The walls of Ninfa are the circuit that defended the vanished medieval town, now the Garden of Ninfa, in the territory of Cisterna di Latina. In the fourteenth century, when Ninfa was at its height, they were about 1400 metres long, punctuated by at least eleven towers, though probably many more. Inside were more than a hundred and fifty houses, churches, mills, bridges, two hospitals and a town hall.
What to see
The history of the walls is one of demolitions and rebuildings. In 1116, with the Pactum Ninfensium, Pope Paschal II entrusted the town to its inhabitants in exchange for loyalty to the Church, certain economic obligations and the order to pull down the defences. In the same century the Frangipane built the defensive walls, together with the first part of the castle; Pietro Caetani strengthened them after 1297, and in 1369 Onorato I Caetani restored the circuit once more.
Along the line of the walls two adaptations can be recognised. The small church of San Biagio, of the twelfth century, stood so close to the walls that the builders had to divert them to bring it inside the town. And the Ponte del Macello, of two spans, was built right up against the circuit, over the river Ninfa.
Visiting
The walls are seen during the visit to the Garden of Ninfa, which opens on set days: dates, bookings and tickets should be checked on the website of the Fondazione Roffredo Caetani.
Our editors' tip
The walls were not enough. After the siege of 1380 Ninfa was sacked, and in 1381 it was destroyed by the neighbouring towns with pickaxes: from then on it was never rebuilt. There are two explanations for the name of the Ponte del Macello, a battle said to have reddened the river's water or, more probably, a building for slaughtering meat that stood beside it.
