1.
Piedmont
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Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.6 million, the capital of Piedmont is Turin. The name Piedmont comes from medieval Latin Pedemontium or Pedemontis, i. e. ad pedem montium, meaning “at the foot of the mountains”. Other towns of Piedmont with more than 20,000 inhabitants sorted by population and it borders with France, Switzerland and the Italian regions of Lombardy, Liguria, Aosta Valley and for a very small fragment with Emilia Romagna. The geography of Piedmont is 43. 3% mountainous, along with areas of hills. Piedmont is the second largest of Italys 20 regions, after Sicily and it is broadly coincident with the upper part of the drainage basin of the river Po, which rises from the slopes of Monviso in the west of the region and is Italy’s largest river. The Po collects all the waters provided within the semicircle of mountains which surround the region on three sides, from the highest peaks the land slopes down to hilly areas, and then to the upper, and then to the lower great Padan Plain. 7. 6% of the territory is considered protected area. There are 56 different national or regional parks, one of the most famous is the Gran Paradiso National Park located between Piedmont and the Aosta Valley, Piedmont was inhabited in early historic times by Celtic-Ligurian tribes such as the Taurini and the Salassi. They were later subdued by the Romans, who founded several colonies there including Augusta Taurinorum, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the region was repeatedly invaded by the Burgundians, the Goths, Byzantines, Lombards, Franks. In the 9th–10th centuries there were incursions by the Magyars. At the time Piedmont, as part of the Kingdom of Italy within the Holy Roman Empire, was subdivided into several marks, in 1046, Oddo of Savoy added Piedmont to their main territory of Savoy, with a capital at Chambéry. Other areas remained independent, such as the powerful comuni of Asti and Alessandria, the County of Savoy was elevated to a duchy in 1416, and Duke Emanuele Filiberto moved the seat to Turin in 1563. In 1720, the Duke of Savoy became King of Sardinia, founding what evolved into the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Republic of Alba was created in 1796 as a French client republic in Piedmont. A new client republic, the Piedmontese Republic, existed between 1798 and 1799 before it was reoccupied by Austrian and Russian troops, in June 1800 a third client republic, the Subalpine Republic, was established in Piedmont. It fell under full French control in 1801 and it was annexed by France in September 1802, in the congress of Vienna, the Kingdom of Sardinia was restored, and furthermore received the Republic of Genoa to strengthen it as a barrier against France. Piedmont was a springboard for Italys unification in 1859–1861, following earlier unsuccessful wars against the Austrian Empire in 1820–1821 and this process is sometimes referred to as Piedmontisation. However, the efforts were countered by the efforts of rural farmers
Piedmont
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A Montferrat landscape, with the distant Alps in the background.
Piedmont
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Piedmont Piemonte
Piedmont
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The Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi, in Nichelino, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Piedmont
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The Kingdom of Sardinia in 1856.
2.
Italy
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Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape, it is referred to in Italy as lo Stivale. With 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth most populous EU member state, the Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom, which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated other nearby civilisations. The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the distribution of civilian law, republican governments, Christianity. The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing a renewed interest in humanism, science, exploration, Italian culture flourished at this time, producing famous scholars, artists and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. The weakened sovereigns soon fell victim to conquest by European powers such as France, Spain and Austria. Despite being one of the victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil. The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in defeat, economic destruction. Today, Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and it has a very high level of human development and is ranked sixth in the world for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic, military, cultural and diplomatic affairs, as a reflection of its cultural wealth, Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites, the most in the world, and is the fifth most visited country. The assumptions on the etymology of the name Italia are very numerous, according to one of the more common explanations, the term Italia, from Latin, Italia, was borrowed through Greek from the Oscan Víteliú, meaning land of young cattle. The bull was a symbol of the southern Italic tribes and was often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the Social War. Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus states this account together with the legend that Italy was named after Italus, mentioned also by Aristotle and Thucydides. The name Italia originally applied only to a part of what is now Southern Italy – according to Antiochus of Syracuse, but by his time Oenotria and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of Lucania as well. The Greeks gradually came to apply the name Italia to a larger region, excavations throughout Italy revealed a Neanderthal presence dating back to the Palaeolithic period, some 200,000 years ago, modern Humans arrived about 40,000 years ago. Other ancient Italian peoples of undetermined language families but of possible origins include the Rhaetian people and Cammuni. Also the Phoenicians established colonies on the coasts of Sardinia and Sicily, the Roman legacy has deeply influenced the Western civilisation, shaping most of the modern world
Italy
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The Colosseum in Rome, built c. 70 – 80 AD, is considered one of the greatest works of architecture and engineering of ancient history.
Italy
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Flag
Italy
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The Iron Crown of Lombardy, for centuries symbol of the Kings of Italy.
Italy
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Castel del Monte, built by German Emperor Frederick II, UNESCO World Heritage site
3.
Metropolitan cities of Italy
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The metropolitan city is an administrative division of Italy, operative since 2015. In 2009, amendments added Reggio Calabria to the list, the metropolitan areas individuated by the autonomous regions were, Trieste in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Cagliari in Sardinia, Catania, Messina and Palermo in Sicily. On 3 April 2014 the Italian Parliament approved a law that establishes 10 metropolitan cities in Italy, the new metropolitan cities have been operative since 1 January 2015. The metropolitan city is composed by the municipalities that before had been members of the same province, each metropolitan city is headed by a metropolitan mayor assisted by a legislative body, the Metropolitan council, and by a non-legislative assembly, the metropolitan conference. Members of the Metropolitan council are elected and chosen by mayors and city councilors of each municipality in the metropolitan city, the metropolitan conference is composed by the mayors of the municipalities closest to the capital. The main functions devolved to the new cities are, local planning and zoning, provision of local police services, transport. Regions of Italy Provinces of Italy Municipalities of Italy Media related to Metropolitan cities of Italy at Wikimedia Commons
Metropolitan cities of Italy
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Metropolitan cities of Italy.
4.
Daylight saving time
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Daylight saving time is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that evening daylight lasts an hour longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. Typically, regions that use Daylight Savings Time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring, American inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin proposed a form of daylight time in 1784. New Zealander George Hudson proposed the idea of saving in 1895. The German Empire and Austria-Hungary organized the first nationwide implementation, starting on April 30,1916, many countries have used it at various times since then, particularly since the energy crisis of the 1970s. The practice has both advocates and critics, DST clock shifts sometimes complicate timekeeping and can disrupt travel, billing, record keeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, and sleep patterns. Computer software often adjusts clocks automatically, but policy changes by various jurisdictions of DST dates, industrialized societies generally follow a clock-based schedule for daily activities that do not change throughout the course of the year. The time of day that individuals begin and end work or school, North and south of the tropics daylight lasts longer in summer and shorter in winter, with the effect becoming greater as one moves away from the tropics. However, they will have one hour of daylight at the start of each day. Supporters have also argued that DST decreases energy consumption by reducing the need for lighting and heating, DST is also of little use for locations near the equator, because these regions see only a small variation in daylight in the course of the year. After ancient times, equal-length civil hours eventually supplanted unequal, so civil time no longer varies by season, unequal hours are still used in a few traditional settings, such as some monasteries of Mount Athos and all Jewish ceremonies. This 1784 satire proposed taxing window shutters, rationing candles, and waking the public by ringing church bells, despite common misconception, Franklin did not actually propose DST, 18th-century Europe did not even keep precise schedules. However, this changed as rail transport and communication networks came to require a standardization of time unknown in Franklins day. Modern DST was first proposed by the New Zealand entomologist George Hudson, whose shift work job gave him time to collect insects. An avid golfer, he also disliked cutting short his round at dusk and his solution was to advance the clock during the summer months, a proposal he published two years later. The proposal was taken up by the Liberal Member of Parliament Robert Pearce, a select committee was set up to examine the issue, but Pearces bill did not become law, and several other bills failed in the following years. Willett lobbied for the proposal in the UK until his death in 1915, william Sword Frost, mayor of Orillia, Ontario, introduced daylight saving time in the municipality during his tenure from 1911 to 1912. Starting on April 30,1916, the German Empire and its World War I ally Austria-Hungary were the first to use DST as a way to conserve coal during wartime, Britain, most of its allies, and many European neutrals soon followed suit. Russia and a few other countries waited until the year
Daylight saving time
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Ancient water clock that lets hour lengths vary with season.
