Located approximately 20 km from Montefiascone, which is the endpoint of Stage 39 of the Via Francigena, the town of Valentano is situated on a hill in the Volsini mountain range, at the foot of Mount Starnina. Among the various hypotheses about the origin of its name, many link the town to the ancient Etruscan city of Verentum, but it could also derive from a valley rich in alder trees—thus called “Valle Ontana”—where Pope Leo IX is said to have built a castle, or from a landowner named Valente.