Chiesa S. Maria Scala Coeli

The present church building, made of brick and travertine, dates back to the 16th century. Work began in 1582 by Giacomo Della Porta, commissioned by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, and was completed in 1584 by Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini.

The church has an octagonal plan, surmounted by a dome and a lantern; the façade is completed by a tympanum and an eye inserted in a lunette; inserted on the left cornice of the façade is a piece of marble pluteus with an epigraph, dating back to the 9th century. On the architrave of the door, between the Farnese coats of arms, under a small tympanum, is the inscription 'Scala Cœli'. The interior has three apses with their corresponding altars. The one on the right is dedicated to Saint Zeno and the martyred Roman soldiers. The left apse contains the altar dedicated to St Bernard, adorned with two columns with Corinthian capitals and an altarpiece by Desiderio de Angelis depicting the scene of the Saint's vision.

The Florentine Francesco Zucchi, based on designs by Giovanni de Vecchi, is the author of the fine mosaic, executed in 1591, that decorates the basin of the church; the composition depicts a Madonna and Child surrounded by St. Bernard, St. Robert of Molesmes and Pope Clement VIII (right) and by St. Vincent, St. Anastasius and Cardinal Aldobrandini (left).

Inside is the crypt, which houses a 16th-century altar dedicated to Saint Zeno and the Soldier Martyrs; two small windows reveal a small pagan altar dedicated to the goddess Dia and a corner where, according to tradition, Saint Paul was held prisoner before his beheading. Of the two frescoes depicting Saint Zeno and the Soldier Martyrs and Saint Paul in prison, only the first has survived.

The parish secretary's office is still open on Tuesdays from 18.00 to 20.00 and Saturdays from 9.00 to 11.00