Spread all over the Bel Paese there is a large number of landmarks which are located not only within the most popular tourist areas and cities, but also outside them. Wandering around Italian cities and regions, you are likely to stumble on a monument, a church or a building with a rich historical value.
For example, a tour of Latium must certainly include
Rome, as well as some towns and villages in the countryside: in Cassino,
a welcoming and ancient town close to the border with Campania, you
will have the opportunity to admire the notable Montecassino Abbey,
founded by Saint Benedict of Nursia in 529. The monastery has been
destroyed several times: in 584 during the Lombards’ invasion and in 883
by the Saracens, and it has been rebuilt in 717 and in 949
respectively. In addition, in 1349 the abbey collapsed because of an
earthquake and in 1944 because of a raid during the battle of Cassino.
The current reconstruction, dated 1956, is the perfect reproduction of
the Medieval building.
The
activities of the order of
Saint Benedict focused on individual and common prayer, study and work;
the society of the monastery, built far from populated areas, had a
definite structure and particular tasks for each member. Their education
included not only religious subjects, but also arts and sciences, in
order to stimulate members’ minds in a healthy and varied way. The
Benedictine order spread so widely and the monks built so many
monasteries all over the country that Charlemagne, crediting their high
level of education and culture, decided to put in their hands the
creation of a educational system.
As
a consequence, the
Montecassino Abbey was, during the Middle Ages, a culturally lively and
provocative centre, where monks studied in scriptorium and miniature
schools and copied with care ancient texts, keeping them in archives and
libraries. The artistic importance of the Abbey grew even more in the
9th century, when one of its most important abbots, Desiderius (then
Pope Victor III), ordered the reconstruction of the monastery and some
precious frescoes and mosaics to decorate it.
About
fifty kilometers away
from Cassino, you will have the opportunity to visit another interesting
destination in Latium: Sora. The ancient town of Sora is renowned for
having been, during the Roman Empire, a strategic point for the
development of the Empire; then, in the XV century, it became a Duchy,
and its ancient history is still visible in the territory: Santa Maria
Assunta Cathedral, Santa Restituta’s Church, Saint Domenico’s Abbey or
the Castle of San Casto and Cassio are witness of the long life of this
town. Furthermore, the natural features of the area are worthy of
mention: the river Liri, which crosses the centre of town, forms two
amazing waterfalls, the Cascata Grande and the Cascata del Valcatoio.
Note that the Cascata Grande is one of the few waterfalls located in the
centre of a city.
