Rocchetta a Volturno - Rocchetta a Volturno

Rocchetta a Volturno is a center of the Molise.

To know

Until the fifteenth century it was an integral part of the Giustizierato d 'Abruzzo and of the Abruzzo Hither.

Geographical notes

Located onMolise Apennines, inIsernino, is 21 km from Isernia, 26 from Castel di Sangro and from Venafro, 36 from Roccaraso, 50 from Cassino.

Background

The foundation of the town dates back to around the 11th century, when the fiefdom was part of the possessions of the Abbey of San Vincenzo al Volturno together with Castel San Vincenzo is Cerro. Rocchetta was a defensive area for the monastery, being in an elevated position. In the twelfth century the fortress was enlarged with the castle. In the seventeenth century the town was part of the possessions ofMontecassino Abbey.

During the last war a fraction of Rocchetta, Castelnuovo al Volturno, was first occupied by the Germans who displaced many of its inhabitants to the north, then the rest collaborated with the Allies who were fighting in the area, including the Italian Liberation Corps which with the Alpine troops of the Piedmont battalion fought in the battle of Monte Marrone, and finally was the scene of a macabre staging. In fact, entire allied departments flocked around the village staging a full-scale battle, complete with fake wounded and dead. The mock battle ended with the bombing and destruction of the town, all for the sole purpose of making a propaganda film about the assault on the Gustav Line.

How to orient yourself

The historic center of Rocchetta al Volturno, also called Rocchetta Alta, or Rocchetta Vecchia, was largely abandoned due to a series of landslides that threatened it since the end of the nineteenth century. In 1905 the original medieval settlement, perched in a defensive position on the mountain, was partially destroyed. Following further disastrous events, the population moved for the most part downstream, giving rise to the current village which develops in the center of a plateau, bordered to the west by the terminal part of the Mainarde chain and to the east by a depression, at the bottom to which the Volturno river flows. Rocchetta (also known as Rocchetta Nuova) is located 2 kilometers from the sources of the Volturno. The name of the river characterizes the toponyms of other nearby towns: Colli a Volturno, Cerro al Volturno, etc.

Neighborhoods

Its municipal territory also includes the hamlets of Castelnuovo al Volturno and Rocchetta Alta.

How to get

By plane

• Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), Via dell 'Fiumicino Airport, 320, ☎ 39 06 65951. 
• Naples Capodichino Airport (NAP), Viale F. Ruffo di Calabria, 80144 Naples NA, ☎ 39 081 7896111. 
• Pescara airport (Abruzzo International Airport), Via Tiburtina Km 229.100, ☎ 39 085 4324201. 

By car

• Autostrada del Sole A1 Milan-Naples:

• From the north exit at San Vittore, take the SS 6 and follow the direction Venafro, after Venafro, a Roccaravindola continue on the SS 158 for Roccaraso/Pescara, come to Colli al Volturno and continue to the junction of Cerro al Volturno, then turn left for Rocchetta a Volturno.
• From the south: exit at Caianello, take the SS 85 and follow the direction Venafro: passed Venafro, a Roccaravindola continue on the SS 158 for Roccaraso/Pescara, come to Colli al Volturno and continue at the crossroads of Cerro al Volturno, then turn left for Rocchetta a Volturno.

• A14 Bologna-Taranto motorway:

• From the north: then continue on the A24 motorway Pescara-Rome until Sulmona-Pratola Peligna, take the SS17 for Roccaraso, go across Castel di Sangro, Rionero Sannitico, reach the crossroads of Cerro al Volturno, then turn left for Rocchetta a Volturno.
• From the south: exit at Val di Sangro, take the SS 652 Fondo Valle Sangro and reach the junction of Cerro al Volturno, then turn left to Rocchetta a Volturno.

On the train

• Isernia railway station (about 26 km away):

• Line Termoli - Campobasso - Isernia
• Line Rome- Isernia - Campobasso
• Line Naples- Isernia- Campobasso

By bus

• The main public transport companies operating in the Molise area are the following

• Lariviera bus lines [1]
• SATI bus lines [2]
• Molise Trasporti bus lines [3]
• Autoservizi F.lli Cerella: For connections from Rome and Naples with Isernia.

How to get around

What see

• 41.64995214.0878511 Cistercian Abbey of San Vincenzo al Volturno. It is a historic Benedictine abbey located in the territory of the municipalities of Castel San Vincenzo and of Rocchetta a Volturno.

The area on which the abbey was born had hosted a settlement from the late Roman era. Between the fifth and sixth centuries, a church and a funerary area were built between the buildings now in disuse.

According to the Chronicon Vulturnense, the monastery was born thanks to three nobles from Benevento, such Paldo, Tato and Taso in 731, who used all their rich heritage there. They, to undertake an ascetic life, reached the abbey of Farfa, Benedictine abbey in Sabina. Abbot Tommaso di Moriana suggested that they found an abbey near the Volturno river, where there was already an oratory dedicated to San Vincenzo. The foundation of this oratory is attributed to Constantine I the Great. The Chronicon's underlining the Beneventan origin of the three founders suggests that the institution was favored by seeking new prestige by the Lombard Gisulfo II, Duke of Benevento from 743 to 749.