Daylight saving time
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G. V. Hudson invented modern DST, proposing it first in 1895.
Daylight saving time
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Retailers generally favor DST. United Cigar Stores hailed a 1918 DST bill.
Daylight saving time
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William Willett independently proposed DST in 1907 and advocated it tirelessly.
5.
Affile
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Affile is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 50 kilometres east of Rome. Archaeology has showed the existence of a pre-Roman centre here, on the border of the lands of the Hernici, in the 1st century AD it is mentioned as oppidum Afile by Frontinus. It was crossed by the Via Sublacense, in the 10th century a village existed in the former Roman oppidum, centred on the church of St. Peter. In 1013 a castle is cited in Affile, which in 1109 was ceded by Pope Paschal II to the Abbey of St. Scholastica of Subiaco, later it was a possession of the Altieri and Braschi families. In 999 emperor Otto III founded in the site a church, church of St. Peter, known from the early 6th century. The last renovation is from the 15th century and it has frescoes from the 13th and 16th-17th centuries. Church of Santa Felicita Castrum, site on a different hill of the site of Affile around St. Peters church. It had once numerous towers, gates and massive walls, of which traces remain. On 11 August 2012 a publicly funded mausoleum and memorial park was unveiled in the town to Rodolfo Graziani, the event was met with widespread criticism in the national and international media. The mausoleum was reported to cost Euro 127,000, paid for by taxpayers from regional funds and he later defended the council’s decision by stating that “Graziano was not a war criminal” However, demonstrations against the memorial were quickly organised. On 12 September the monument was damaged and covered in graffiti, the monument has also been denounced in Ethiopia. Speaking after the 18th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, historian Bahru Zewde said and he went on to fulfill that vow with indiscriminate use of chemical weapons and the massacre of thousands of Ethiopians. Graziani was never tried for his war crimes in Africa, had he been alive, there is no doubt that he would have been forced to face justice at the International Criminal Court. The erection with public funds of a monument for someone who has the blood of so many Africans on his hands is therefore adding insult to injury. Elsewhere, a protest was held in London on 31 August 2012 outside the Italian Ambassador’s Residence, which was followed by a further demonstration in Washington on 5 November 2012
Affile
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Affile
6.
Agosta, Lazio
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Agosta is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 45 kilometres east of Rome. Located on a rock in the Monti Simbruini area, Agosta borders the following municipalities, Canterano, Cervara di Roma, Marano Equo, Rocca Canterano. The area of Agosta was inhabited since prehistoric times and it is mentioned in Augustuss Res Gestae as the source of the Aqua Marcia aqueduct, and after that it took its name from the Roman emperor. In 1051 AD a castle is mentioned here, which later was a possession of the monastery of Subiaco, medieval castle Arch of the Cardinal o della Porta, built in 1503 near a bridge which at the time crossed the Aniene river. Sanctuary of Madonna del Passo Official website
Agosta, Lazio
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View of Agosta
7.
Anguillara Sabazia
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Anguillara Sabazia is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy, around 30 kilometres northwest of Rome. It nestles on a cape on the coast of Lake Bracciano, its medieval center. Anguillara is served by a train which connects it with Rome in around 40 minutes. About 3 kilometres east of the lies the small, volcanic Lake Martignano. The two lakes and the area have been declared a Regional Park and are under a strict naturalistic control. A two-part episode of the American sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond was shot in the town
Anguillara Sabazia
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Sight of Anguillara Sabazia on Lake Bracciano.
Anguillara Sabazia
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Anguillara Sabazia on Lake Bracciano, 2014
8.
Anticoli Corrado
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Anticoli Corrado is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 40 kilometres northeast of Rome. Anticoli Corrado borders the municipalities, Mandela, Marano Equo, Rocca Canterano, Roviano. Anticoli became known in the 19th century because its inhabitants used to pose as models for the community of artists living near Piazza di Spagna in Rome. Some artists eventually went to see the birthplace of their models, the town attracted artists until World War II. Stanley Kramers The Secret of Santa Vittoria was almost entirely shot here, church of St. Arcos de la Frontera, Spain
Anticoli Corrado
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Anticoli Corrado
9.
Ardea, Lazio
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Ardea is an ancient town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome,35 kilometres south of Rome and about 4 kilometres from todays Mediterranean coast. The economy is based on agriculture, although, starting from the 1970s. Ardea is one of the most ancient towns in western Europe, founded about in the 8th century BC was the capital of the Rutuli, mentioned in the Aeneid. After the Roman conquest, Ardea was most often mentioned in connection with the Via Ardeatina, one of the consular roads, in 509 BC Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the king of Rome sought unsuccessfully to take the town by storm, and then commenced a siege of the town. However the siege was interrupted by the revolution resulted in the overthrow of the king. One of the leaders of the revolution, Lucius Junius Brutus, came to the camp of the Roman army at Ardea, in 443 BC the Volscians laid siege to Ardea. The siege was broken by Roman troops under the leadership of Marcus Geganius Macerinus. During the Second Punic War, it was one of the few cities that refused military support to Rome, in the 3rd-2nd centuries BC it decayed until, in the Imperial Age, it was scarcely populated at all. The 1st century agricultural writer Columella possessed estates there, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Ardea was abandoned. It returned to only after the 9th century AD. Its castle in 1118 housed Pope Gelasius II and was later contended among various feudal barons of the area, in 1419 Pope Martin V assigned it to his kinsmen, the Colonna family, who sold it in 1564 to the Cesarini. In 1816 it became a frazione of Genzano, remains of the ancient city include the old defensive agger, dating to the 7th century BC and later updated to larger walls. Archaeological excavations have brought to four temples, of unknown dedication. Part of the pavement of a basilica have also found in the area of the ancient Forum. Other sights include, The Church of Santa Marina, erected in 1191 by Cencio Savelli, the interior, on a single nave, was originally entirely frescoed. Romanesque Church of San Pietro Apostolo, which was a possession of the monks of San Paolo Fuori le Mura of Rome and it incorporates a former watchtower used to counter Saracen attacks, now turned into a bell tower. It has 15th-century frescoes and a 16th-century wooden crucifix, the Giardini della Landriana, designed by Russell Page. Giacomo Manzù Museum, housing some 400 works of the artist, tor San Lorenzo, a tower in the eponymous seaside frazione
Ardea, Lazio
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The church of St. Peter.
