Castello Savelli
Lord of Palombara was Giovanni dei Crescenzi Ottavini who inaugurated a season of undisputed control on the entire area so much independent as to be a kingdom rather than a fiefdom. And he very likely had the castle built in 1111 on the main high ground of the constituting village. The power of the Ottavianis ended in 1180 with the signing in the castle rooms of the deed under the seal of the notary through which they sanctioned the ownership passage in favour of the monks of San Giovanni in Argentella.
In the XIII century came the powerful Savellis, strong thanks to the support of the two popes of the same family Onorio III and Onorio IV of the Savellis who in a few decades were elected popes and came to the throne of Peter. In that period antipope Innocenzo III and Federico Barbarossa stayed there. In 1258 a strong earthquake caused lots of damage to the town and the castle.
In 1310 a trial against some knights of the Order of the Temple, the Templars, was celebrated in some rooms of the castle. Artist and goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini took shelter there in 1532 and in 1602 Virginia Savelli, future founder of the Rome Monastery of Santa Maria dei Setti Dolori was born there. In 1637 the castle was sold to the Borgheses to whom the Torlianas succeeded in 1893. In the early XX century a wing of the castle was improperly transformed into a prison whereas other environments were used as agricultural depots. In 1949 it went to the Sforza Cesarinis who sold it in 1971 to the Italian State which gave it to Palombara Sabina.
The original nucleus of the castle dates back to the XII century, built on living rock of the high ground on which it arises. It has an irregular map surrounded by walls with a wide open barrack square and a courtyard inside other buildings. During the XIII and XIV century it was enlarged by adding very high walls and a high quadrangular tower, among the biggest in Lazio. Close to the tower a new complex of factory was built in 1560 with a circular bastion at angle to enclose the oldest one. Noteworthy and very rare example in Italy is the deep gallery which starts from the castle and connects this to one of the town doors. The 80-metre long gallery can be walked in two ways, one covered with deep arrow-slits which ensured a formidable defence to archers and crossbowmen, the other piace above the gallery, uncovered but protected by battlements.

The territory
It is situated in the heart of the southern Sabine in the northeast of Rome (Sabina Romana) in a region furrowed by the rivers Tiber and Anio and connected to the streets Tiburtina, Nomentana and Salaria, at the foot of the Natural Park of Monti Lucretili on a hill at the foot of Mount Gennaro.
The characteristic historical centre is an ensemble of concentric alley surrounding the Castle situated on top of the hill.
Still well preserved pretty corners create an atmosphere which makes us relive the many stories and episodes which took place here over many centuries of history.

Other things to see
Abbey of S. Giovanni in Argentella
lt is situated about 2 km from Palombara Sabina, completely immersed in the green and surrounded by trees. The name Argentella derives probably from the abundance of water springs which characterised the place with numerous rivulets which from the surrounding hills went downhill shining as silver at sunlight. Furthermore in the church crypt is still today a water spring which in the past was considered miraculous. Probably the rich presence of water gave this place the particular telluric sacredness necessary and fundamental for the construction of a religious building. The primitive construction dates back to the VIII century, probably by the Basilian monks (who abided by the rule of Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Cesarea in Cappadocia) of Oriental rite coming from Greece. In the XI century the abbey was run by Benedictine friars to whom the Guglielmitis introduced by Pope Onorio IV succeeded in 1286 and later the Silvestrinis. Since 1895 the Abbey was declared a national monument and is currently run by a small lay ecumenic community.

Chiesa di San Biagio
The church of San Biagio, patron of Palombara, is worth a visit. Founded before the Thousand, the church was one of the cell-sanctuary of the territory, encompassed in the XII century into a Romanic building completely restructured in 1845. In the church, characterised by a façade recently covered with travertine, is the icon of Salvatore, a XIV century copy of the ancient image of Christ preserved in Lateran. A board representing the Madonna in throne with the Child is noteworthy. It was made by Antonio da Víterbo (1459 current year).

Santa Maria del Gonfalone
The church of Santa Maria del Gonfalone consists of an only nave open in two cross-vault chapels situated at the entrance. An arch divides the nave from the presbytery also covered by a cross-vault. The ceiling is in wood beams. It is worth admiring inside the tempera on board situated on the altar wall representing the Annunciation and God Blessing, a work which critics say belong to Antonazzo Romano's workshop.

Convento di San Nicola
The convent, of which only some ruins remain, is situated near the station of the former cableway, where once there was an old Roman villa. It consists of a simple plan worship building with an only nave and a small bell tower on the façade.
In order to get there it is necessary to leave Palombara and go to Tivoli and after about one kilometre go to a small asphalted alley upwards. We get to the abandoned convent where it is possible to enjoy a beautiful scenery.

The village-castle of Castiglione
About 1 km from Palombara Sabina is a magnificent castle, one of the best examples of the early Medieval castrum of the Park of Monti Lucretili. The building, dating back to the second half of the XIII century, dominates all the territory of the Sabina thanks to its position at 750 above sea level.
The castle, whose building took piace probably in just one moment, stretched on an area of about 1,200 square metres.

Natural Park of Monti Lucretili
The Park of Monti Lucretili, born in 1989, is included in the system of parks and reserves of Regione Lazio. Its territory has a surface of about 18,000 hectares and is situated northeast of Rome between the valley of the Tiber and that of the Anio on the southern spur of the group of Mount Sabini.

Cretone's Baths
Near Palombara Sabina is a thermal centre called Terme di Cretone (Cretone's Baths) whose 24 degree sulphuric-hypothermal waters are famous for therapeutic and cosmetic proprieties since the old times.

The Territorial Archaeological Museum of Sabina
It is situated in the Castello Savelli and hosts inside important remains of the Sabine civilisation as well as two beautiful marble statues representing Zeus and Eirene. All the remains come from the territory of Palombara.
Visits: phone on 0039 0774636462

Palombara Sabina meets the Templars
Officially in the history of Palombara Sabina, the Templari Knights appear only in the trial which sees them as defendants in the early XIV century which took place in the rooms of the Castello Savelli and which ended on 17th July 1310 with the sentence of Gualtiero Di Napoli, the last of the Italian Templars. Some references help us to understand why this trial took piace here. The name Columbaria (later become Palombara) appears to be mentioned for the first time in a bull by Pope John XIX in 1029, by referring to the fiefdom of Longobard Duke Alberico's descendants, the Ottavianis, who apparently governed the town for a long time. However the name itself was frequently used by the Templars who learnt during the Crusades in the Holy Land the use of travelling sea eagles as a means of strategie communication. In their view in particular the name Columbaria, Colombara, Palombara and things like that indicated a sighting tower with annexed dovecot for emergency communications.

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