With the arrival of the Franks from the north, the abbey found itself in a border area between the Franks and the Lombards. : In 774 the frank Ambrogio Autperto was abbot. In 782 the Lombard Potone became abbot: he was deposed for having left the choir during a praise sung to Charlemagne; only by swearing allegiance to the king of the Franks was he able to return to his posts. On 27 March 787 the same king of the Franks granted fiscal and jurisdictional privileges such as to equate the abbey to the major European ones. In the 9th century, with the abbots Giosuè, Talarico and Epifanio the abbey expanded into a small city, with 350 brothers and vast land holdings.

In 848 the abbey was damaged by an earthquake. Twelve years later she was blackmailed by Sawdān, Emir of Bari, to which a large tribute was paid to avoid being looted. In 881 some Saracens in the pay of Duke Atanasio II of Naples, thanks to the betrayal of the monks' servants, plundered and burned the monastery. The survivors fled to Capua; they returned to build the abbey in 914, succeeding only at the end of the century thanks to the direct support of the emperors Otto II and Otto III. The monks tried to build a podestà in the Upper Volturno Valley through the administration of justice and the collection of taxes.

At the end of the 11th century the monks, to defend themselves from a possible Norman attack, moved to a more defensible position; in 1115 Pope Pasquale II consecrated the new abbey church. In the twelfth century, the Norman conquest of the Abruzzi took place, which gradually led to the disintegration of the monastic lordship in the following centuries. In 1349 a new earthquake destroyed San Vincenzo al Volturno, leaving room for the political expansion of Montecassino. Occupied by an ever smaller number of brothers, from the 15th century the abbey began to be managed, both spiritually and economically, from the outside. In 1669 all the territories of the Volturnense abbey were assigned to the Cassinensi monks who administer it in all respects, a fact that definitively sanctioned the end of its autonomy.

Due to the bombing of the Second World War, some parts of the ruins of the abbey and a small subsequent church suffered heavy damage. Angelo Pantoni, a monk of Montecassino, has been involved in the installation of a new monastery for years. Thanks to him, since 1989 San Vincenzo al Volturno has once again hosted a community: the Benedictine women who came from the cenoby of Connecticut Regina Laudis.

The Chronicon Vulturnense

The first historical events relating to the ancient abbey are collected in the Chronicon Vulturnense, an illuminated manuscript. The monk Giovanni wrote this text in Beneventan script around 1130, drawing on sources from the 8th, 9th and early 10th centuries, but often tampering with information for hagiographic purposes. However, the Chronicon rearranged the memories of the monastery, at a time when central Italy was threatened by Norman expansion. Today the codex is kept in the Vatican Apostolic Library, BAV Barb. lat. 2724.

The exterior of the abbey it is marked by the boundaries drawn by the Roman settlement before its construction. There are traces of walls and a colonnade with pointed arches exactly in front of the building's garden.

The monastic complex consists of the church and a building for the monks, faithfully rebuilt after the Second World War, located to the right of the church facade. The body of the church has a rectangular basilica plan with a gabled façade. Important decorations are the rose window and the portico. On the left side there is an imposing bell tower with double bell arches on each side.

The Palazzetto dei monaci is composed of a house made of rectangular rough stone and a small church attached to it. Next to it is another building with a room used as a museum.

The interior it has three naves with various chapels placed alongside the apse. The remains of the frescoes still visible in situ today show the main scenes of the Gospel, but also of important historical events for the abbey such as the intercession by Justinian and Charlemagne.

The Frescoes they are an example of the Lombard pictorial movement of Benevento, the work of anonymous artists linked to the Benevento School of miniature, made in the second quarter of the 9th century.

Martyrdom of Saints Lorenzo and Stefano

The scene is divided into two episodes. In the first, San Lorenzo is immobilized on a grill above a furnace, and in the second Santo Stefano he is stuck on a wall while the crowd reaches him with stones in their hands. Lorenzo is lying on his stomach on the ground while the guards torment him with pitchforks.

Santo Stefano, on the other hand, is interpreted differently because the painting is mutilated. He is the protagonist of the scene, placed in the center, while he waves his arms and smiles, a sign that he is happy to die for Jesus.: From the right and left the enemies throw stones that are of various colors.

Group of frescoes in the crypt of Bishop Epifanio

The crypt is the most decorated part: scenes of the saint's conversion with baptism are shown; the Crucifixion at the high altar; Christ seated on the throne with the Gospel; the miracle of the archangel Raphael; always Raffaele who hovers in the sky framed in a purple-red circle; a portrait of Mary as Queen of Heaven who possesses the Gospel; of the Angels in prayer, which serve as a frame element. These are represented by wings of various colors: from red to yellow and from green to blue.