10.
Ariccia
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Ariccia is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, central Italy,16 miles south-east of Rome. It is in the Alban Hills of the Lazio region and could be considered an extension of Romes southeastern suburbs, one of the Castelli Romani towns, Ariccia is located in the regional park known as the Parco Regionale dei Castelli Romani. Ariccia is the center of a region that was important in Roman and pre-Roman mythology and religion because of its association with the goddess Diana. Legend also recalls that it served as a burial place of the Greek hero Orestes. Ariccia was one of the oldest cities of ancient Latium, in modern times, Ariccia has become famous for its porchetta, pork that is slowly roasted with herbs and wild fennel, and it has been known since historical times for its wine. The comune of Ariccia includes the frazioni of Vallericcia and Fontana di Papa and it is bounded by the communes of Albano Laziale, Castel Gandolfo, Genzano di Roma and Marino Laziale. There is a connection between the name and Aricia, the wife of Hippolytus, the Roman forest god who lived in the sacred forests near Aricia. According to a reference by Caius Julius Solinus, Ariccia was founded by Archilocus Siculus in very ancient times. Ruins found in the city confirm the existence of a settlement in the 8th-9th centuries BC, from the end of the 6th century BC until 338 BC, the city was the central member of the Latin League. The association with the cult of Diana led to its development as an influential and affluent center of healing, in 508 BC, Lars Porsena king of Clusium departed Rome after ending his war against Rome by peace treaty. Porsena split his forces, and sent part of the Clusian army with his son Aruns to wage war on the Latin city of Aricia, the Aricians sent for assistance from the Latin League, and also from the Greek city of Cumae. When support arrived, the Arician army ventured beyond the walls of the city, according to Livy, the Clusians initially routed the Arician forces, but the Cumaean troops allowed the Clusians to pass by, then attacked from the rear, gaining victory against the Clusians. Livy says the Clusian army was destroyed, in 495 BC, Aricia was the site of a battle between the Aurunci and Rome, Rome being the victor. Aricia was definitively conquered by the Romans in the 4th century BC and it received the title of municipium, and expanded towards the valley below, where the Via Appia connected it with Rome. Ariccia became, therefore, the first main posting station on the journey from Rome towards southern Italy. Being rather near to the Imperial capital, and favoured by a fresher climate and it also was recognized for the caliber of its wine and food stuffs. Martial wrote favorably of its leeks and Pliny relished a unique variety of Arician cabbages, the inhabitants subsequently moved to the ancient acropolis and founded a new community. In 990 the Castrum Ariciensis was a dominion of Guido, count of Tusculum, during the reign of Pope Nicholas II the castle was absorbed by the Papal States, from which it in turn passed again to the Earls of Tusculum as a fiefdom
Ariccia
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Ariccia and Vallericcia
Ariccia
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View of the historical centre from the great bridge.
Ariccia
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The church of Santa Maria Assunta by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Ariccia
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Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Ariccia Palazzo Chigi, 1826-27.
11.
Arsoli
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Arsoli is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, central Italy. The fair held on St. Bartholomews Day at Arsoli is one of the oldest attested fairs of the region, the castle is built at the end of a spur, overlooking Arsoli on one side and extending formal gardens on the other. Four frescoed rooms on the piano nobile are flanked by guardrooms hung with arms and armor and this rocca has been in his possession since it was purchased by Fabrizio Massimo in 1574. Arsoli is twinned with, Blagaj, Bosnia and Herzegovina Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina Official website Arsoli Tourist Office
Arsoli
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Arsoli
12.
Bracciano
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Bracciano is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio,30 kilometres northwest of Rome. The town is famous for its lake and for a particularly well-preserved medieval castle Castello Orsini-Odescalchi. The lake is used for sailing and is popular with tourists. The town is served by a railway which connects it with Rome in about 55 minutes. Close to it lie the two towns of Anguillara Sabazia and Trevignano Romano. There is no information about the origins of Bracciano, on the Via Cassia overlooking the lake. It probably rose from one of the towers built in the tenth century as a defence against the Saracen attacks. In the eleventh century the territory was acquired by the Prefetti di Vico family. Ferdinand Gregorovius dated the possession of Bracciano by the Orsini to 1234, the area was later acquired by the Roman hospital of Santo Spirito in Sassia and, from 1375, was a Papal possession. In 1419 the Colonna Pope Martin V confirmed the fief of Bracciano in the Orsini family branch of Tagliacozzo. Under this powerful family the city developed into a town, famous in the whole of Italy for its castle. In 1481 it housed Pope Sixtus IV, who had fled from the plague in Rome, four years later, however, the city and the castle were ravaged by Papal troops under Prospero Colonna, and subsequently a new line of walls was built. In 1494 Charles VIII of France and his troops marching against Rome stopped at Bracciano. This act led to the excommunication of the Orsini, and in 1496 the city was besieged by an army headed by Giovanni di Candia, son of Pope Alexander VI Borgia. Cesare Borgia, another of Alexanders natural sons, was unsuccessful in his attempt to take the Orsini stronghold a few years later, the sixteenth century was a period of splendour for Bracciano. The castello received some modernization for the visit of the Medici that year. Isabella spent the remainder of her life avoiding a return to the castle, the economy was boosted by the exploitation of sulphur and iron, the production of tapestries and paper. The latter was favoured by the construction of an aqueduct whose ruins can still be seen in the city, Bracciano in this period had some 4,500 inhabitants
Bracciano
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A view of the Castello Orsini-Odescalchi.
Bracciano
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The historic center of Bracciano.
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The castle seen from the hospital parking lot.
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The lake as seen from Largo Falcone and Borsellino, near the castle.
13.
Campagnano di Roma
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Campagnano di Roma is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 30 kilometres northwest of Rome. It was first mentioned in 1076, having carved out of the great estate assembled on the Roman pattern by Pope Adrian I. In medieval times, Campagnano di Roma was on the via Francigena, here, Sigeric, Archbishop of Canterbury, sojourned on his return journey from Rome about 990. Campagnano di Roma borders the municipalities, Anguillara Sabazia, Formello, Magliano Romano, Mazzano Romano, Nepi, Rome. The Archaeological Park of Veii is nearby
Campagnano di Roma
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Town Hall.
14.
Cave, Lazio
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Cave is a town and comune in the Latium region of Italy,42 kilometres southeast of Rome. As of 2011 its population was of 10,421, the town was mentioned first in 998 AD, and was later a fief of the Colonna family. In 1482 it was besieged by Pope Sixtus IV and obliged to surrender and it is especially known for the Treaty of Cave, signed on 12 September 1557 by plenipotentiaries of Pope Paul IV and Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, the Spanish viceroy of Naples. Cave borders with Castel San Pietro Romano, Genazzano, Palestrina, Rocca di Cave and it counts the hamlets of Collepalme and San Bartolomeo. Media related to Cave at Wikimedia Commons Cave official website
Cave, Lazio
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Cave within the Province of Rome
15.
