The Natural Reserve of Monte Rufeno covers 2893 acres located north-northeast in the Acquesian territory. It’s an area rich in biodiversity, especially in terms of flora, which have been recognized over 1000 different species of plants; it was established in 1983 by the Lazio Region and is managed by the City of Acquapendente.
The Reserve is ideal for excursions and visits within the protected area. This is an oak forest interspersed with small patches of pine in which the reduced human intervention in the last 30 years has enabled the development of flora and fauna of entities of interest. The Reserve also boasts a rich and varied animal community which includes the freshwater turtle, the white snake and wild cat. In particular, it is home to 122 vertebrate species: 11 amphibians, 11 reptiles, 67 birds and 33 mammals.

Several points are of interest to characterize the Reserve: the biodiversity, the library, laboratories, and the multimedial herbarium of the Museo del Fiore that opens the doors to the world of flowers, illustrating the evolutionary and ecological aspects, the relationship with the animal world and the world of man, until the presentation of local Pugnaloni tradition.

Located in the area surrounding the Museo del Fiore is the Botanical Garden, built on two parcels separated by the old road between Torre Alfina and Acquapendente. The high purpose of the Botanical Garden is to preserve, research, teach, protect and explore the nature around us, taking advantage of educational workshops to better learn the botanical knowledge.
Therefore is impossible not to mention Casale Felceto, house of the rural traditions and building used as a museum for educational life; the original provisions were kept straight and inside some rooms are exposed some authentic objects that introduce local rural culture.

At the north end of the Reserve is the Bosco del Sasseto, extended over an area of 50 hectares, is a unique example of high forest woods mesophilic deciduous trees and houses a rich fauna and flora with rare elements in Lazio. The slope on which it stands is the remains of a volcanic system: the great masses of lava that can be observed along the forest are the product of the fragmentation of some lava flows descended the slope leading to the valley of the river Paglia. The uniqueness of this wood, which owes its name to the spectacular geological substrate, is linked to the presence of trees such as oak, turkey oak, hornbeam, beech, holly, some of which with a height greater than 25 meters and diameters that can often reach a meters. Inside the Bosco of Sasseto stands a gothic mausoleum where still lay the remains of the Marquis Edoardo Cahen, former owner of the castle of Torre Alfina.

The Nuova Pegasus Astronomical Observatory is a center for research, teaching and dissemination of scientific, especially astronomical, located on top of Mount Rufeno, within an existing house from the early twentieth century.
The structure was designed so that it can be used by all, schools and visitors, in all seasons, day and night, both for direct observation with telescopes of the major astronomical objects, and the realization of special packages of interactive learning at the request of individual schools. In fact, the observatory, inside one of the rooms, also houses a planetarium that can reproduce artificially the vision of the night sky with all its movements.