Where does the name San Donato Val di Comino come from?

The name derives from the patron saint San Donato; the specification "Val di Comino" was officially added in 1862 to distinguish it from other places with the same name.

What are the ancient origins of San Donato Val di Comino?

San Donato Val di Comino is probably connected to the ancient Samnite outpost of Cominium, destroyed in 293 BC; although the exact location is uncertain, the area was certainly inhabited in Samnite and Roman times.

Are there any Roman archaeological finds in the area?

Yes: a rustic villa with a necropolis and inscriptions was discovered in the district of San Fele (today San Fedele); remains that prove the Roman presence in the area.

What is the first document to mention San Donato Val di Comino?

The first known document mentioning “Ecclesiam Sancti Donati in territorio Cumino” dates back to 778 AD, when Ildebrando, Duke of Spoleto, ceded the territory to the Monastery of San Vincenzo al Volturno.

How is the village structured and what is the oldest area?

The oldest part of the village is the Rione del Castello (Castle District), with walls and towers, dividing the village from the valley; there were gates to Greco, Levante and Ponente. The village developed after the construction of the existing church-sanctuary.

What was San Donato like during the modern age?

In the 16th century, San Donato had more than 5,000 inhabitants; it was described as a fortified, perched village with defensive buildings and a church-sanctuary; despite calamities such as earthquakes, floods and plagues, the village continued to grow.

San Donato Val di Comino

The name of the village originates from the saint worshipped there. The specification “Val di Comino” was added in 1862 to distinguish it from other places of the same name.

Ancient history of San Donato Val di Comino

San Donato Val di Comino has ancient origins, some sources suggest that it is Cominium, an outpost of the Samnites, destroyed in 293 BC by the Roman armies. This outpost would have been located in the Comino Valley, specifically in the area currently occupied by the municipalities of Alvito, Vicalvi and San Donato Val di Comino.

Although there are conflicting opinions as to the exact location of Cominium in our valley, we know for certain that the territory was a Samnite outpost. In 329 BC, Rome conquered Terracina, Fregellae (today San Giovanni Incarico) and later, in 303, Sora, to secure bridgeheads along the Via Appia, the Via Latina and today's Via Sferracavallo.

Roman and Longobard period

In Roman times, a rustic villa stood in the present-day area of the village, discovered in the late 19th century in the district of San Fele (today San Fedele). The villa was located near an ancient rural fountain and a small church. Necropolis remains and inscriptions were found on the site of the villa and in the surrounding area, which are now kept at the local secondary school.

The first sanctuary dedicated to San Donato was built after 304, the year of the martyrdom of the then bishop of Arezzo. Subsequently, the territory of San Donato Val di Comino was ruled by the Lombards as part of Langobardia Minor.

The first known document mentioning the name of the town of San Donato Val di Comino (Ecclesiam Sancti Donati in Cumino territory) dates back to 778. In that year, Ildebrando, Duke of Spoleto, ceded the territory to the Monastery of San Vincenzo al Volturno.

Subsequent events are linked to the outcome of the Battle of Garigliano in 915. This event started the migration of the populations that, starting from Itri, headed for the mountains on the border between Lazio and Abruzzo.

The Rione del Castello (Castle District) represents the oldest area of the town and is located at the root of the Apennines, with austere gateways facing Greco, Levante and Ponente. In 1632, G.P.M. Castrucci described San Donato as divided into two districts, the Castello and the Valle, with the Castello surrounded by walls and towers. The inhabitants of the Rione, who had always been devoted to the patron saint, built the Sanctuary of our patron saint in the 16th century at little expense.

The town of San Donato Val di Comino arose later than the church of the same name, which was already mentioned in documents from 778. The first mention of the village dates back to 1269, when San Donato already existed. It was the inhabitants of the castle of Sant'Urbano, which has now disappeared, who built the village.

Development of the country during the modern age

The village developed during the modern age, reaching a population of over five thousand inhabitants in the 16th century. San Donato is depicted in one of the panels of the Villa Gallio in Posta Fibreno. One can see a tower-mastery dominating the entire village, surrounded by the walls of the fortress and houses arranged in fairly regular rows.

Local writers of the 16th century also described the village, highlighting the fortifications, defences and the church-sanctuary dedicated to San Donato. Despite earthquakes, droughts, plagues and floods, the village continued to grow.