Cerveteri
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Cerveteri is a town and comune of northern Lazio in the region of the Metropolitan City of Rome. It is famous for the site of the ancient Etruscan city which was one of the most important Etruscan cities with a more than 15 times larger than todays town. Caere was one of the city-states of the Etruscan League and at its height, around 600 BC, the ancient city was situated about 7 km from the sea, a location which made it a wealthy trading town derived originally from the iron ore mines in the Tolfa hills. It had three sea ports including Pyrgi, connected to Caere by a road approximately 13 km long and 10 metres wide, little is known of the ancient city although six temples are known from various sources. Two of them have been excavated, one of Hera, the other in the north of the city, parts of the city walls are still visible today and excavations opened up a theatre. One famous and important work of art is the Sarcophagus of the Spouses, the most famous attraction of Cerveteri is the Necropoli della Banditaccia, which has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site together with the necropolis in Tarquinia. It covers an area of 400 hectares, of which 10 hectares can be visited and it is the largest ancient necropolis in the Mediterranean area. The name Banditaccia comes from the leasing of areas of land to the Cerveteri population by the local landowners, the tombs date from the 9th century BC to the later Etruscan period. The earliest tombs are in the shape of a pit, in which the ashes of the dead were housed, the visitable area contains two such roads, the Via dei Monti Ceriti and the Via dei Monti della Tolfa. Modern knowledge of Etruscan daily life is dependent on the numerous decorative details. The most recent tombs date from the 3rd century BC, some of them are marked by external cippi, which are cylindrical for men, and in the shape of a small house for women. A large number of finds excavated at Cerveteri are in the National Etruscan Museum, Rome, with others in the Vatican Museums, others, mainly pottery, are in the Archaeological Museum at Cerveteri itself. The Rocca Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, including a medieval section reachable from the 1950s addition through a triumphal arch, palazzo Ruspoli, rebuilt as baronal palace by the Orsini in 1533. The portico and the loggia on the façade are from the 17th century and it is connected to Santa Maria Maggiore through a passetto, built in 1760. The small church of SantAntonio Abate, with a 1472 fresco by Lorenzo da Viterbo, the medieval burgh of Ceri Castle of Cerenova Around the city of Cerveteri is an Italian DOC wine region that produces red and white blended wines. The red wines are blends of 60% Sangiovese and Montepulciano, 25% Cesanese and up to 30% of Canaiolo, Carignan, the grapes are limited to a harvest yield of 15 tonnes/ha and the final wine must have a minimum alcohol level of 11%. The white wines are composed of a blend of 50% Trebbiano Romagnolo and Giallo, a maximum of 35% Malvasia di Candia. The grapes are limited to a harvest yield of 14 tonnes/ha, for the ancient bishopric that originally had its seat in Cerveteri and is now a titular see, see Caere
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Via degli Inferi, the main entrance to the Banditaccia Necropolis.
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Tombs view in December.
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
16.
Ciampino
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Ciampino is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, Italy. It was a frazione of Marino until 1974, when it became a comune, the city is named after Giovanni Giustino Ciampini, a religious, scientist and archaeologist who lived here in the 17th century. It grew from 5,000 inhabitants in 1951 to 28,000 in 1971, today, the city has circa 37,000 inhabitants. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Ciampino has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, the citys climate is basically Mediterranean type, but there are rare continental peaks, especially in winter. The autumn and spring seasons are particularly rainy and with mild temperatures, snow is a very rare phenomenon, they are mostly timid sleet or downpour of graupel. The summer is hot, humid and potentially drought. Therefore, the rainfall will have on the foothills of the hills, facing the sea, towards the south-west. In the summer, in conditions of heat waves particularly. Media related to Ciampino at Wikimedia Commons
Ciampino
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Ciampino International Airport
17.
Civitavecchia
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Civitavecchia is a town and comune of the Metropolitan City of Rome in the central Italian region of Lazio. A sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it is located 80 kilometres west-north-west of Rome, the harbour is formed by two piers and a breakwater, on which is a lighthouse. The name Civitavecchia means ancient town, population was around 53,000 as of 2015. The modern city was built over a pre-existing Etruscan settlement, the harbour was constructed by the Emperor Trajan at the beginning of the 2nd century. The first occurrence of the name Centum Cellae is from a letter by Pliny the Younger, the origin of the name is disputed, it has been suggested that it could refer to the centum halls of the villa of the emperor. In the early Middle Ages, Centumcellae was a Byzantine stronghold and it became part of the Papal States in 728. As the port was raided by the Saracens in 813-814,828,846 and finally in 876, a new settlement in a more secure place was therefore built by order of Pope Leo VII as soon as 854. The Popes gave the settlement as a fief to several lords, including the Count Ranieri of Civitacastellana and the Abbey of Farfa, and the Di Vico. The place became a port under Pope Innocent XII in 1696. The French Empire occupied it in 1806, on 16 April 1859 the Rome and Civitavecchia Rail Road was opened for service. The Papal troops opened the gates of the fortress to the Italian general Nino Bixio in 1870, during World War II, Allied bombings severely damaged Civitavecchia, and caused civilian casualties. Louis Till, the father of Emmett Louis Till was convicted of the rape of two local Italian women and the murder of another in Civitavecchia. Civitavecchia is today a major cruise and ferry port, the starting point for sea connection from central Italy to Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, Tunis. The city is also the seat of two power stations. The conversion of one of them to coal has raised the populations protests, the massive Forte Michelangelo was first commissioned from Donato Bramante by Pope Julius II, to defend the port of Rome. The upper part of the tower, however, was designed by Michelangelo. North of the city at Ficoncella are the Terme Taurine baths frequented by Romans, the modern name stems from the common fig plants among the various pools. And also next to the town is the location of the ship docks
Civitavecchia
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Civitavecchia fort and harbour
Civitavecchia
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Civitavecchia in 1795, etching by William Marlow.
Civitavecchia
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View of the port
Civitavecchia
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View of station platforms
18.
Formello
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Formello is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome. It is located southwest of the Monti Sabatini, within the Regional Park of Veii, the communal territory is mostly composed by tuff, and is intensively cultivated. The area has settled since prehistoric times. As an Italian comune, it some of the archaeological sites associated with the former Etruscan city of Veii, north of the village of Isola Farnese. Settlement in the region declined after Veiis destruction in 396 BC, the domus territories included a fundus Formellum, where a settlement developed that was first mentioned in 1027. In the 11th century it was a possession of the Roman Basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura, in 1279 it became a fief of the Orsini family, who sold it to the Chigi in 1661. It received a tower in the fifteenth century, and was renovated in 1574 with the addition of the two aisles. The left one houses frescoes by Donato Palmieri and it was built by the Orsini, probably over the pre-existing castrum mentioned in the 11th century. It houses the Archaeological Museum of the Countryside of Veii Church of San Michele Arcangelo, the ruined Villa Chigi-Versaglia, built by cardinal Flavio Chigi in the 17th century. Formello is home to the grounds and base of Italian Serie A side S. S. Lazio
Formello
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Formello
Formello
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Façade of Palazzo Chigi.