Other frescoes show an old man blessing (perhaps Peter the Apostle), two saints of the illustrious Roman families, and more important scenes from the Life of Jesus, taken from the Gospels. Among these stands the Nativity which shows the Madonna and Child surrounded by two shepherds in the act of covering and offering gifts to Jesus. There are also scenes from the life of Bishop Epiphanius. 

• Ancient village of Rocchetta Alta. In the old town you can see the church of the Assunta with its mighty bell tower. There are also remains of the medieval fortress and the buildings of the ancient inhabited center. 
• Battiloro Castle. The medieval village is located on the slopes of the Mainarde, in the hamlet of Rocchetta Alta. The ancient nucleus develops all around the rock and is well preserved in its original structure; the shops on the ground floor, such as a Peaches, are dug into the rock while the Church of Santa Maria is next to the door of the village. The castle, owned by the Pandone family and later by the Battiloro family, is perched on a prominent limestone spur, clearly visible even from a considerable distance. It has four elevations that have different characteristics from each other and characteristics that recall other military installations in the nearby province of Frosinone. Over time the castle has taken on residential characteristics even if some sections of ancient walls survive which refer to the primitive military function. 

• International Museum of World Wars. It was established on December 16, 2010. Today the Museum has an exhibition area of ​​over 900 square meters, where visitors can admire original uniforms and uniforms belonging to the armies of the two world wars, as well as a "technical room" where they are exhibited over 150 weapons of the various armed forces of the twentieth century.A library room finally enriches the possibility for visitors to come into contact with the climate of important, but serious, periods that have passed.

The Museum is affiliated with the Institute for the History of the Italian Risorgimento, collaborates with the Italian Society of Military History "SISM" and has obtained the patronage of the University of Molise "UNIMOL". Inside the Museum there are periodically presentations of books and scientific seminars open to the public and enthusiasts. 

Events and parties

• Carnival of Castelnuovo a Volturno. The last Sunday of Carnival. On the occasion of the Carnival in the hamlet of Castelnuovo a Volturno there is a sort of masked representation in which two figures, a man and a woman, disguise themselves as Deer is Doe they have cowbells tied to their bodies, they are dressed in goatskin and their faces are dyed black. They hurl themselves among the people causing confusion; the crowd then calls for help Martino the hunter who shoots the two deer killing them. Then he approaches them, blows in their ears and brings them back to life completely tamed. 

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

Where to eat

Average prices

• 41.62673714.0873531 Costantini Farmhouse - Restaurant, Via Provincial Road, 1, ☎ 39 0865 955056. 

Where stay

Average prices

• 41.63610414.0514681 Locanda Belvedere (in Castelnuovo Al Volturno), ☎ 39 338 1730892. 
• 41.62869514.0706512 ^{[link previously not working]}Vallefiorita Residence (in Rocchetta Alta). 0865 9527 
• 41.619414.0854783 Spanish Walnut B&B, Via Garibaldi 9, ☎ 39 389 1093933. , Rocchetta A Volturno 

Safety

Pharmacy

• 41.6234514.0856851 Faralli, Via de Filippo E., 4, ☎ 39 0865 955273. 

How to keep in touch

Post office

• 41.62406714.0857012 Italian post, Piazza S. Domenico, 3, ☎ 39 0865 955230. 

Around

• Castel di Sangro - It was a Roman city, then a fief of the Borrellos; the ruins of the medieval castle and the nearby megalithic walls testify to the past greatness of port of Abruzzo.
• Isernia - Among the first documented Paleolithic settlements in Europe, it was then a flourishing Samnite city, capital of the Italic League, later a Roman Municipium. Its millennial past has left it with an important monumental heritage that extends up to the pre-Roman era, as well as very important prehistoric finds.
• Cassino - For centuries the administrative center of the ancient Land of San Benedetto, the city develops at the foot of the hill on which stands the famous abbey of Montecassino, for which it is mainly known. However, it also boasts important evidence of its Roman past: amphitheater, theater, mausoleum, nymphaeum, urban walls of the archaeological park Casinum.
• Venafro - His long membership in the Campania. City of the Samnites, later a Roman colony, the vestiges of the empire flanked by an important medieval urban heritage, in which the numerous churches stand out, unfortunately in large numbers deteriorated.
• Roccaraso - Its ski facilities, belonging to the Alto Sangro ski area, make it one of the major mountain tourist resorts of the entire Apennines.

Itineraries

• Castles in the province of Isernia - There are numerous manors of theMolise Apennines in the countries ofUpper Molise, ofIsernino he was born in Venafrano. Some are in ruins due to war or earthquakes; others have been recovered; many have a military aspect, with little or no external architectural evolution of transformation into a stately home.

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Rocchetta a Volturno
• Commons contains images or other files on Rocchetta a Volturno

Draft : the article respects the standard template contains useful information for a tourist and gives brief information on the tourist destination. Header and footer are correctly filled out.