The church of "S. Maria ad Saltum", is an integral part of the farmhouse. Tradition suggests that the church was built during the time of the crusades. It is said that in those days, a Knight, possibly of the order of the Templar knights, crossed the Civita pass on his horse with a cargo of gold in the saddlebags, possibly spoils of the war in Palestine. Perhaps because he was attacked by bandits or wolves, he fell into a ravine with his horse.
In danger, the knight appealed to the Virgin Mary who mercifully saved his life.
He also found his horse and its precious cargo miraculously intact, thanks to this prodigious fact, he built a church dedicated made to the Madonna who had protected him. Since then, every first Sunday of May there is a procession from Civita to the church where the faithful gather to pray and attend Holy Mass.
The first documented trace of the church can be found in a donation to Berardo, abbot of Farfa, in 1077, by the children of the priest Aifredo.
Subsequently the church belonged to the Knights of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem and then to St. Maurice. Hermits dedicated to curing the sick then took over the church and it became known as 'La Romita'.

In 1662 it seems to have belonged to St. James of Norcia, Commander of the Knights of Malta. The church later expanded to become, in more recent times, an efficient farm.

ANCIENT BRONZE STATUETTES, Etruscan origin

On 30th June 1794, exceptionally violent rains caused serious damage to the woods and livestock and a landslide opened up a cave hidden in the mountains. The following day some peasants visiting those places found traces of ceramic artifacts, some ancient bronze coins and around 30 bronze statues in bronze pre-Roman age and almost certainly Etruscan. These artefacts and written chronicles of the time are now kept in the Vatican Museums.

Seriously damaged by the earthquake of 1979 and abandoned for two decades, the building is now the farmhouse and where our family manages around 400 hectares of agricultural land.