Sasseto
Sasseto Woodland is situated in the northernmost section of Lazio, in the Municipality of Acquapendente, Torrealfina country hamlet. This particular forest covers a surface area of about 50 ha.
It is a unique example of mesophile woodland with centuries-old broadleaf plants and houses a rich fauna and flora with rare elements in Lazio. As a matter of fact, it has already been classified as an area of considerable vegetational value. The woodland lies at the foot of Torrealfina Castle, along a rocky itinerary with a northern exposure.
The slope housing it is made of the rests of a volcanic complex. The big lava boulders you can see in the woodland are the result of the fragmentation of some lava flows descending the slope leading to the valley of the river Paglia. Boulders and rocks of different size are scattered at the foot of the trees, forming in some places high and tormented piles. The rocks are sometimes black or light gray, sometimes reddish or violet because of oxidation phenomena.
Sasseto woodland is a mesophile high forest characterized by the presence of several centuries-old trees sinking their roots in the rocks covered by musk and by different fern species.
The name of the woodland derives from its spectacular geological substratum, and its peculiarity is linked to the presence of centuries-old trees like sessile oaks, Turkey oaks, white hornbeams, hollies, holm oaks, some of which are over 25 meters high and often have one-meter diameters.
In the woodland there is a Gothic-like mausoleum housing the rests of the Marquis Edoardo Cahen, the ancient owner of the castle.
