Caprarola is located on the southern slope of the Cimini Mountains to the east of Lake Vico, perched on a tufaceous spur and located between the consular roads, now state roads, Cassia and Flaminia. Mount Fogliano stands on the municipal territory. For the beauty of the places it was the subject of studies in 1995 by the School of Architecture of Prince Charles of England-
During the Middle Ages it was disputed by several feudal families, in 1275 there is evidence that it was under the Orsini, but for a short time, the power passed in fact in a short time to the Prefects of Vico. From 1370, a struggle for control of these areas began between the Prefects of Vico and the Counts of Anguillara. In 1435 it fell under the jurisdiction of the Holy See.
But it was in the sixteenth century that it experienced its maximum splendor, when the Farnese family, with the appointment of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese as Pope Paul III, and with the establishment of the Duchy of Castro, considerably extended their domain by building sumptuous villas and castles. The most representative residence of the level of wealth and power that this noble family reached was built in Caprarola, the Palazzo Farnese di Caprarola.
Caprarola represents one of the most significant urban examples of the 16th century. The ancient medieval village was torn to pass a spectacular straight road that from the foot of the hill climbs over ravines, partly filled and partly crossed with 2 bridges until reaching the square in front of the imposing Palazzo Farnese.
The latter represents one of the most important buildings of Renaissance-Mannerist architecture. It was built in the sixteenth century on a project by Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola on the basis of a previous pentagonal fortification designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, of which Vignola maintained the external perimeter.
From a naturalistic point of view, located west of Caprarola, there is Lake Vico, which is probably the best preserved of the great Italian lakes of volcanic origin. Included among the areas of particular naturalistic value in Lazio, among the biotopes of significant vegetational interest in Italy and part of the Lago di Vico Nature Reserve, it allows the development of the life of numerous and rare animal species.
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Summary
Caprarola rises on the southern slope of the Cimini Mountains, where the panorama opens into the great valley of the Tiber. After passing medieval houses and Renaissance buildings, you come to Palazzo Farnese, one of the masterpieces of Lazio architecture. Caprarola is also famous for the large production of hazelnuts, with which traditional sweets, tozzetti, amaretti, pampepati are prepared, hence the spectacular festival that is celebrated every year at the end of August. Since 1982 the Lago di Vico Nature Reserve has been established, a protected area of over 4,000 hectares that includes the lake, centuries-old woods of oak, beech, chestnut and hazelnut groves.
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