Northern Lazio
GREEN ITINERARY
Northern Lazio, Acquapendente – Riserva Naturale di Monte Rufeno: one day
The Monte Rufeno Nature Reserve is a wooded area of 7500 acres situated in the most northerly sector of Lazio. It includes a hilly area with wonderful and abundant wildlife and amazing flowers (especially in April and May).
The fauna and flora are of a typically Mediterranean type.
Morning
We will begin our visit to the Monte Rufeno Nature Reserve walking through the pathways of the Sasseto secular wood. After the excursion we will visit the delightful village of Torre Alfina with its huge castle. We will stop for lunch at a restaurant where the local cuisine is worth sampling. Torre Alfina is also well-known for the excellent home-made ice-cream which is something not to miss!
Afternoon
We will leave for the Nature Museum of Flowers (the only nature museum in the area ) surrounded by woods and the torrent Subissone. In the late afternoon we will have a walk through Acquapendente following the ancient Via Francigena (the road which once brought pilgrims in their thousands from Canterbury to Rome) which passed through the town. Of great interest is the cathedral of Santo Sepolcro. It has a tenth century crypt of outstanding beauty and a ceramic altarpiece of Della Robbia School (Jacopo Beneventano, 1522).