Temple of Jupiter Apenninus, Roman temple ruins near Monte Catria, Italy.

The Temple of Jupiter Apenninus stood at the foot of Monte Catria near Scheggia, where the Via Flaminia crossed the Apennines 135 Roman miles from Rome. The structure has completely disappeared; no foundations or fragments remain in the landscape. The Tabula Peutingeriana marks the spot with a small temple drawing inscribed "Iovis Penninus id est Agubio", beside the mansio ad Ensem.

The cult of Jupiter Poeninus, a Celtic deity merged with Jupiter, predates the Roman conquest and was brought to Umbria by the Celts. The temple stood by the 1st century AD, when a dedicatory cippus was inscribed. In the 3rd century it was famous as an oracle: Emperor Aurelian consulted its lots, and Claudius Gothicus questioned it three times. Claudian records it still standing in 404, but it has since vanished completely.

The temple was a stopping place where Roman travelers on the Via Flaminia sought protection and blessings for their journeys ahead. Inscriptions reveal that Jupiter was worshiped here as a guardian deity, especially by merchants and soldiers passing through on official business.

The temple has vanished, so nothing is fenced or signposted at the spot; the likely location is La Piaggia dei Bagni, about 2.5 km from Scheggia near the Ponte a Botte of 1802-5 on the Via Flaminia. Look for the stretch where the old road climbed the slope in nine bends, the Lumaca di Scheggia, and the ANAS Casa Cantoniera at the top.

The temple functioned as an oracle that Roman emperors such as Aurelian consulted in the 3rd century for guidance on important political decisions. This role as an advisory center for imperial matters set it apart from ordinary religious sites along the route.