Landscape of the Serpentara near Olevano

Olevano is a town of medieval origin set on a hillside overlooking the Sabine mountains outside Rome. Nearby is the Serpentara, a German-owned oak plantation that was once saved from destruction by the efforts of a large group of painters. Both Olevano and the Serpentara were popular sketching places for German painters active in Italy in the 18th and early 19th centuries, including Heinrich Dreber, who drew and painted extensively in this area after his move to Rome in 1843.