The city of the popes and the Sistine Chapel of the Middle Ages
Anagni, on a hill in the Ciociaria south east of Rome, gave four popes to the Church in the thirteenth century and is known as the "city of the popes". Here, in 1303, took place the famous Slap of Anagni, when the envoys of the King of France broke into the papal palace and humiliated Pope Boniface VIII.
The cathedral, Romanesque with a Gothic interior and a Cosmatesque floor, hides beneath it an extraordinary treasure: the crypt of San Magno, entirely covered with thirteenth century frescoes, over five hundred square metres of painted vaults and walls with scenes from the Bible, saints, the creation of the world and medical and scientific themes. For this reason it is called the "Sistine Chapel of the Middle Ages". The Palazzo di Bonifacio VIII, where the slap took place, can be visited.
Tip: the crypt can be visited only with a guided tour of the cathedral museum; book in advance at weekends. The medieval centre with its towers is lovely to explore.
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