San Donato Val Di Comino is called “land of pass” because in this area passed soldiers, merchants, monks and pilgrims. San Donato takes part of the National Park of Abbruzzi, Lazio and Molise. The origin of this place, maybe, comes from the ancient period when the Samnite Cominium was destroyed by Rome in 293 before Christ.

Surely, we know that the territory was a Samnite outpost.

As we said, since the etrurian age , this was a “land of pass” of people from Arezzo and Veio, who had trades with the etrurian colony of Capua, the richest italian city, which, in the centuries, will determine the destiny of the invasions in our valleys, for controlling the romans roads and the mountain Passes between North and South.

The most devasting invasion was the longobardic one in 568 A.D. Atina was destroyed and all the inhabitans were killed and even Montecassino’s Abbey was destroyed after 6o years of its building.

Our landes were under the Spoleto and Benevento’s dukedoms. Afer the 778 A.D., under the Holy Roman Empire, Charles the Greats rends the longobardic princes submissive and arrives to Capua. The same thing will happen, in 866 A.D., with the Emperor Ludovico who, passing from Sora along the latin road, arrives to Capua.

Our valleys little by little were invaded from the people of Itri, and still today, there is a lot of respect between the sandonatese people and the inhabitants of Itri.

In 1062, the Normans will conquer Capua and the County of Arezzo. This people, being well accepted by the Pope Niccolò II, were nominated from him, Vassals of the Church.

In 1150, Ruggiero the Norman will conquer the Comino Valley.

The unification of the norman and swabian dinasties in the person of Federico II of Swabia, gave a new impulse to local counties and baronies of ghibelline’s mold.

The Emperor gives more fortune to the Cont of Aquino, who already held our valley, and took, definitely, in possession of it in 1720. San Donato was called “Castrum Sancti Donati”. The consequent economic and military prosperity makes San donato a Barony.

The CASTELLO is the most ancient district and, geographically, is collocated in the middle of the Apennines. It is circumscribed from austeres gates of access, facing to Grecale, East Wind and West Wind. In the XVI century, in this district was built the Saint Donato Sanctuary. Saint Donato, who was a bishop of Arezzo, is our protector.

After the XV century, our territory called “SANTO DONATO CASTELLO”, was debatable from the Cantelmo, the Cardona and, even, the Borgia families.

The Sandonatesi dedicated themselves to the handicrafts. This activity favoured the contacts with the population of Umbria and Tuscany.

Our ancestors were even brave soldiers .They were appreciated in all the kingdom for the fight against the brigandage.

In 1595, in the name of the cardinal Tolomeo Gallio, the territory went to the Gallio’s family for 200 years. The family managed it with little interest .In 1669, a terrible pestilence reduced the sandonatesi inhabitants from 2344 to 640.

In the XVII and XVIII centuries San Donato had a considerable economic and urban development. A lot of palaces, squares were built and the churches and the monastery were modernized.

EVENTS:

The most important event is San Donato’s feast which is celebrated on August 7th. The origin of the feast goes back to the Middle Age, when the territory belonged to the longobardic dukedom of Spoleto. The festivities take place with a solemn procession, musical shows and fireworks.

On the last Sunday of August, is celebrated Saint Constance, the co-patron . She was a martyr of the christian’s persecution. In 1756, the mortal remains of the Saint were brought to San Donato. At the beginning of the novena, there is the opening of the urn, according to the ancient eighteenth-century ritual.

The feast is very attractive, with commemorations in costume, popular games, all - night vigil, fireworks, concerts and a processions were the statue of the Saint is taken from 12 pages with eighteenth - century dresses. The Saint is celebrated especially from young people and from the singles women, who, in the past, were called “cipolle”- “Onions”. It is famous the market of onions, pots, saucepans, moneyboxes and whistles for children in earthenware. During the day of the feast is possible to eat the historical menu: la Cipollata, a soup made with onions, stew with onions, pandispagna and orgeat

.During Christmas time, all the ancient part of the village is animated from the event “Presepi nei rioni”( Crèches in the districts ). It is a national competition of the art of the crèche. People can visit more than 100 crèches.

At the origins of the Sandonatese Christmas there is Father Anacleto Cenci, in the odour of sanctity, who was born in San Donato and dead in Greccio, Umbria, in Christmas night in 1806. In his honour the city of San Donato and the city of Greccio, the place where San Francesco made the first crèche, are twinned.

WHAT TO VISIT IN SAN DONATO VAL COMINO:

San Donato is a village characterized from medieval lanes. They are very narrow and tortuous for two reasons: the first, because the tortuosity breaks the impetus of the gelid wind, the second, because they offered to the inhabitants the benefit to better defender themselves in the case of enemy irruption.

Very important are the keystones. They identified the families and its social class. They can be considered real works of art.. These works were ordered to the stonecutters and only the well-off families could permit these works of art. To this noble art, worked whole generations of families: the Tempesta, the Di Bona, the Fabrizio, the Cardarelli, the Cautilli, the Cellucci etc.

After the Second World War a lot of these stonecutters worked to the rebuilding of the Montecassino Abbey and in the Vatican workshops. Some works were made to the White House in Washington. In France, they worked in the Chapel of Napoleon in the Versailles Castle, in some museums, and some houses of rich families as the Onassis, Drefus and Dior.

In a wing of sixteenth-century Franciscan Monastery, people can visit the geological and environmental museum. Here, you can admire the environmental transformation of the territory, the science of life, biology, botanic, ecology.

WHAT TO DO IN SAN DONATO VAL COMINO:

During summer, the municipal swimming pool, the five-a-side football ground, tennis courts are opened.

In the centre of the village has been built the amusement park for children, which is the most innovative among the public parks of the valley.

Near the amusement Park, people can visit the museum of the community farming, where are exposed all the tools used from the sandonatesi for working and living.

The BANDIERA ARANCIONE is the target for the tourist quality for the hinterland, created by the Touring Italian Club. This praise is attributed to the places that satisfy the yardstick tests correlated to the development of a tourism of quality.

Our village has obtained this praise after severe selections.