Ancient Monterano is a ghost town to the north of Rome in the Canale Monterano area. Perched on the flat summit of a tuff ridge, it is part of the Riserva naturale regionale Monterano. The population of the small town was decimated by malaria in the 18th century and abandoned after the arrival of Napoleon’s army in 1799.
The picturesque ruins, today in a clearing surrounding by thick vegetation, include the Baronial Palace, the Church of San Bonaventure and fountain designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and built by Mattia de’ Rossi and various medieval houses. The town belonged to the Abbey of St. Paul in the 11th century and later to important families such as the Colonna, Della Rovere, Cybo, Orsini and Altieri. In the valley below, the ruined aqueduct, with its double order of high arches, provides a spectacular welcome to Monterano.
The town has often been used as a location for spaghetti westerns, historical and horror films.
Roma Lazio Film Commission
Via Parigi 11 – 00185, Roma
Phone: +39 06 72286273/320
Fax: +39 06 722 1127
Email: info@romalaziofilmcommission.it
