Via Francigena nel Sud Day 14: Roccaromana - Alife

Road to from Rome Day 14: Roccaromana - Alife

Our day began with a steep climb from Roccaromana to the Norman tower high above the village. The existence of the tower is documented since the year 1101,though it may have been built as early as the sixth century by the Longobards, in a more rudimentary form. 

Next to the tower is the church of Santa Maria del Castello, which was closed, but members of today's large group of walkers took turns ringing the church bell to celebrate our conquest of this peak. It's the weekend again, and we have been joined by members of Annalisa's walking group from Naples, Animerranti, and of the Italian Alpine Club, Mt. Vesuvius branch (!) 

Hiking guide Annalisa Galloni of Animerranti

Walkers of Animerranti

Yours truly

From the tower we descended again, to Statigliano, where the Bar dell'Angolo offered us the best possible refreshment for walkers: fresh unsweetened lemonade! 

Back on the road, literally: unfortunately the path through the woods at this point has been blocked by a landowner who has erected a fence, so we had to walk on the shoulder of the road. We passed through the towns of Baia e Latina and Dragoni, where we stopped in front of a church to eat our picnic lunch. 

The critical part of today's walk was a stretch of walking along a busy highway. At this point the old railway tracks and the road cross the river Volturno, and at the moment the only way for pedestrians to cross the river is on the road bridge, along with the traffic. However funds have been set aside to build a pedestrian bridge and make this part of the Via Francigena safe! Fortunately we were a large group today so it was easy for the traffic to see us. 

We eventually arrived in Alife, where we were met by the authorities before retiring to our accommodations for a break. Five of us are staying in the sacristy of the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie just outside the town, which is set up with bunks and cots to accommodate passing pilgrims on a donation basis. There's even a washing machine! 

My cot in the sacristy

Bunk beds among spare church furniture 

After showering and starting up the washing machine, we went into the historic walled town of Alife for a guided walking tour. The present city was built in medieval times on top of the ruins of a Roman, originally Samnite, city. The cathedral stands above a Norman crypt built using fragments of Roman columns, in a magnificent layering of history. 

Even the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie, where we are staying, was built over the ruins of a Roman mausoleum; when the church opened in the morning the priest took us to see it, and we discovered it was right below thevrooms where we had spent the night!

The F in the name of the town Alife suggests to linguists that it is a place name of Samnite origin. The Samnites, probably an offshoot of the Sabines, formed a confederation of four tribes: the Hirpini, Caudini, Caraceni, and Pentri. They allied with Rome against the Gauls in 354 BC, but later became enemies of the Romans and were soon involved in a series of three wars (343–341 BC, 327–304 BC, and 298–290 BC) against the Romans. Despite an overwhelming victory over the Romans at the Battle of the Caudine Forks (321 BC), the Samnites were eventually subjugated and assimilated by the Romans; Pontius Pilate is one particularly well-known Roman of Samnitic origin. 

The extent of Samnite territory prior to assimilation by the Romans

One of the four city gates 

Medieval walls built with ancient Roman stones

Our tour of the city concluded at the mausoleum next to the town hall, where the mayor awaited us. During the discussion with the mayor and members of the European Association of the Via Francigena as well as the local association that takes care of the route in this area, our President asked me to step forward and introduce myself and talk about what I am doing with the Road to Rome group and why... A bad habit he has gotten into recently! 😅