Jenne


Coat of Arms of Jenne

Jenne is an ancient village on a spur of Mount Pratiglio in the Simbruini Mountains chain. The valley below is crossed by the river Aniene and Jenne is located a short distance from the monastery of Subiaco to which it is joined by one of the most panoramic roads in Lazio region.

There are various hypotheses on the origin of the name, one makes it come from "Gehenna" (the gates of hell), the name given to the karst caves at the foot of Mount Pratiglio (the caves of Inferniglio). A Bronze Age sword was found in one of these caves.

Its traditions are deeply peasant and the lands were cultivated up to very high altitudes while the shepherds exploited the good exposure of the fields of Monte Pratiglio.

It seems that the ruins found in the Costa locality are of the ancient center of Tauna abandoned due to the Saracen raids which forced the inhabitants to build a fortress higher up. The origin of the urban nucleus dates back to around the year one thousand with the construction of a first fortified castle to protect people from continuous invasions.

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Given its proximity to Subiaco, the Jenne area has almost always been under the direct control of the Subiaco monastery or the papal state. And in fact, the first document in which Jenne is mentioned is found among the donations of Pope Leo IX to the monastery.

The feud of Jenne has had various lords and a plaque on the fortress recalls that in 1176 this castle was granted by Cardinal Simone Abbot of Subiaco to the family of Philip I of Marano. And here in 1254 his nephew Rinaldo was born, who would become Pope Alexander IV. The figure of this pope is important as he was the protagonist of the struggle between the papacy and the empire and of the temporary transfer of the papacy to Viterbo.

The Rinaldo family then left the feud to Pietro Count of Caserta of the Caetani family. Since 1639, Jenne has been governed directly by the Abbey of Subiaco. Today only a few traces remain of the castle and the small church of Saint Mary in Arce or Madonna of the fortress, was the original chapel than enlarged. It was enlarged on the remains of the fortress.

From the mid-eighteenth century, the government of Jenne was assigned directly by the church through the Sacred Congregation of Good Government and in the nineteenth century the works of arrangement of the large church of Saint Andrew were carried out.

The peasant tradition of the village of Jenne is underlined by the recovery of the municipal mill, where the mountain grains were processed with a large French stone, and of the municipal oven where bread was baked.

The pastoral tradition, on the other hand, is found in the re-enactment of the transhumance traveled by the shepherds and Jenne is still connected with Anzio and the Lazio coast through a series of suggestive paths.



Typical products 

Following the ancient tradition of the municipal oven, excellent dry biscuits and other oven-baked delights are produced in Jenne. The traditional biscuit is...
Typical Dishes 

The 'ndremmappi are the typical dish of Jenne and are recognized as a traditional dish of the Lazio region. They are a homemade pasta composed of a mixture of...

Parks and Gardens 

Jenne is located in the Simbruini Mountains Park and its territory is crossed by all the animals of the Abruzzo National Park, which is located only 60 km...
Archeotourism 

The Mora Cavoso cave is located in Jenne at an altitude of 715 m above sea level and here the remains were unearthed of at least 23 human burials with their...

The town mill of Jenne is a perfect example of industrial archeology.  It was opened in 1911, with the arrival at Jenne of electricity, and was in operation...
Trekking 

I monti Simbruini sono attraversati da una fitta rete di sentieri di difficoltà diverse che possono essere percorsi a piedi o con MTB. Da Jenne è possibile...
Festivals 

The festival of Ndremmappi is the celebration of the typical Jenne pasta. Ndremmappi is a tasty wholemeal pasta that is seasoned with a tomato-based sauce...

Jenne celebrates Saint Anthony Abbuot "Favaro" in a tradition maintained over time by the entire population of the small mountain village. Saint Anthony...
Religious Celebrations 

The feast of the patron saint Roch is the most heartfelt of Jenne and is celebrated on August 16th. Tradition has it that religious ceremonies begin with the...
Countryside Experiences 

Every year in August, a group of horse enthusiasts retraces the ancient transhumance path that connects Jenne with Anzio. It is the path that shepherds once...

On hot spring and summer days, in Jenne you can cool off in the waters of the municipal swimming pool built on a plateau in the Il Lescuso hostel and...

Particular museums 

In the historic building that once housed the municipality of Jenne and which is located near the main square in the alley that leads to the fortress, you can...
Architecture and monuments 

    The first nucleus of the current historic center of Jenne is represented by a fortress built on the highest point of the village around the...

The small medieval church of the Archangel Michael is located on one of the mountains above Jenne which takes its name from San Michele Arcangelo. It is a...

Meet Special People 

What a beautiful youth! In the project of the Town Ambassadors network of the Metropolitan City of Rome, the municipality of Jenne and its mayor Giorgio...
Blog 

The journey for the Town Ambassadors of the Aniene Valley took me to Jenne, the 'wildest' of the villages in the Mount Simbruini Park.

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