Immersed in a green oasis, no more than 60 km from Rome, at 575 meters above sea level, stands Percile, a charming village in the Upper Aniene Valley.
Located on a small limestone hill, it is completely immersed in the Monti Lucretili Regional Natural Park.
Here, time seems to have stopped. Natural beauties, the two limestone lakes, locally called "Lagustelli di Percile", frame each other, in harmony with the ancient and modern buildings.
But, if the more recent history of the town, made up of victories and bloody defeats, due to the numerous battles fought for the conquest of the territory, located in a strategic area between the Tiburtina Valeria and close to the Sabina, its origins are really remote. In fact, important archaeological finds have been found, which have favored the narration of numerous legends about the history of this town.
Some historians derive the name of Percile from the Roman family Porcia. In fact, in addition to considerable evidence from this period, there are also some authentic finds such as a sepulchral stock dedicated to a girl of about seven years old and a valuable terracotta sarcophagus.
A 1739 map transcribed a Roman residence located between Civitella and Percile, whose ruins were clearly visible until quite recent times.
Near the Fonte degli Aliucci, a stretch of brick paving was found, which attests to the use of this water, renowned since Roman times for its prestigious therapeutic properties. In the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria it was possible, until a few years ago, to admire a beautiful portal, made with some Roman finds.
After the classical period, the territory witnessed a new settlement which gradually took root near the rural churches and it was precisely the religious who were the first to hand down the history of this town orally. The first news is reported in the life of San Silvestro I (Pontiff from 314 to 335 AD); Anastasius the Librarian (antipope in the year 855) appoints the "Fundum Percilianum" in the Sabinensi territory.
The urban agglomeration of Percile arose around the 9th-10th century and was first governed by the Abbey of Farfa (since 1262) and later by the Orsini and Borghese families (since 1608). The latter ruled in Percile in the difficult transition period between feudalism and freedom. In these two centuries, there were numerous disputes against the high and authoritative prelates of the Papal States.
Towards the middle of the 1800s some men from Percile took part in the uprisings of the Risorgimento against the bad government of the Pope King. Even today, the main square of the town is dedicated to Garibaldi in honor and in memory of the unfortunate Garibaldian veterans who returned to Percile after the defeat at Mentana. Only with the annexation of the entire Papal State to the Kingdom of Italy did the dream of freedom come true.
In the early 20th century, calls for an easier life ushered in the era of emigration. So many sons of Percile chose distant destinations. The population, already small in number, drastically decreased. The rest was done by World War I in which Percile will sacrifice 27 of his best young men but this was nothing compared to what World War II meant for the entire population.
In fact, at that time the country suffered, in addition to the German occupation, also a bombing and even today the older ones remember the hasty escape from the country in search of a hut or a cave to avoid the reprisals of the invaders.
Percile fell, got back up and began a journey that allowed him to resume his journey in modernity, always with an eye to the past.
Certainly its position in the luxuriant Aniene Valley makes it a pleasant place for walks to discover the Lagustelli.
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