Formello
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Formello Storic Center
Formello
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San Lorenzo Church (internal)
19.
Guidonia Montecelio
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Guidonia Montecelio, commonly known as Guidonia, is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy. The terrain of Guidonia Montecelio is mainly flat, and the community lies in between the Via Nomentana and the Via Tiburtina and it borders with Fonte Nuova, Marcellina, Palombara Sabina, Rome, San Polo dei Cavalieri, SantAngelo Romano and Tivoli. The hamlets are Albuccione, Bivio di Guidonia, Colle Fiorito, Colleverde, La Botte, Marco Simone, Montecelio, Pichini, Setteville, Setteville Nord, Villalba, Montecelio was founded in 998 as a fortified castrum. In 1915 the Regio Esercito built a military airport in the area for its Corpo Aeronautico Militare. Today the town is part of Rome metropolitan area, with a presence of industry. The number of commuting to Rome is high, with transport in a critical situation. David Di Michele - Football player Guidonia Montecelio is twinned with, Kawasaki, Japan Cape Canaveral, kashira, Russia Media related to Guidonia Montecelio at Wikimedia Commons Local portal News & Info from Guidonia Montecelio Guidonia Montecelio
Guidonia Montecelio
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Panorama of Guidonia
Guidonia Montecelio
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Guidonia within the Province of Rome
Guidonia Montecelio
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Travertine caves in Guidonia.
20.
Ladispoli
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Ladispoli is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy. Lies about 35 kilometres west of center of Rome on the Mediterranean Sea, Ladispoli occupies the area existed the ancient Alsium, the port of the Etruscan city of Cerveteri and later a Roman colony cited by Cicero. Alsium was destroyed in the 6th century AD, during the Gothic War, later a castle, named Palo, was built in the area, it was a fief of the Orsini and, from 1693, of the Odescalchi family. Modern Ladispoli was founded in 1888 by Ladislao Odescalchi, whom its name stems from, in the late 1970s and until the early 1990s, parts of Ladispoli served as refugee camps for Soviet emigrants seeking political and/or religious asylum in Western countries. The experience of Jews from the former USSR staying in Ladispoli in the 1980s was first described in English by Maxim D. Shrayer in his literary memoir Waiting for America, the Etruscan necropolis of Monteroni and Vaccina. The Castellaccio, a country residence. The Giardino delle Orchidee Spontanee del Mediterraneo, a botanical garden According to ISTAT figures at 31 December 2010 foreign nationals were 7711 people
Ladispoli
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Housing in Ladispoli
21.
Lanuvio
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Lanuvio is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 30 kilometres southeast of Rome, on the Alban Hills. Lanuvio borders the municipalities, Aprilia, Ariccia, Genzano di Roma. In ancient times Lanuvium was an important town in the nearby of Rome, the emperors Antoninus Pius and Commodus were born here, together with the condottiero Marcantonio Colonna. It decayed after the reign of Theodosius I, and was abandoned due to the shutting down of its polytheistic sanctuaries. It is mentioned again in the 11th century, when it was a seat of a Benedictine monastery, in the early 15th century it was acquired by the Colonna family, to whom it belonged until 1564. On 17 February 1944, during World War II, it was bombed by sea and air by the Allied, and almost entirely destroyed
Lanuvio
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Lanuvio
22.
Mentana
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Mentana is a town and comune, former bishopric and presant Latin Catholic titular see in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy. It is located 29 kilometres north-east of Rome and has a population of about 21,000, mentanas name in ancient times was Nomentum, to which the Via Nomentana led from Rome. According to Livy, the town was part of the Latin League, Nomentum was one of a number of towns captured by Tarquinius. It was a Latin town, but was considered by some to be Sabine, and, like Fidenae and Ficulea, was excluded from the first region by Augustus, who made the Anio river its northern boundary. The city was part of the League defeated by Rome in the Battle of Lake Regillus, subsequently, Nomentum received the civitas sine suffragio, in its municipal constitution the chief magistrate even in imperial times bore the title of dictator. Pliny and Martial often praise the fertility of its neighbourhood, in 741 it was briefly occupied by the Lombards and the inhabitants moved to a new centre on the Via Nomentana which was more easily defendable. On 23 November 799, it was the site of the meeting of Pope Leo III, the Castle of Nomentum was a possession of the Roman family of the Crescenzi in the 10th and 11th century. In 1058 it was destroyed by the Normans and the population was drastically reduced, the castle was acquired by the Capocci family and, later, the Holy See entrusted it to the Benedictine monks of San Paolo fuori le Mura. In the 15th century it was control of the Orsini family. In 1484 it was damaged by an earthquake, in 1594 it became a fief of the Perett family, first under Michele Perett of Venafro, and then in 1655 it came under the control of Marcantonio Borghese and the House of Borghese. The battle ended in a victory by the French-Papal troops, in Mentana, the monument Ara dei Caduti is built over the mass grave of the Italian patriots who died in the battle. In 408 CE Nomento is mentioned as a see. In May 944 it was suppressed, its territory being merged into the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vescovìo, the diocese was nominally restored as a Latin Catholic titular bishopric in 1966. The Castle, housing the Archaeological Museum and is a site of art exhibitions, palazzo Crescenzio Funerary Monument of the Appulei, a 2nd-century BC travertine frieze Museum of the Risorgimento Science Museum. The Nature Preserve of Nomentum includes the Trentani Park and the Macchia of Gattacieca, gCatholic, with titular incumbent biography links
Mentana
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Mentana
Mentana
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Inner square of the castle in Mentana.
23.
Monte Compatri
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Monte Compatri is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 20 kilometres southeast of Rome on the Alban Hills. It is one of the Castelli Romani, monte Compatri has been identified with the ancient Labicum, a colony of Alba Longa. In the Middle Ages it was a fief of the Counts of Tusculum, then of the Annibaldi, the Altemps, parish church of Santa Maria Assunta in Cielo, erected by will of Scipione Borghese. The campanile is the former communal tower, diplomat Alessandro Moreschi last castrato singer in the Sistine Chapel Calahorra, Spain Official website Centro Culturale Laghetto
Monte Compatri
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Apse of the Assunta Baroque parish church.
24.
Nerola
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Nerola is a town and comune of the Metropolitan City of Rome, Latium, Italy. The name Nerola is probably derived from the Sabine word nero or nerio, in the site traces of a Roman era villa have been found, which legend attributes as belonging to Nero himself. Within the comune is the frazione of Acquaviva, on the ancient Via Salaria, no longer a residential bishopric, Aquaviva is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see. At the end of the 12th century, the fiefdom was granted to the Orsini family, at the end of the 15th century, the castle was subsequently reinforced with strong towers and other defensive fortifications around the village. Near the castle, the chiesa vecchia was built in 1483, in 1867, the castle was occupied by a contingent of partisans of Giuseppe Garibaldi who were fighting against papal troops. Since passing to Marquis Ferrari-Frey in 1939, the castle has been restored and now houses a hotel
Nerola
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The fountain in the town hall square.
Nerola
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Castello Orsini at Nerola.
25.
