Just 40 minutes outside Rome, ancient villages are silhouetted against the sky at around 800 metres above sea level. They include Rocca Massima and other towns, with their narrow streets, small squares with breath-taking views and alleys with flowers and fountains. The first human settlement was probably a defensive lookout post of the Volsci people, which continued in use as a “castrum” during the early Roman expansion. Nibby, the historian, has suggested that today’s Rocca Massima corresponds to the ARX Carventana mentioned by Livy in the 4th book of his History of Rome. There is documentary evidence of the papal “brief” with which Innocent III granted Mount Massimo to his nephew Pietro Annibali on 5 December 1202, in order for him to build a “castrum” there for the defence of the area. The flora is typical of the Lepini mountains, with a remarkable variety of wild orchids. There are large expanses of chestnut woods in the northern areas, where the famous chestnuts are produced, while as you climb up towards Mount Lupone (1378 m), age-old beech groves open out onto panoramic views extending right over to the mountains in Abruzzo and the Bosco dell'Astone, whose name seems to derive from the presence of a fortified city in prehistoric times. Rocca Massima is a small jewel that shines by night, while by day it blends in with the colours of the mountain on which it stands, with its green splashes of olive and chestnut trees, characteristic of the zone. A walk through the woods around the village takes you back in time and produces some strange encounters, such as cows with long horns, pigs which cut across your path, without ever being hostile, a few donkeys following the path from Rocca Massima to Cori, and horses which display a marked indifference to passers-by.
Ancient mule tracks have become paths over time, trod now by only the most hardened walkers. They are dotted with sealed fountains and small chapels housing a statuette of Our Lady, recalling the film of Don Camillo and Peppone, with only the river missing. A few small squares in the village offer incredible views over the Pontine Marshes, extending to the sea and beyond the mountains. By day, the air resonates as it passes through the fronds of the trees. Silence reigns supreme in the village, because the local residents are quiet and rarely raise their voices. Towards lunch time, you can hear the hawks call to each other from on high, conveying information that only they understand and soaring around like sentinels, controlling all those who approach. On June evenings, small lights make their gradual and silent approach, creating a strange sensation as they keep us company, although their visit is but fleeting. These fireflies pass through like unobtrusive guests, taking us back to childhood with their natural light.
Other night time encounters can also be made with foxes, porcupines, badgers and noctule bats, which are not very popular with local smallholders who keep hens or farmyard animals. Different kinds of owls also make an appearance.
As we make our way down from Rocca Massima, the landscape and colours change with the seasons: green in spring, dark green and yellow in summer, warm shades in autumn and brown and white in winter, with a light covering of snow whitening this ancient landscape at times.
NUMBER 10
Just 40 minutes outside Rome, ancient villages are silhouetted against the sky at around 800 metres above sea level. They include Rocca Massima and other towns, with their narrow streets, small squares with breath-taking views and alleys with flowers and fountains. The first human settlement was probably a defensive lookout post of the Volsci people, which continued in use as a “castrum” during the early Roman expansion. Nibby, the historian, has suggested that today’s Rocca Massima corresponds to the ARX Carventana mentioned by Livy in the 4th book of his History of Rome. There is documentary evidence of the papal “brief” with which Innocent III granted Mount Massimo to his nephew Pietro Annibali on 5 December 1202, in order for him to build a “castrum” there for the defence of the area. The flora is typical of the Lepini mountains, with a remarkable variety of wild orchids. There are large expanses of chestnut woods in the northern areas, where the famous chestnuts are produced, while as you climb up towards Mount Lupone (1378 m), age-old beech groves open out onto panoramic views extending right over to the mountains in Abruzzo and the Bosco dell'Astone, whose name seems to derive from the presence of a fortified city in prehistoric times. 
Rocca Massima is a small jewel that shines by night, while by day it blends in with the colours of the mountain on which it stands, with its green splashes of olive and chestnut trees, characteristic of the zone. A walk through the woods around the village takes you back in time and produces some strange encounters, such as cows with long horns, pigs which cut across your path, without ever being hostile, a few donkeys following the path from Rocca Massima to Cori, and horses which display a marked indifference to passers-by.
On June evenings, small lights make their gradual and silent approach, creating a strange sensation as they keep us company, although their visit is but fleeting. These fireflies pass through like unobtrusive guests, taking us back to childhood with their natural light.