Nemi is a small town in the province of Rome. It is located in an area known as Castelli Romani, to the south-east of Rome itself. The town sits on a hill overlooking the volcanic Lake Nemi. Main points of interest are the Palazzo Ruspoli, the Museo delle Navi Romane, and the annual strawberry festival.
What to see and do in Nepi
Palazzo Ruspoli
The Palazzo Ruspoli is located in the main square, Piazza Umberto I. The original castle dates back to the 9th century. During the Renaissance period, it was restored by the architect Giuseppe Valadier. The building is structured around the cylindrical tower and surrounded by elevated gardens. The interior is characterized by ancient marble fragments and 18th century tempera paintings by Liborio Coccetti.
Terrazza degli Innamorati
This “Terrace of the Lovers” is located in front of the palace and provides a gorgeous panoramic view over the lake.
Corso Vittorio Emanuele
Corso Vittorio Emanuele is the main street of Nepi. The fountain of the Lions is located at the beginning of the street.
Museo delle Navi Romane
The “Museum of Roman Ships” was built between 1933 and 1939 with the sole aim of housing emperor Caligula’s ships. These had been recovered from the lake a couple of years before. Destroyed be a fire, the museum reopened in 1988. Part of it is still dedicated to the two ships, while the rest shows artefacts from the area during Repubblican and Imperial times. These include a stretch of the clivus Virbii, the Roman road between Ariccia and the Sanctuary of Diana.
Temple of Diana Nemorensis
The Temple of Diana Nemorensis was part of an ancient Italic monumental sanctuary erected around 300 BC. It was situated on the northern shore of Lake Nemi. Large parts of the terraces and buildings of the sanctuary, which was a popular place of worship until the late Imperial age, can still be see.
Eremo di San Michele
The Eremo (“Hermitage”) di San Michele is located on a hill outside Nemi. Following the walking path from the lake, you will pass some catacombs and, a little later, ruins of a medieval mill. The presbytery, decorated with mostly barely visible frescoes, is inside a cave.
Santuario del Santissimo Crocifisso
The Santuario del Santissimo Crocifisso was built in 1637. At the time, it was still called Santa Maria di Versacarro. In 1669, it was embellished with a wooden crucifix, made by Vincenzo Pietrosanti, which led to the name change. Points of interest are the 17th century frescoes by padre Felice from Naples and the Icon of the Virgin of Versacarro. The latter was stolen in 2002, and recovered four years later, in Messina.
Fountain of the Gorgon
The bronze fountain of the Gorgon is located in a small square on the way from the centre of Nemi to the Belvedere. The head of the Gorgon Medusa, snake-hair and all, was made in 2008 by the local sculptor Luciano Mastrolorenzi.
Church of Santa Maria del Pozzo
The church of Santa Maria del Pozzo was built on top of a chapel that had been constructed near a well where an apparition of the Madonna had taken place. The 16th century Madonna del Pozzo altarpiece still decorates the church, which is further graced by badly preserved frescoes.
A brief history of Nemi
Originally, what is now the territory of Nemi was part of what used to be the Latin city of Ariccia. The land was completely covered by a sacred forest, protected by the Temple of Diana Nemorense on the banks of the Lago di Nemi. This temple even remained important during Roman rule, so muchs so that Caligula used to organize parties on his ships in the centre of the lake.
The early 4th century AD saw the beginning of an agricultural settlement called Massa Nemus, which Emperor Constantine I later gave to the Cathedral of San Pancrazio in Albano Laziale.
In the 9th century, the Castrum Nemorensis was built and Nemi came to be ruled by the counts of Tusculum. The Frangipane family took over in 1090. In the mid-12th century, the pope gave the castrum to the influential Trappist Abbazia delle Tre Fontane. A period of piece followed that lasted until the 15th century, when Nemi was given to the Annibaldi family.
At the beginning of the 15th century, as a reward for his support during the crusade against the Caetani and Colonna families, Pope Boniface IX handed Nemi over to Teobaldo Annibaldi. Riccardo Annibaldi returned it to the Trappist monks for a short period in 1412 and the Colonna family then purchased it in 1428. From then on, until the Unification of Italy, Nemi became a fiefdom of one influential family after another.
When Nemi became a comune, the Ruspoli family bought the castle, at the same time paying for public works that were needed.
In the 1930s, Caligula’s ships were recovered from the bottom of Lake Nemi. They were on display in the Museum of Roman Ships, until World war II, when the Germans set fire to the building.