On the last Sunday of October in Vacone autumn products and traditional dishes are celebrated with a particular outdoor lunch. Regardless of the season, the table with polenta, sausages, chestnuts and new wine is set up in the forest “Il Pago” with the music of an orchestra playing live.
It is a historical re-enactment dedicated to the glories of the Sabine goddess and takes place on the last Sunday of June. Vacuna was protector of vacationers, those who enjoyed restoring their physical strength in carefree idleness between campaigns, from which is derived the Latin word “vacare” and hence the Read more…
On the last weekend of August there is the festival of Fregnaccia, a typical pancake of water and flour, flavoured with a sauce with mint and extra virgin olive oil.
The villa was donated to Horace by Maecenas in 33 BC. Today you can admire the monumental cryptoporticos, the mosaics, the floors of ‘opus spigatum’, the nymphaeum, phallic symbols, walls and even some production facilities necessary for the maintenance of the olive mill.
The famous Fonte Bandusia is sung of by the poet Horace in verse 3:13. Nearby is the church of Madonna della Fonte which dates back to the mid-seventeenth century. It has a unique altar, and is celebrated annually on the anniversary of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple.
Near Vacone you are located in Pago (the ancient Pagus) the sacred grove to the Sabine goddess Vacuna, also mentioned by Pliny. This small forest is still a centre of social life in Vacuna for the numerous events that take place there.
The church dates from the twelfth century and is located near the Castle. The original Romanesque style was changed in 1539, as noted on the travertine architrave above the entrance. Inside the church is a single nave with five altars. In a niche there is a fresco of the Madonna Read more…
The village has crenellated walls for defence. Only one square tower remains, with a trapdoor at the top, and the gateway to the town on whose arch is still visible, carved in stone, the decorative frieze of the Marquis Marini-Clarelli (the last aristocratic owners of the castle).
The earliest records of the castle date back to 1027 but the structure was earlier. It is in a dominant position at the highest point of the town. The Castle followed for many centuries the fortunes of the Abbey and passed through control by several families. The castle underwent profound Read more…
Vacone is a medieval village that overlooks the Tiber Valley. It was inhabited by the Sabines, and here was the temple dedicated to the Sabina goddess Vacuna. During the Roman period this was an area of villas and the villa of the poet Horace is here. After a dark period, Read more…