Nettuno
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Nettuno is a town and comune of the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy,60 kilometres south of Rome. A resort city and agricultural center on the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Mediterranean Sea it has a population of approximately 46,000 and its name is perhaps in honour of the Roman god Neptune. It has a touristic harbour hosting about 860 boats and a shopping center, there is also an extensive yacht club. Nettuno is the city of the D. O. C, Nettuno is one stop south of Anzio on the local train from Rome. According to a theory, the town would be a survival of the Roman Antium. Giuseppe Tomassetti considered Nettuno the real heir and continuer settlement of the ancient Antiates, instead Beatrice Cacciotti doubted about an ancient and not medieval origin of the town. Indeed, Nettuno and nearby Anzio were the theatre of an Allied forces landing and the ensuing Anzio-Nettuno battle during World War II, American forces were surrounded by Germans in the caves of Pozzoli in February 1944 for a week, suffering heavy casualties. Nettuno is a popular tourist destination, Nettuno is also a center of pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Maria Goretti, in which a crypt houses the mortal remains of the saint. The church keeps also a priceless polychromed wooden statue of Our Lady of Grace and it was originally Our Lady of Ipswich, although it left England after the Reformation. The privately owned Villa Costaguti-Borghese at Nettuno, built 1648, has gardens in a landscape park designed about 1840. The Borghese Gladiator was discovered at Nettuno, at the north edge of town is the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial, where over 7,800 U. S. soldiers are buried. Nettuno Baseball Club is one of the most important Italian baseball teams, Baseball was taught to the local people by American soldiers after their landing in World War II
Nettuno
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Panorama of Nettuno
Nettuno
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Coat of arms
26.
Palestrina
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Palestrina is an ancient city and comune with a population of about 21,000, in Lazio, about 35 kilometres east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Prenestina and it is the birthplace of composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Palestrina is sited on a spur of the Monti Prenestini, a range in the central Apennines. Palestrina borders the municipalities, Artena, Castel San Pietro Romano, Cave, Gallicano nel Lazio, Labico, Rocca di Cave, Rocca Priora, Rome, San Cesareo, Valmontone. Early burials show that the site was occupied in the 8th or 7th century BC. The ancient necropolis lay on a plateau at the foot of the hill below the ancient town, from these come the famous bronze boxes and hand mirrors with inscriptions partly in Etruscan. Also famous is the bronze Ficoroni Cista, engraved pictures of the arrival of the Argonauts in Bithynia. An example of archaic Latin is the inscription on the Ficoroni Cista, the caskets are unique in Italy, but a large number of mirrors of precisely similar style have been discovered in Etruria. Hence, although it would be reasonable to conjecture that objects with Etruscan characteristics came from Etruria, other imported objects in the burials show that Praeneste traded not only with Etruria but also with the Greek east. The origin of Praeneste was attributed by the ancients to Ulysses, the name derives probably from the word Praenesteus, referring to its overlooking location. Praeneste was probably under the hegemony of Alba Longa while that city was the head of the Latin League and it withdrew from the league in 499 BC, according to Livy, and formed an alliance with Rome. After Rome was weakened by the Gauls of Brennus, Praeneste switched allegiances, from 373 to 370, it was in continual war against Rome or her allies, and was defeated by Cincinnatus. Eventually in 354 and in 338 the Romans were victorious and Praeneste was punished by the loss of portions of its territory, as such, it furnished contingents to the Roman army, and Roman exiles were permitted to live at Praeneste, which grew prosperous. The roses of Praeneste were a byword for profusion and beauty, præneste was situated on the Via Labicana. Its citizens were offered Roman citizenship in 90 BC in the Social War, in Sullas second civil war, Gaius Marius the Younger was blockaded in the town by the forces of Sulla. When the city was captured, Marius slew himself, the inhabitants were massacred in cold blood. From an inscription it appears that Sulla delegated the foundation of the new colony to Marcus Terentius Varro Lucullus, within a decade the lands of the colonia had been assembled by a few large landowners. From the late Republic to the late Empire, markets, baths, shrines and even a second forum were built in the lower city, the poet Horace ranked cool Praeneste with Tibur and Baiae as favored resorts
Palestrina
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Palestrina
Palestrina
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Remains of the Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia.
Palestrina
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Reconstruction of the temple of the Fortuna Primigenia by Palladio.
27.
Palombara Sabina
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Palombara Sabina is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy. Savelli-Torlonia Castle, built from the 11th century by the Ottaviani, antipope Innocent III was arrested here in 1180. It was acquired by Luca Savelli, a nephew of pope Honorius III, in 1250 and it is now home to a library, an exhibition of Roman statues found nearby Palombara in 2008, and a natural sciences museum. Abbey of Saint John in Argentella Church of Santa Maria Annunziata Church of St. Blaise, fortified village of Castiglione, in the Monti Lucretili park, at 750 metres. Convent of St. Michael, in rural Romanesque style and it was built over a Roman villa, of which traces of opus reticulatum remain
Palombara Sabina
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View of Palombara Sabina
28.
Pomezia
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Pomezia is a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy. In 2009 it had a population of about 60,000, the town was built entirely new near the location of ancient Lavinium on land resulting from the final reclamation of the Pontine Marshes under Benito Mussolini, being inaugurated on 29 October 1939. Its new population was extracted from the peasants of Romagna, Veneto. After being occupied by the forces of the Third Reich, Pomezia was heavily bombed during the Battle of Anzio in World War II. After the end of the war, Pomezia developed as an industrial center, especially in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors. It is also home to the plant of Italian food company Colavita. Pratica di Mare is the frazione of Pomezia where the ruins of the ancient port of Lavinium are located, the ancient community was on some hilly ground at the mouth of a stream. The name of Pomezia comes from the Latin city of Suessa Pometia, the most popular sport in Pomezia is football. The oldest and the biggest football club in the comune is Pomezia Calcio, Pomezia is twinned with, Singen, Germany Çanakkale, Turkey Itápolis, Brazil Official website
Pomezia
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Panorama of Pomezia
29.
Rocca Priora
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Rocca Priora is a small town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, Italy. It is one of the Castelli Romani on the Alban Hills about 25 kilometres southeast of Rome, Rocca Priora occupied the area of the old Latins town of Corbium, here several battles, described by famous historians, were fought by Italic peoples. After the destruction of Tusculum in 1191, the population increased, in the 14th century the Savelli family rose to prominence in the area, after Pope Sixtus V endorsed Rocca Priora as a feudal possession for them. They held the town and its castle until the 17th century, according to some sources, the town was destroyed by Renzo da Ceris troops during the conflict between Pope Clement VII and the Colonna, and by the imperial troops in the wake of the Sack of Rome. After a period as a direct Papal rule, it was sold in part to the Rospigliosi family, who held it until 1870, sohland an der Spree, Germany Gregorius Maltzeff, painter Marco Amelia, football player
Rocca Priora
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Rocca Priora
Rocca Priora
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Rocca Priora castle.
30.
