Fornole: Local History, Nature and Acciaccata

Fornole combines a historic street plan that is still easy to make out with churches, Parco San Silvestro and a typical local dish. When planning a stay, you can focus on different aspects: local history, the connection between the church and the park, or the nature and landscape around San Silvestro. Acciaccata adds a culinary dimension to these impressions.

Historic centre

Fornole has been known as “Castrum Fornoli” since ancient times. The name Fornole derives from the many ovens and kilns that have been present in the area since antiquity. In the historic castle area, the geometric layout of the old castle is still clearly visible: the lanes run parallel and straight. This allows you to explore local history both through the origin of the name and through the layout of the castle area.

The Chiesa di San Pietro Apostolo is in the historic centre. These are two different points of reference for exploring Fornole’s architectural history: the arrangement of the lanes in the old castle area and the church’s location in the centre.

San Silvestro: Church and tradition

The Chiesa di San Silvestro stands in Parco San Silvestro and is dedicated to Fornole’s patron saint of the same name. Architectural fragments indicate that a place of worship already existed in San Silvestro in the 9th century; the founding of the Chiesa di San Silvestro is attributed to the Carolingian period. The two references highlight different historical aspects: one concerns a place of worship, the other the attributed founding period of the church.

Local tradition links the life of Saint Sylvester with a tamed dragon. According to the story, a small cave near the church was the dragon’s hiding place. A central fresco in the Chiesa di San Silvestro depicts Saint Sylvester holding the dragon on a chain. The legend and the fresco thus present the same motif in different forms.

Parco San Silvestro: Trail and nature

A trail leads from Fornole, in the Ferro district, to the Chiesetta San Silvestro, climbing continuously along the way. Bear the steady ascent in mind when including this trail in your day’s plans. Parco San Silvestro has wooden tables and benches as well as stone fire pits, where you can barbecue outdoors. Both the nature of the trail and the park’s facilities are practical aspects to consider when planning your visit.

The vegetation in Parco San Silvestro includes juniper, strawberry tree, broom, holm oak, oak, downy oak and manna ash. Wildlife includes squirrels, foxes, porcupines, badgers, roe deer and wild boar. Bird species named as inhabiting the park include green woodpeckers, blackbirds, wood pigeons, owls, falcons and hoopoes. The names of the plants and animals give the nature theme its own focus alongside the trail and park facilities.

Monte San Silvestro is also part of the landscape: it rises within the municipal territory of Amelia, near its eastern border. Northeast of Fornole, it overlooks the village and the Amerina state road.

Acciaccata and local character

Acciaccata is a thick pizza baked in a wood-fired oven under the embers and considered a typical product of the village of Fornole. The reference to ovens thus appears in two different contexts: in the derivation of the village’s name from the area’s ovens and kilns, and in the preparation of a local dish. Acciaccata can therefore be seen as a distinct culinary part of the village’s profile, alongside the history of the castle area and the churches of Fornole.

Discover more destinations: Prodo, Borgaria, Castel Giorgio, Orvieto, Itieli, Morrano Nuovo, Coppe, San Gemini.

For the main travel overview: Terni.