Roccamonfina, Italy: travel guide to the village inside an extinct volcano in Campania

Roccamonfina is a small town in the province of Caserta, in Campania, set at around 600 metres inside the caldera of the extinct Roccamonfina volcano, on the slopes of Monte Santa Croce. With about 3,100 inhabitants and surrounded by dense chestnut woods, it is the heart of a green volcanic landscape in the north of the region.

For travellers searching for Roccamonfina, the extinct volcano, the Devil's Footprints or chestnut country near Caserta, the town offers nature, walking and a remarkable prehistoric site.

The volcano and its history

The Roccamonfina volcano fell silent tens of thousands of years ago, leaving behind fertile, mineral-rich soils that today nourish vast groves of sweet chestnut, celebrated each autumn at the chestnut festival. Nearby, in the tuff at Tora e Piccilli, are the famous "Ciampate del Diavolo" or Devil's Footprints, among the oldest fossilised human footprints in the world, once thought to be the work of a demon able to walk on burning ground. Traces of ancient Aurunci settlements, with megalithic walls, survive on the surrounding heights, and the town itself is recorded from the 10th century.

Main sights

On the slopes above the town stands the Sanctuary of Maria Santissima dei Lattani, a 15th-century religious complex set among the woods. The whole area lies within the Roccamonfina and Foce del Garigliano Regional Park, threaded with walking and cycling trails and dotted with springs of mineral water, making it a fine destination in spring and autumn.

Practical information

Roccamonfina lies about 60 kilometres north-west of Naples and around 40 kilometres north-west of Caserta, near the towns of Sessa Aurunca and Teano. A car is the easiest way to reach it and to explore the volcanic landscape of the upper Caserta region.