Locality of Pompeano

The ancient name of this village was Pompignanum or Pompejanum and only since 1860 this village became part of the municipality of Monfestino in Serramazzoni. Before this date its history is to be found in the countryside of Gombola, whose Lords, of Longobard origins, constituted one of the most powerful families of the Modenese Apennines. The castle stands on a dark rock, volcanic submarine, called Ophiolite Serpentine, crossed inside by a fault that has given rise to a cave of about thirty meters long. The cave, discovered by chance by a local child, can be visited with the assistance of the caving group of CAI of Modena and it’s open to the public only during the Sagra of Pompeano, on the first Saturday and the first Sunday of August. Inside it’s possible admire some cave salamanders and an underground lake of about twenty meters deep. The castle is reached by a staircase carved in the rock outside the crenellated walls. The entrance has a rounded arch and in the center, the highest point, you can see the tower, square-shaped, with a large ashlar stone walls. Inside you can see the bell tower, which stands alone, square with a belfry monofore without cusp and the church dedicated to St. Geminiano. At the entrance of the village of Pompeano is visible an oratory, dedicated to San Rocco built in 1796 at the request of community that found more and more uncomfortable going to the church placed on the rock, which was then closed in the 60s of the last century because of the poor condition of the roof.
After thirty years of forced abandonment, thanks to the economic and assent of the Province of Modena and of the municipality, the church, the bell tower and rectory were restored, so the church was finally reopened for worship in 1998.