Rocca di Papa
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Rocca di Papa is a small town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, Italy. It is one of the Castelli Romani about 25 kilometres southeast of Rome on the Alban Hills and it is close to the other communes of Velletri, Rocca Priora, Monte Compatri, Grottaferrata, Albano and Marino. It is the center of the Regional Park known as the Parco Regionale dei Castelli Romani, documents from 12th century name Rocca di Papa as Castrum Rocce de Papa, because Pope Eugene III lived there. In 1541 Pier Luigi Farnese, with French troops, destroyed the castle, in 1855 the people proclaimed the Rocca di Papa Republic against prince Colonna and the Papal States government. In 1889 the Royal Geodynamic Observatory was built on the top of Rocca di Papa, between 1922 and 1935 the scientist Guglielmo Marconi carried out several experiments from this building in radio-transmission, wireless transmission and broadcasting. In 1944, during World War II, Rocca di Papa was bombed, the Center of the city was destroyed. Thirty four people died in air strike and 35 died in a second air strike on 25 May. The city was liberated from the Nazi German occupation on 4 June 1944 by the 85th Infantry Division, Papal Fortress, known since medieval times but restored in the current form during the reign of Pope Paul III. Santuario Madonna del Tufo Chiesa del Crocefisso Church of the Assunta and it is dedicated to the Assumption, and was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1806 in larger size. Fontana della Barcaccia Quartiere dei Bavaresi, built by Bavarian militiamen left here by Emperor Louis IV in 1328, convent of Palazzolo, located on top of a rock dominating the east shore of Lake Albano. The old Roman buildings was turned into monasteries and a dedicated to St Mary of Palatiolo. In the orchard of the convent is a monument of the 2nd century BC with a staircase pyramid. Currently, the Abbey and the church belong to the English College, the economy of Rocca di Papa is mostly based on tourism and agriculture, the latter dominated by wine and vine production. The Geophysical Museum shows scientific data about the inside of the Earth and it has preservation tools and scientific documents of the geology, geography and terrestrial physics of the Earth. The astronomic observatory Franco Fuligni, located in the frazione of Vivaro, is a public structure, there is the Federal Equestrian Centre of C. O. N. I. It is situated on a knoll in the center of the farm of Domatore. Since 1960, when the equipment for the events was installed for the Olympic Games, it has been the center of equestrian championships. The equipment has improved and enlarged to form an adequate spot for the preparation of the best horse-riders, offering an excellent track with every kind of difficulty
Rocca di Papa
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View of Rocca di Papa.
Rocca di Papa
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Convent of Palazzola.
Rocca di Papa
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First funicular of Rocca di Papa, station of "Valle Oscura".
31.
Sacrofano
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Sacrofano is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 25 kilometres north of Rome. Located near the Monti Sabatini, at the feet of an extinct volcano, Sacrofano borders the following municipalities, Campagnano di Roma, Castelnuovo di Porto, Formello, Magliano Romano, Riano, Rome. They were originally part of the territory of the Etruscan city of Veii, later it was home to numerous Roman villas, which were abandoned in the 5th-6th centuries. A fundus Scrofanum is mentioned for the first time in 780, apart a short conquest by Cesare Borgia, they kept Sacrofano for nearly three centuries, in 1560 it was included in the Duchy of Bracciano. In 1662 the Orsini ceded it to the Chigi family, the Rocca The church of San Giovanni Battista, dating from the 12th century but restored in the 15th century. It has a bell tower from the 14th century. The church has a plan, with a single nave. The 1515 altar, in polychrome marbles, houses the relic of St. Justin Martyr, Sacrofano has a station on the Roma-Civitacastellana-Viterbo regional railway. It can be reached by car from Rome in c.20 minutes through the Via Flaminia and the Via Sacrofanese
Sacrofano
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Sacrofano
Sacrofano
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Coat of arms
Sacrofano
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An ancient tower in Sacrofano.
32.
Tivoli, Lazio
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Tivoli is a town and comune in Lazio, central Italy, about 30 kilometres east-north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine hills. The city offers a view over the Roman Campagna. Catillus and his three sons Tiburtus, Coras, and Catillus drove out the Siculi from the Aniene plateau, according to a more historical account, Tibur was instead a colony of Alba Longa. Historical traces of settlement in the date back to the 13th century BC. The citys name may share a root with the river Tiber. Virgil in his Aeneid makes Coras and the younger Catillus twin brothers, from Etruscan times Tibur, a Sabine city, was the seat of the Tiburtine Sibyl. In the nearby woods, Faunus had a sacred grove, at first an independent ally of Rome, Tibur allied itself with the Gauls in 361 BC. Vestiges remain of its walls of this period, in opus quadratum. In 338 BC, however, Tibur was defeated and absorbed by the Romans, the city acquired Roman citizenship in 90 BC and became a resort area famed for its beauty and its good water, and was enriched by many Roman villas. The most famous one, of which the ruins remain, is the Villa Adriana, maecenas and Augustus also had villas at Tibur, and the poet Horace had a modest villa, he and Catullus and Statius all mention Tibur in their poems. In 273, Zenobia, the queen of Palmyra, was assigned a residence here by the Emperor Aurelian. The 2nd-century temple of Hercules Victor is being excavated, the present Piazza del Duomo occupies the Roman forum. The name of the city came to be used in form as Tiburi instead of Tibur and so transformed through Tibori to Tiboli. But its inhabitants are still called Tiburtini and not Tivolesi, in 547, in the course of the Gothic War, the city was fortified by the Byzantine general Belisarius, but was later destroyed by Totilas army. After the end of the war it became a Byzantine duchy, after Italy was conquered by Charlemagne, Tivoli was under the authority of a count, representing the emperor. From the 10th century onwards Tivoli, as an independent commune governed by its elected consuls, was the fiercest rival of Rome in the struggle for the control over the impoverished central Lazio, Emperor Otto III conquered it in 1001, and Tivoli fell under the papal control. Reminders of the turbulence of communal life are the tower houses that may be seen in Vicolo dei Ferri, Via di Postera, Via del Seminario. In the 13th century Rome imposed a tribute on the city, in the 14th century Tivoli sided with the Guelphs and strongly supported Urban VI against Antipope Clement VII
Tivoli, Lazio
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Main attractions of Tivoli, Top left: View of big fountain in Villa d'Este; Top right: Rocca Pia Castle; Center: City panorama; Bottom left: Temple of Tiburtine Sibyl; Bottom middle: The Maritime Theater in Hadrian's Villa; Bottom right: Cathedral
Tivoli, Lazio
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Landscape showing the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, by Adam Elsheimer, c. 1600
Tivoli, Lazio
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Waterfalls of Tivoli, Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich, 1745–1750
Tivoli, Lazio
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The castle of Rocca Pia, built in 1461 by Pope Pius II
33.
