What to see
The sanctuary was constructed using a terraced system centered around a dry-stone fortified enclosure surrounding an open area. To the north-east lies the sacred section featuring the foundations of the 4th-century BC sacellum and a small necropolis with five tombs discovered by Mariano Guardabassi in the late 19th century. Positioned near a natural spring and the Nera and Corno rivers, the site revealed twelve circular votive pits during 2011 excavations, lined with stones and filled with Hellenistic pottery fragments and animal bones. Worship persisted following the Roman conquest of Sabina in 290 BC through the 1st century BC, with the final evidence of use marked by a 2nd-century AD temple base.
Visiting
The site is accessible via Provincial Road SP 476/2 at the mountain pass, named Ancarano after the Roman gens Ancaria. While the terraced layout and structural outlines remain visible on site, the vast array of artifacts recovered from excavations—including Umbro-Sabellic and Etruscan bronze figurines, black-gloss ceramics, Republican coins, and two inscribed pocula dedicated to Vulcan and Mercury—is preserved at the National Archaeological Museum of Umbria.
Our editors' tip
To fully appreciate this mountain sanctuary, pair your visit to the pass with a tour of the National Archaeological Museum of Umbria, where you can view the distinctive 4th-century BC elongated bronze figurines.