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.

When is the best time to visit Anagni?

Apr–Oct. 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.

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

How do I get to Anagni?

From Roma, Anagni is roughly 63 km by road.

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.

Known for

THE CRYPT
540 square meters of thirteenth-century frescoes under the cathedral, the most complete medieval painting cycle in central Italy.
THE SLAP
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
Cesanese del Piglio, Lazio's first DOCG red, grown on the slopes around Anagni and historically served at the papal court.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

The festa: Magno di Anagni, 19 August

Why come

Anagni sits on a hilltop in 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.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Anagni’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

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What to see

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.

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Living here

Population 20,734
In-betweeni
Pharmacy in town
High school within a 30-minute drive
Train station in the comune
Nearest airport Rome, 1 h 26 min drive
Regional capital Roma, 55 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

Città del Vino

The numbers

Elevation: 424 m
Population: 20,734
Surface area: 112.82 km²

On the map

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These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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