What is Anagni known for?

540 square meters of thirteenth-century frescoes under the cathedral, the most complete medieval painting cycle in central Italy. On 7 September 1303 Sciarra Colonna struck Boniface VIII in the papal palace; the pope died a month later and the curia moved to Avignon. Cesanese del Piglio, Lazio's first DOCG red, grown on the slopes around Anagni and historically served at the papal court.

Anagni is a comune in the province of Frosinone, Lazio region of Italy, about 63 kilometers from Roma.

Lazio · Frosinone

Anagni

The hill town in Ciociaria where Sciarra Colonna struck Pope Boniface VIII in September 1303, ending the medieval claim to papal supremacy.

63 km / 39 mi

Nearest hub (Roma)

20,734

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Città del Vino

Why come

Anagni sits on a hilltopin Ciociaria, fifty-five kilometers southeast of Rome, looking over the Sacco valley and the Hernici mountains. It is one of four communes called the Città dei Papi, the others being Segni, Ferentino, and Veroli; four medieval popes were born here, Innocent III, Gregory IX, Alexander IV, and Boniface VIII. On 7 September 1303, agents of Philip IV of France led by Sciarra Colonna and Guillaume de Nogaret stormed the papal palace and physically assaulted Boniface VIII. The pope died a month later, and the centralized medieval papacy died with him; within five years the papal court had moved to Avignon. The Cattedrale di Santa Maria, built between 1071 and 1105, holds a 540-square-meter frescoed crypt called the Sistine Chapel of the Middle Ages. The Romanesque-Byzantine cycle covering the walls is one of the most complete in Italy. Cesanese del Piglio, the local DOCG red, is grown on the slopes around the town.

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Gallery

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Known for

Cattedrale di Santa Maria
Romanesque cathedral built 1071-1105 on the highest point of the hill, with Gothic additions, a campanile, and a Cosmati pavement.
Cripta di San Magno
Frescoed crypt under the cathedral, 540 square meters of thirteenth-century Romanesque-Byzantine painting, known as the Sistine Chapel of the Middle Ages.
Palazzo di Bonifacio VIII
Thirteenth-century papal palace where Sciarra Colonna struck Boniface VIII in September 1303 during the Outrage of Anagni.
Palazzo Comunale
Medieval town hall built around 1163, with an open ground-floor loggia spanning Via Vittorio Emanuele on Romanesque arches.
Chiesa di San Pietro in Vineis
Romanesque-Gothic church on the lower edge of the centro storico, with a thirteenth-century cycle of frescoes recently restored.
Casa Barnekow
Medieval house on Via Vittorio Emanuele decorated in the nineteenth century by the Swedish baron Albert Barnekow with sgraffito Latin inscriptions.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September through October are the strong months. The hilltop position keeps Anagni cooler than the Sacco valley below, and the cathedral and crypt are best seen in the soft light of spring and autumn. July and August push past thirty-two degrees and the centro storico empties between two and five in the afternoon. November through March is quiet. Tourist services slow but the cathedral stays open, and the crypt requires a guided ticket year-round. The Cavalcata di Bonifacio VIII in early September re-enacts the 1295 coronation procession with several hundred costumed participants moving through the medieval streets.