Lanuvio between Antiquity, Museums and Vineyards

Lanuvio combines ancient remains, historic architecture and the landscape of the Parco Regionale dei Castelli Romani. In places, the historic centre is bordered by monumental walls dating from the 5th century BC. At the same time, Lanuvio is surrounded by vineyards. If you would like to combine cultural history with a distinctive local and landscape character on your trip to Italy, you will find a range of topics here to help with your planning.

Museums and archaeological traces

The Museo Civico e Diffuso Lanuvino houses more than 2,000 artefacts from prehistoric, pre-Roman, Roman and medieval times. The Museo Civico Lanuvino also displays the oldest Latin alphabet. It was incised beneath the foot of a Bucchero bowl and is dated approximately to the 6th century BC. You can visit the locations of the Museo Civico e Diffuso Lanuvino from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 18:00. Guided tours are available on Sunday mornings; guided tours can be arranged by appointment on any day of the week.

The sanctuary of Juno Sospita stood on the south-western slope of Colle San Lorenzo. From the Iron Age onwards, this developed from a village of the local population into the acropolis of ancient Lanuvium. Today, only the substructure of the Temple of Hercules on the first terrace of ancient Lanuvium remains. Ponte Loreto dates from the period between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC and has a single round arch made of square masonry.

Villas, exhibitions and historic rooms

Villa Sforza Cesarini was built in 1906 in the Liberty style at the instigation of Francesco Sforza. A few years later, it was severely damaged by a fire and partially rebuilt in 1917. In the villa, the Sala delle Colonne, with its two smooth marble columns, recalls its distinctive furnishings: one column is made of Cipollino marble and dates from the 2nd century AD; the date of the column made of Grigio Carnico is uncertain. The Fontana degli Scogli was built in 1675 by the architect Carlo Fontana on behalf of Filippo Cesarini.

Il Cantinone is located in the cellars or underground vaults of Palazzo Colonna on Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore. An exhibition on the excavations of Lord Savile Lumley has been set up there. Il Cantinone also houses the “Museo dell'Acconciatura” exhibition. The history of the Museo Civico Diffuso di Lanuvio also includes the Sala della Stipe dei Pantanacci. It houses all the finds from the Stipe di Pantanacci at Tenuta Pantanacci. The Torre Medievale presents the permanent exhibition “Il Medioevo a Civita Lavinia”.

Church, landscape and local life

The Church of Santa Maria Maggiore has Byzantine origins and was later rebuilt in Baroque forms. In June, the Festa della Musica brings the streets of Lanuvio to life with music, singing and performances. Alongside the archaeological and architectural themes, cultural events and the vineyard-dominated surroundings also stand out. When choosing your hotel, you can therefore consider whether you would mainly like to explore museums and historic buildings or combine your stay with the landscape and local events.

Discover more destinations

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