| On the hill in front of the town, at
a distance of an half an hour's walk, there is the Convent
of San Silvestro. According to the tradition, it was built over
the ruins of an ancient Roman villa, where gathered the Christians
to hear the speeches of Pope Silvestro I. It seems that san Francesco
during his stay chose this place to pray.
It was founded at the beginning of the 17th century by the
Carmelites, mendicant order, who received it from Clemens VIII
degli Aldobrandini (1592-1605). It was built on a previous convent
that belonged to the Franciscans till 1400. The hermitage was
possessed by the Canonici Lateranensi. In the 16th century it
hosted the humanist Girolamo Vida da Cremona, who wrote the
poem Chiristias. The Greek cross church was rebuilt in 1660,
while the façade in spur stone was built in 1845. In
the Convent are preserved a lot of paintings which already decorated
the structure, and had been donated by religious persons.
The most important paintings are the paintings of the lay Carmelite
Lucas de la Haye, called Luca il Fiammingo, those of G. D. Cerrini,
of Vignola and some paintings of the school of the Caravaggio.
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