Running along the left bank of the Ronco river, in the area of Madonna dell’Albero, it is possible to notice a marble stele surrounded by tall cypress trees.
It is the so-called COLUMN OF THE FRENCH (in Italian Colonna dei Francesi), a memorial sculpted in 1557 by Cardinal Pier Donato Cesi, archbishop of Narni, in memory of one of the most terrible massacres in medieval and modern history: the battle of Ravenna (see focus).
It is a square column made of Istrian stone on top of which is a carved Ionic capital holding a stone cube and sphere.
In addition to the Latin inscription commemorating the client and the date of the battle, there are also two brief descriptions of the battle: “In memory of the French and Spanish who were killed here and so that time will not destroy the memory of this event”.
During the Napoleonic occupation, the column was hidden from view and then moved by a few metres. Since 1972, the monument has regained its original position.
