Car Hire Alatri

Alatri is a comune (or municipality) found in the province of Frosinone in Italy, Frosinone being a region of central Italy (regions include Tuscany and Umbria). Alatri is believed to have been founded in 1830 BC, and belonged to the ancient Italian people, �the Hercini', before being taken by Rome in 306 BC. The town has many historic buildings, including several churches that date as far back as the 1st Century. The Cathedral of San Paolo is from 930, although the exterior has been refurbished as late as the 1700s.

The �Collegiata of Santa Maria Maggiore' is said to have been built over a Temple of Venus in the 400s, and was restored in the 1100s and then rebuilt in the 1200s. Artwork housed in the church dates back to the 1200s. The church of San Francesco was built by Franciscan monks in the 1200s, and home to part of the mantle of Saint Francis, the relic being dedicated by the Saint himself to the town in 1222. The town museum is located in the old Gottifredo Palace, which was also built in the 1200s and once home to the Cardinal Gottifredo de Raynaldo.

Each year the town of Alatri hosts a festival of which the highlight is the rolling of a large wheel of cheese down a hill. The smallgoods shops bring out their best cheeses and meats, and everyone gathers at the end of the day to watch the parmigiana travel the pre-cut path from the top of a hill through town.

Alatri is only about an hour and a half from Rome, and well worth a visit for the atmosphere alone - but the restaurants and festival prove more than a temptation too!