Monte San Giovanni in Sabina. Ruins of the Fortress of Tancia

In the tenth century two fortified settlements were founded near the Tancia river along the road linking the Tiber Valley and the Rieti valley.

The castle of Tancia was founded between 967 and 975, and the castle of Fatucchio in 988.

Of these two villages only ruins remain today, dominated by dilapidated towers.

The two castles belonged to the Abbey of Farfa, although often the abbey ceded sovereignty a proportion of its shares to families, like that of Camponeschi.

The Tancia fortress was still inhabited in the late fourteenth century, but gradually became depopulated, as did the nearby castle of Fatucchio.

They both ended for the great crisis in the late Middle Ages, and for an interest of the Roman baronial Orsini families towards more remuneration from seasonal movement of sheep.


Written by:
Benedicta Lee

Born in Rome from an Italian mother and American father, she works as a freelance communications manager and designer in the tourism sector, a career and interest which she is pursuing with a...

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