabatina area. In 1300 AD it is first fief of the Anguillara and later duchy of some papal families including the Orsini and Altieri.
During the duchy of the Altieri Monterano family reaches its maximum splendor. In particular, Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, elected pope with the name of Clement X, nourished the wealth of Monterano, commissioning to Gian Lorenzo Bernini the construction of various works for Monterano.
The artist thus designs the Church and Convent of San Bonaventura and the façade of the ducal palace with the splendid Lion fountain, which has become a symbol of the city.
On the death of the Pontiff, Monterano passes from the Papal State to the Roman Republic and from the latter to the Bourbon State, beginning a slow and inexorable period of decline that will culminate in 1770 with a malaria epidemic and finally with the assault by French troops they will bring the entire population to flee.
“Monterano is an abandoned city, but full of works by Bernini
The town was in fact completely destroyed and burned by the French army.Consequence, this, of the refusal on the part of the monteranesi to grind the grain of the tolfetani subjugated to the same French.
This has meant that today the city is totally empty, but this decadence, combined with a truly evocative location, make it a show for any visitor.
Inside the Monterano Nature Reserve there is also an important geological site where it is possible to admire the Diosilla waterfall, known for its suggestive water color that varies from rust yellow, to blue, to white, due to the presence of sulfur in suspension.
The waterfall and the entire sulfur area is located at the foot of Monterano. Directions are on the path that leads to the ancient city.
How to arrive?
Monterano is close to Rome, in the North area of Italian capital.
To reach the Monterano canal it is necessary to use a navigator and select "Canale Monterano" as the destination.
Once you arrive at Canale Monterano, just follow the signs to the Nature Reserve until you reach a clearing where you can park your car. From here you can only continue on foot along a path of about 200 meters. To get that, depends from the starting point of you travel, so is better see how arrive with the google maps location:
https://goo.gl/maps/Rp9ETkjTYnk