Macchia di Manziana, Nature reserve in Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy

Macchia di Manziana is a 580-hectare woodland in the Metropolitan City of Rome, south of Canale Monterano, southwest of Manziana and northwest of Bracciano. Turkey oak dominates, with centuries-old specimens, alongside sessile oak, wild maple, medlar, hornbeam, chestnut and birch. It is a Natura 2000 site of community importance and Special Area of Conservation.

The forest was sacred to the Etruscan underworld god Manth, from whom the Latin name silva Mantiana derives; Macchia Grande is the only surviving sector of that larger woodland that once covered the hills west of Lake Bracciano. The association with Manth likely came from the forest's dark, impenetrable look and its sulfurous springs, once seen as emanations of the underworld. The site was listed as a Site of Community Importance of Lazio, with a formal inception date of 27 December 2016.

The name comes from the Latin silva Mantiana, linked to Manth, the Etruscan god of the underworld to whom the territory of Manziana and Canale Monterano was consecrated. The forest's dark, dense appearance and its sulphur springs, once seen as openings to the subterranean world, probably explain the association. Macchia Grande is the only surviving sector of that larger forest.

The forest lies south of Canale Monterano, southwest of Manziana and northwest of Bracciano, in the Metropolitan City of Rome. The Caldara di Manziana natural monument, once part of the same woodland, stands about one kilometre south of the forest. Paths cross a wood of around 580 hectares, so plan a route before setting out.

The forest's Latin name, silva Mantiana, comes from Manth, the Etruscan god of the underworld, to whom the land around Manziana and Canale Monterano was consecrated. The gloomy, near-impenetrable look of the woods and the sulfur springs scattered through them were probably what linked the forest to the underworld deity. Macchia Grande is the only surviving section of that larger forest.