Gardens of Horace
The Pilgrim trails
Saint Benedict and Saint Francis
in the Aniene River Valley
The Aniene River Valley is an important crossroads of pilgrim trails. This is due to its position in central Italy, being at the doorstep of Rome, and for being one of the alternative routes for the Holy Land and for the Shrine of the Archangel Michael in northern Puglia.
Saint Benedict and Saint Francis have both lived in the Valley and passed beneath Mandela, known at the time as Cantalupo e Bardella. For this reason, the Aniene Valley has been called the Holy Valley.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, because of its strategic position, the fortress itself was under the rule of the powerful Abbeys, whose monks planted olive trees in the area surrounding it.
Today you can follow the trails, walk on them in and visit the beautiful places involved in the pilgrimages.