Anagni

Anagni has an important history. In Imperial times, many emperors used to spend their summers there to escape the heat of Rome. In the ninth century the first Cathedral was built on the ruins of a temple dedicated to the Goddess Ceres. During the tenth and the eleventh centuries popes also began to consider it a healthier spot than Rome. In the thirteenth century Anagni gave the world four popes who were all members of the same family (the Conti family). In 1302 Pope Boniface VIII, the last of the Anagni popes, issued the Bull Unam Sanctam , which claimed the Pope's absolute supremacy. Philip, King of France organized an expedition to arrest the Pope, who was captured in his palace at Anagni in September 1303. That event effectively marked the end of Anagni’s importance, as the seat of the Popes was soon transferred to Avignon in France.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria, built in Romanesque style in 1071–1105 with later Gothic additions, is the town's principal sight, known for extensive Romanesque/Byzantine frescoes. The Palace of Boniface VIII, site of the 1303 "Outrage of Anagni," is also open to visitors.