Lazio · Frosinone
Castro dei Volsci
A Ciociaria hilltop borgo in the Sacco valley, named for the pre-Roman Volsci.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 35 min from Rome
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 4,465
Known for
NINO MANFREDI
Born here in 1921, one of the four pillars of postwar Italian comedy alongside Sordi, Gassman and Tognazzi.
OLIVE OIL
Città dell'Olio designation for the extra-virgin oils pressed from the terraced groves below the centro storico.
VOLSCIAN HILL
Pre-Roman Volscian stronghold on the ridge above the Sacco valley, the name preserved in the town's full title.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J11°
- F14°
- M15°
- A18°
- M22°
- J27°
- J32°
- A31°
- S26°
- O21°
- N16°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Oliva di Anagni, 3 June
Why come
Castro dei Volsci sits on a ridge above the Sacco river valley, ninety kilometers southeast of Rome and fourteen from Frosinone. The Volsci, an Italic tribe Rome spent two centuries subduing, held this hill before the Latins took it; the name preserves both occupants, Castrum and Volsci, castle and people. After the year 1000 the village fell to the Papal States and stayed inside that orbit until unification.
The valley floor below the ridge holds Roman-era foundations and mosaics, remains of a settlement separate from the hill village above it. The slopes between the two carry the olive groves that still supply the town's oil. The upper village, where the clock tower and castle ruins stand, is where Nino Manfredi was born in 1921 before the family's path led him to Rome and to postwar cinema; the town he left behind kept its stacked houses, its gates and its position over the valley, and it is that unbroken layout, hill above, groves on the slope, valley floor beneath, that the Borghi più belli d'Italia listing recognizes.
The Sunday letter
Castro dei Volsci is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Castro dei Volsci comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Castro dei Volsci in our articles
The 6 best hill towns within 90 minutes of Latina6 towns, Castro dei Volsci among them.
The best hidden towns you can reach by train that eat well in Lazio6 towns, Castro dei Volsci among them.
The best hill towns in the province of Frosinone7 towns, Castro dei Volsci among them.
The best olive oil towns in Lazio8 towns, Castro dei Volsci among them.
How to get there
From Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 1h 38m by car.
Rome (FCO) is about 2 hours away.
By car from the centre of Naples 1h 42m or Salerno 2 hours.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming by train into Latina? Castro dei Volsci is about 1 hour away by road.
What to see
Torre dell'Orologio
Medieval clock tower in the upper village. Inside, a permanent exhibition holds Nino Manfredi's films, scripts and personal effects.
Castello
Ruins of the medieval fortress at the top of the borgo, with a panorama over the Sacco valley and the Monti Ausoni.
Centro storico
Stacked stone houses, vaulted passages and medieval gates that earned the borgo its Borghi più belli d'Italia membership.
Area archeologica di Casalvieri
Roman-era settlement remains in the valley below the borgo, with foundations and mosaics from the imperial period.
Olive groves of the Sacco slopes
Terraced groves below the centro storico that produce the extra-virgin oil for which the town carries the Città dell'Olio designation.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Castro dei Volsci fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Locanda del DitiramboRistorante
Locanda del Ditirambo holds a Slow Food snail.
Living here
- Population 4,465
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy: none mapped
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Naples / Salerno, 1 h 38 min drive
- Regional capital Roma, 1 h 35 min drive
Common questions
- What is Castro dei Volsci known for?
- Castro dei Volsci is a Ciociaria hilltop borgo at 385 meters in the Sacco valley, named for the pre-Roman Volsci.
- Where is Castro dei Volsci?
- Castro dei Volsci is a comune in the province of Frosinone, in Lazio.
- What is the nearest airport to Castro dei Volsci?
- Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 1h 38m by car.
- Can you get to Castro dei Volsci without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Naples to Castro dei Volsci?
- About 1h 42m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Castro dei Volsci?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 13 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Castro dei Volsci?
- The town keeps its patron saint's day: Oliva di Anagni, 3 June.
- Which other towns are like Castro dei Volsci?
- Arpino, Capranica and Magliano Sabina.
- How many people live in Castro dei Volsci?
- 4,465 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
The numbers
- Elevation: 385 m
- Population: 4,465
- Surface area: 58.45 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Featured on
Castro dei Volsci appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
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