Cori (a town of approximately 10,000 inhabitants in the Lepini mountains, province of Latina, 60km southeast of Rome) is one of those Lazio hill towns whose name appears in the ancient sources before Rome itself becomes significant. Cori (ancient Cora) was a Volscian city, later a Latin ally of Rome, whose mountain position above Via Appia guaranteed its strategic relevance through the Roman period. The Temple of Hercules (the Doric temple on the hill above the medieval town, with five surviving columns of the 2nd century BC temple still standing in situ above the roof level of the medieval urban fabric) is the most specific surviving ancient monument in the Lepini zone and is visible from the plain below as a landmark that the traveler on Via Appia would have seen for hours before reaching Cori.
Cori today: a functioning Lazio hill town with the specific Lepini mountain character, the narrow medieval streets, the Romanesque churches (Santa Maria della Pietà, Sant'Oliva, the town's patron), the olive groves and vineyards on the slopes below the historic center, and the local wine tradition (the Colli Lepini DOC, of which Cori is the primary denomination, a white wine from Trebbiano and Bellone grapes and a red from Montepulciano and Nero Buono di Cori, the latter being an indigenous grape variety found nowhere outside the Lepini area).
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Cori: What to See
The Temple of Hercules
The Tempio di Ercole (accessible from the upper part of the historic center via a steep path, the temple platform is at 375m altitude, above the main urban fabric) retains five of its original Doric columns in situ, with the stylobate (the stepped platform base) largely intact. The specific Cori temple quality: unlike most surviving Italian ancient temples (which have been incorporated into churches, converted to other uses, or restored in ways that compromise their original character), the Cori Temple of Hercules is abandoned and unconverted, a fragment of genuine archaeological presence in an olive grove above the medieval town rather than a museum object. The view from the temple toward the Pontine plain and the Circeo promontory on clear days is the best single panoramic view of the Pontine territory available from any accessible elevated point.
Nero Buono di Cori: The Indigenous Grape
The Nero Buono di Cori (the "Good Black of Cori", the indigenous red grape that the Cori area has grown since at least the 17th century, when first documented, and which is found only in the Lepini zone between Cori and Cisterna di Latina) produces a wine of intense color, firm tannins, and specific blackberry-and-spice profile that the DOC Cori Rosso designation covers. The grape has been the subject of specific viticultural rescue efforts in the past two decades as the global market for indigenous Italian varieties has grown. Buy at the cantina sociale di Cori (Via Mura dei Francesi, the cooperative winery that produces the most accessible Cori DOC bottlings at farm-gate prices).
Q&A: Cori
How do I reach Cori from Rome?
By car: 60km southeast via the A2 (exit Colleferro or Valmontone) then SP roads through the Lepini hills. Approximately 1 hour. By public transport: COTRAL bus from Anagnina Metro A to Cori (approximately 1.5 hours). Best combined with Sermoneta (20km north, the finest medieval castle in Lazio), Bassiano (15km north), and the Ninfa botanical garden (20km north of Cori, the medieval abandoned village with its extraordinary garden, open on specific days from March to November. Book at giardinodininfa.eu).
