Rocca Massima: an ancient village with breathtaking views

On 5 December 1202, Innocent III granted Pietro Annibaldi with the Brief 'Quia per tuae' the territories on Mount Massimo with the obligation, however, to swear an oath of perpetual loyalty to the Roman Church. In addition, Innocent III authorised Annibaldi to build a fortified fortress 'munitionem et castrum' there, given the strategic importance of the place, located between the Sacco Valley and the Pontine Plain. This is how Rocca Massima was born, the village perched 750 metres above sea level on the heights of Mount Massimo, belonging to the Monti Lepini chain, in the province of Latina, in southern Lazio, from where one can enjoy a breathtaking panorama. A natural oasis amidst endless undulating expanses of olive and chestnut trees, shades of green with different nuances that border the incredible blue sea of the beautiful Pontine islands. A handful of inhabitants, about 1100 permanent residents, have remained out of love for this land that they care for and protect, that they beautify and restore to make life more pleasant for themselves and for tourists. The only noise is given by the melodies of the wind, the tranquillity of being able to listen undisturbed to one's own thoughts that, as if by magic, removed from stress, take on a completely different form. This is the great added value of this place of yesteryear. The inhabitants of Rocca Massima are hard-working, creative, ingenious, and in cooperation with nature they have been able to extract products of excellence, such as the so-called green gold of the Pontine countryside, an evo oil of the highest quality obtained from the itrana olive, which also has extraordinary characteristics for health. No less valuable is the Gaeta table olive, increasingly rare and sought after by connoisseurs of taste. But Rocca Massima also offers high-level culture. For 18 years now, in summer, the International Organ Festival has been held at the Cathedral of San Michele Arcangelo, built in the late 15th century, in the heart of the historic centre, where in the more recent past a mechanical organ was installed, inaugurated with a concert by maestro J.E. Goettsche, titular organist of the Vatican Basilica in Rome. Since then, musicians from all over Europe and the United States have performed in concert, praising the instrument's technical features.
From afar, Rocca Massima looks like a crib, an area rich in history, art, tradition, views, silences and the virtues of its friendly, welcoming and festive people. Genuinely festive.