What to see in Roccamonfina, a medieval village in Campania in the province of Caserta, an itinerary including the megalithic walls with the Queen's Garden and the Madonna dei Lattani Sanctuary.
Tourist information
Roccamonfina was founded, according to a legend, in 250 AD by the Roman emperor Decius, who had arrived in these places while chasing Fina, the love of his life, for which he would have built a fortress in his honor, from which the name of the town derived.
In addition to the historical center having the typical medieval aspect, the place of greatest interest is the megalithic walls of Monte Frascara, called Orto della Regina.
This area includes an area of about 2500 square meters with high and thick walls.
It has not yet been established what this building was used for, according to some theories it was a fortification, other scholars believe on the contrary that it was a place of worship, but the only certain thing, ascertained after extensive studies, is that it is built walls by the Samnites, dating back to the sixth century BC.
A short distance from the center is the Sanctuary of Maria Santissima dei Lattani which, surrounded by a chestnut grove, is one of the most suggestive in the area.
A legend says that a statue of the Madonna was found by a shepherd inside a cave, in 1430 AD. about.
After this discovery, faithful in large numbers began to arrive on the spot, to the point of inducing San Bernardino of Siena and San Giacomo della Marca to build a cult building where to place the Marian statue.
What see
The church, which has a facade preceded by a large staircase and a Gothic-style pronaos, has a single-nave interior with cross vaults, where there are paintings on the vaults and walls, made by Father Tommaso di Nola in the period between 1630 and 1637.
The seventeenth-century rectangular cloister is surrounded by columns of different shapes.
In the courtyard there is the fountain of the Madonna, while on the right there is a balcony from which you can enjoy a beautiful panorama of the surrounding landscape.
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On the left is the access to the famous Romitaggio di San Bernardino, whose construction probably dates back to before the original chapel.
Nearby is the access to the cave where the statue of the Madonna was found.
