Monterano

The ancient city of Monterano rises on a tufo cliff on three sides towards the valley of hte Mignone stream and one of its tributaries.
The strategic and defensible location has been inhabited since the Etruscan era. From this first period there is the splendid clearing  that, from the Mignone valley, in correspondence to the characteristic sulfurous springs, rises to the inhabited town.
In the Renaissance era, in 1671, the feud of Monterano was acquired by the family of Pope Clemente X Altieri, which commissioned a total reconstruction of the town to Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
To this design date back the grand palazzo and fountain located in the center of the façade, dominated by the statue of a lion with tub made to imitate natural elements, almost a miniature version of that which would be the Trevi Fountain. The town, small but of notable splendor, was abandoned in 1799 following the raids of French soldiers that had occupied the Papal State.
Having passed the town, towards the point of the spur of tufo, rises the convent of San Bonaventura, this also designed by Bernini. The roof of the church collapsed and at the center there is a century-old fig tree, creating a fascinating and truly unique atmosphere.
The particular atmosphere of Monterano has been used in many films with medieval settings, including Lady Hawk and Mario Monicelli's "Il Marchese del Grillo".