The village
The village perched on the Monti della Tolfa
The year that made Tolfa the "mine of Rome"
The fortress that still dominates the village
Tolfa is a medieval village perched on the north-eastern slopes of the Monti della Tolfa, 470 metres above sea level, in the northern province of Rome, at the heart of the Tuscia of Lazio and of ancient Etruria. Built on trachytic rock and dominated by the Rocca dei Frangipane, the village is reached by crossing miles of green and free-roaming pastures, amid precious vegetation, distinctive wildlife and nature trails of great beauty.
The territory preserves important traces of Etruscan and Roman civilisation, such as the necropolis of Pian della Conserva, whose finds are on display at the Archaeological Museum of Tolfa. The heart of the village, however, is medieval: the first certain records of the castle date back to 1201.
In the fifteenth century the discovery of alum, a mineral prized for tanning hides and dyeing cloth, made Tolfa the "mine of Rome" and one of the first mining centres in the Mediterranean. The village grew beyond its walls, enriched with Renaissance palaces and their inner courtyards (the Palazzaccio, Palazzo Buttaoni, Palazzo Celli) and with the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Sughera.
Tolfa has always tied its identity to the culture of the horse, embodied by the Tolfa Horse, a native breed registered at European level. Around the horse grew the craft of leather: the tools of the buttero (the Tolfa herdsman) and the famous "catana", the leather bag that became a symbol of the youth protests of the 1970s and is known around the world as "La Tolfa".
The village also keeps alive the tradition of Poesia a Braccio (improvised poetry) and a lively cultural season, with festivals of international renown such as TolfArte, Tolfa Jazz and Tolfa Gialli & Noir.
Tolfa is easy to reach from the coast and from Rome, in a strategic position in Upper Lazio.
Tolfa is about twenty minutes from the port and railway station of Civitavecchia, and around an hour from Rome. You arrive along the via Aurelia (SS1) or the A12 motorway towards Civitavecchia, taking the Civitavecchia or Santa Severa exit, then continuing inland on the provincial road to Tolfa. Rome Fiumicino airport is about 45 minutes away, Ciampino a little over an hour. Nearby, Manziana is a quarter of an hour away and Bracciano, with its lake, about twenty minutes.
The rooms and the restaurant are in the heart of the village.
