Campagnano di Roma, Italy: travel guide to the Via Francigena town near Rome and the Veio Park

Campagnano di Roma is a town in the Metropolitan City of Rome, in Lazio, set at around 270 metres on a spur of tufa rock on the slopes of Monte Razzano, about 30 kilometres north of Rome. Home to some 11,500 people and spread over a green territory of nearly 47 square kilometres, it has the character and monuments of a small historic city and is a celebrated stop on the pilgrim road to Rome.

For travellers searching for Campagnano di Roma, the Via Francigena, the Veio Regional Park or day trips from Rome, the town blends Etruscan and medieval history with fine countryside on the edge of the capital.

History

Once an Etruscan settlement on the border between the Faliscan and Etruscan lands, the area became a Roman posting station after the fall of nearby Veii. The town itself was first mentioned in 1076, having been carved from the great estate, the Domusculta Capracorum, assembled by Pope Adrian I around 780. In the Middle Ages Campagnano lay on the Via Francigena, the pilgrim route from Canterbury to Rome; Archbishop Sigeric stopped here around 990 on his way back from the city, and it remained the last stage before Rome. Under the Annibaldi and then the Orsini families the town enjoyed a period of splendour reflected in its noble palaces.

Main sights

The historic centre is entered through the Porta Romana and centres on the Baroque Collegiata di San Giovanni Battista with its bell tower, the elegant Fontana dei Delfini and Palazzo Venturi. Just outside town stands the peaceful Sanctuary of the Sorbo. Campagnano lies within both the Veio Regional Park and the park of the Bracciano and Martignano lakes, offering walking, cycling and birdwatching among hills and woods, with Lake Martignano nearby.

Practical information

About 30 kilometres north of Rome and easily reached from the old Via Cassia, Campagnano makes an easy excursion from the capital. It is also known for the nearby Vallelunga motor-racing circuit and for its lively Baccanale festival and artichoke fair.