Origins of Vicalvi: Volsci settlement and Roman villa rustica
The castle and village of Vicalvi, which arose during the Middle Ages on the same site as an earlier Volscian settlement, were the origin of the medieval place name Vicus Albus. The Volscians, who had settled in an area that had already been populated in the Palaeolithic period, had created a fortified settlement on the hillside, of which few traces remain today of the remarkable wall circuit. A Roman village overlapped the Volscian nucleus, according to the hypothesis of Marcello Rizzello, and colonised the Vicalvese countryside with the construction of several rustic villas. In addition, an important Roman sanctuary was located in the locality of Pescarola and was much frequented by transhumant shepherds.
Records of the medieval town date back to the 10th century, when the area was dominated by the Lombards, who had a gastaldo in Vicalvi.
he medieval castle and its lords: counts of the Marsi, Cassinese monks and feudal families
When the Counts of Marsi acquired the territory, the Vicalvese castle became the residence of the Counts. The Cassinese monks had interests in the village and owned a provostry until the end of the Middle Ages, which is now in the neighbouring municipality of Casalvieri. Through complex donations and transfers of property, the families that dominated the cominese made Vicalvi their fiefdom, pivoting on the fortress of Alvito, a centre with which Vicalvi was frequently associated. However, Vicalvi was also of interest to the lords of Sorano, due to its strategic position astride the two basins, Sorano and cominese. The castle was attacked several times, but rarely successfully, as in 1435 when it was besieged by Riccio di Montechiaro. In 1528, the French army led by the famous Odetto di Fois, lord of Lautrecht, was repulsed by the besieged, who even brought their women to the walls. A tile in the Villa Gallia at Posta Fibreno depicts the Vicalvese castle with its triple walls and the upper fortification looming over the passage below. This building remained in use until the 19th century, but damage caused by the German occupiers during the Second World War reduced it to a ruin.
After the end of the feuds, the people of Vicalvesi remained loyal to the Bourbons and participated in attacking the liberals of Alvito, but did not side with the brigands.
After national unification, the political and administrative ties between Vicalvi and Posta were reduced. Some rural hamlets, due to disputes and legislative measures, formed autonomous municipalities or came under another jurisdiction. This situation represented a serious blow to Vicalvi, which lost many inhabitants, who emigrated massively from the end of the 19th century. People began to move down into the valley, abandoning the houses on the hills and forming a central core along the Sora-Cassino road, where the main public services were located. Today, despite the lack of large local resources, Vicalvi is one of the smallest and most active towns in the province of Frosinone. The historical centre has been carefully restored.
The old castle dominates the village from above, overlooking the basin of Posta and the passage between the two valleys. Near the castle is a small palace with a Renaissance portal, surrounded by several abandoned and ruined dwellings. Descending towards the village through the upper gate of the city walls, one arrives at Vicalvi, which is practically made up of a road winding in a serpentine fashion along the sides of the hill, between two rows of houses. The houses and the road were restored after the 1984 earthquake damage. Further down is a tiny square, the old municipal headquarters and the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista, with a Baroque interior, frescoes on the vault and several modern paintings. The wooden pulpit is also Baroque in style. On a modern altar is a 20th-century tile depicting the Last Supper.
In the eastern part of the village there are notable buildings that overlook the valley below, offering sudden panoramic glimpses. Clearly visible, located on the Vicalvi saddle, is the Convent of St Francis, which, according to legend, hosted the Assisian saint during one of his journeys.
