The fortress Rocca Janula is on a steep cliff on the slopes of Montecassino and was built by Abbot Aligernus around 960 to defend the abbey and the village below by the constant attacks of the enemies.
According to some scholars, the name derives from the Latin "ianua" (door) and would indicate the entrance to the territory of Montecassino.
According to others it would be linked to the presence of a temple dedicated to Jupiter, of which there is no archaeological evidence.
Rocca Janula of Cassino has been recently restored and is surrounded by a wall with two internal courtyards, a pentagonal tower (20 m high) and a church.
During the Second World War it was a place of clashes between Germans and the allies, which also destroyed the wider walls that also included the inhabited center below.
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