What is Casperia known for?

Named Aspra in Book VII of the Aeneid; kept the name until 1947, when it was renamed Casperia for an older Sabine site. Walled village from 1282, entered only on foot through the Porta Romana or the Porta Santa Maria. First Italian olive oil protected-origin denomination, 1996; the groves around the village are part of the appellation.

Casperia is a comune in the province of Rieti, Lazio region of Italy, about 37 kilometers from Terni.

Lazio · Rieti

Casperia

A Sabina hill village named Aspra in Virgil's Aeneid, called that until 1947, ringed by walls from 1282 and Sabina DOP olive groves below.

37 km / 23 mi

Nearest hub (Terni)

1,178

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Casperia sitson the western slope of the Monti Sabini, fifty kilometers northeast of Rome. Virgil names it Aspra in Book VII of the Aeneid, in the catalogue of Italic peoples; the name held until 1947, when the town renamed itself Casperia for an older Sabine settlement nearby. The walls around the centro storico were built in 1282. The village is closed to cars: it is entered on foot through the Porta Romana on the west side or the Porta Santa Maria on the east, and the lanes inside the walls are a near-pure example of medieval planning, concentric rings climbing to the parish church of San Giovanni Battista at the top. The countryside below produces Sabina DOP extra virgin olive oil, the first protected-origin olive oil in Italy, awarded in 1996. The 13th-century walls, the no-car village inside them, and the olive groves around it have made Casperia one of the better-restored Sabina hill towns.

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Gallery

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Known for

Centro storico
Walled medieval village from 1282, concentric lanes climbing to the parish church, no vehicles allowed inside the walls.
Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista
Parish church on the highest point of the village, baroque interior on medieval foundations, with works by Vincenzo Manenti.
Porta Romana
Western gate of the medieval wall circuit, the main entry point on foot from the lower road.
Porta Santa Maria
Eastern gate of the 1282 walls, the second entry point on foot from the valley side.
Sabina DOP olive groves
Olive groves surrounding the village in the localities of Paranzano, Santa Maria in Legarano and San Vito; first Italian olive oil DOP, 1996.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September through October are the best months in the Sabina hills. The olive harvest runs from mid-October into November; the new oil is pressed in the cooperatives around the village and the town fills on autumn weekends for tastings. July and August are hot in the lower valley; the village at 397 meters is several degrees cooler and the lanes hold shade. November through March is quiet. Many family-run guesthouses close in January and February. The walk down through the olive groves to the Santuario di Santa Maria di Vallebona is best in late spring, when the wildflowers come through the stones.