Tolfa
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Tolfa is a town and comune of the Metropolitan City of Rome, in the Lazio region of central Italy, it lies to the ENE of Civitavecchia by road. It is the center in the Monti della Tolfa, an extinct volcanic group between Civitavecchia and the Lake of Bracciano. Alum was an essential mordant in the industry, which was central to the Late Medieval. Previously, the supplies of alum were imported from the East, from sources controlled by the Ottoman Turks, through Venice. Later the monopoly in extraction of alum at Tolfa passed as a gift to Agostino Chigi. In 1530, Pope Clement VII granted the status of comune to Tolfa, in later times Tolfa continued to be supported by the extraction of alum. Near the mine the village of Allumiere was built, it became an autonomous comune in 1826. Remains of the walls and of the Frangipani castle, destroyed by the French troops in 1799 after the city had rebelled against the Roman Republic, town Hall, housing a collection of Etruscan and Roman antiquities discovered nearby. Church of SantEgidio Abate Convent of the Augustinians, now housing the communal library, Castle Rota In the tv series Medici, Masters of Florence Castle Rota is both Francesco Sforzas army camp and the village where Lorenzo finds the mercenary Ferzetti. Dingle, Ireland Għajnsielem, Malta Salobreña, Spain Slovenske Konjice, Slovenia This article incorporates text from a now in the public domain, Chisholm, Hugh
Tolfa
34.
Valmontone
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Valmontone is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Lazio, located about 45 kilometres southeast of Rome. The historic part of the town is situated on a hill,303 metres above sea level, part of a morphological system of valleys and low relieves. There are many natural springs due to the water levels underground. Because of this the landscape is covered by forest and farmland, to preserve this water system, in Valmontone exists the C. E. R. I. A center for the prevention and control of hydro-geological risks, perhaps these are the remains of the ancient Labicum, which, according to the myth, was founded by Glaucus, Minos’ son, the name of the village derives from a kind of Greek shield. Later on, the castle was rebuilt on the site in the Late Roman Empire. The presence of a Castrum Lateranense goes back to the 1052, the Pamphili family became Doria-Pamphili-Landi in the 18th century. In 1843 Valmontone assumed the rank of “city” by decision of Pope Gregory XVI, with the post-war reconstruction the town lost its medieval and baroque appeal, of which only a few sights survive. Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj was originally a castle, until the Barberini decided to replace it with a bigger fortress. On the Piano Nobile are frescoes divided by themes, the four rooms of Elements, the four dedicated to the Continents, the ceiling frescoes were made between 1657 and the 1661 by Pier Francesco Mola, Gaspard Dughet, Guglielmo Cortese, Francesco Cozza and Mattia Preti. Valmontone Archeological Museum, situated in the Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj, the ground floor houses a section which introduces the municipal area, the upper floor offers an introduction to the archeological sites and to related topics, through several media. Such topics include the coal miners village in Colle Carbone, the Colle dei Lepri settlement, the Mansio, the Thermal Baths, collegiate Church of Santa Maria dellAssunta, built on an ancient Gothic church with the same name, under Camillo Pamphilj, in the 17th century. The church has a composed by two bell towers and a curved colonnade with four Ionic columns. The plan is elliptic, with four chapels along each side, including numerous Baroque pictures, in front of the main entrance, fontana del Colle, in Baroque style, is part of the original Prince Pamphilj project. It is composed by a pedestal with four round-shaped basins, one at each angle, on the pedestal is a column surmounted by the bronze statue of the Labicanus, a Roman warrior, symbol of Valmontone. This fountain was destroyed under the World War II bombings, except one of the basins and the pedestal. The Church of SantAntonio was not bombed during World War II, the interior is decorated with Baroque stuccoes, a Madonna with the Son and a SantAntonio Abate, both painted by anonymous. Sanctuary of Madonna del Gonfalone, this church was built in 1508, with a Gothic plan, in origin, the sanctuary had 15 altars
Valmontone
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Valmontone
Valmontone
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Valmontone seen by Rocca di Cave: the massive white building is Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj.
Valmontone
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Mattia Preti, ceiling fresco of Stanza dell'Aria, Palazzo Doria-Pamphilij
Valmontone
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Valmontone, Colleggiata.
35.
Velletri
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Velletri is an Italian comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, on the Alban Hills, in Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring communes are Rocca di Papa, Lariano, Cisterna di Latina, Artena, Aprilia, Nemi, Genzano di Roma and its motto is, Est mihi libertas papalis et imperialis. Velletri was an ancient city of the Volsci tribe and it came into conflict with the Romans during the reign of Ancus Marcius, the fourth king of Rome, and in the fifth and fourth centuries, during the early Roman Republic. In the Middle Ages it was one of the few “free cities” in Lazio and it was the site of two historical battles in 1744 and 1849. It was at the centre of fighting between the Germans and the allies in 1944 after the Anglo-American landing at Anzio during the Second World War. Today, Velletri is home to a court and a prison, in addition to several colleges. It is the terminus of the Rome-Velletri railway, inaugurated by Pius IX in 1863, the territory of Velletri stretches between two distinct areas. The northern part is situated on the foothills of the Colli Albani range and was geologically formed about 150,000 years ago. The southern boundary forms around Pontine Marshes, whose reclamation started at the time of Pope Pius VI and was accomplished during the regime of Benito Mussolini, the Seismic classification of Velletris territory is Zone 2 The territory of Velletri collects water run off from many streams. These streams, most of them torrential in character or small in scale, are known as fossi, main fossi include, Fosso Minella at the edge of the municipal area to Genzano di Roma, near the Velletri frazione of SantEurosia. This stream originates from Monte Spina, elevation 731 metres above sea level, in the territory of Nemi and its named after the Minella bridge on State Road 7, Via Appia Nuova and originates at 405 metres above sea level, at the foot of Colle degli Olmi. Minella also runs parallel to the fosso delle Tre Armi, which connects to it. Fossa SantEurosia, originating from Colle degli Olmi, it goes through the village of the same name, Fossa Paganica, which originates from springs on Colle Caldaro, and on Colle Tondo. Fosso di Ponte Veloce, which arises from Colle Tondo, on Maschio dellArtemisio and this watercourse near Villa Borgia, superseded the old town of Velletri, changes name to Fossa Farina near the iron bridge of the Roma-Velletri railway. Fossa Anatolia, originating from Colle Bello, it flows at the foot of old town Velletri, other water sources include the Acqua de Ferrari, at 650 metres, underlying Monte de Ferrari at Rocca di Papa, from which is part of the municipal water supply. The area west of the city is a bit higher at San Lorenzo reaching 372 m above sea level. The remainder of the territory to the south and west is basically flat except for small hills that do not exceed 300 m above sea level. The climate of Velletri is mild, due to the Tyrrhenian Sea not being far, the climate is very rainy, with an annual average of 1,400 to 1,500 mm precipitation, making it the rainiest city of Lazio and the second in Italy
Velletri
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Panorama of Velletri
Velletri
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Mount Artemisio overshadows Velletri
Velletri
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The Athena of Velletri, found in a villa near the town.
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Triumph of Charles III at the Battle of Velletri by Francesco Solimena. Oil on canvas, 1744.
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Zagarolo
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Zagarolo is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, in the region of Lazio of central Italy. It has 17,803 inhabitants and a area of 28 square kilometres. It lies 34 kilometres south-east of Rome, and it borders the municipalities of Colonna, Gallicano nel Lazio, Monte Compatri, Palestrina, Rome, San Cesareo. Zagarolos town center lies on a narrow tuff hill,2 kilometres long and about 100 metres wide, at an elevation of 310 metres. The south continuation of the important pilgrim route Via Francigena passes through the countryside of Zagarolo, Zagarolo may have origins in Gabii, an ancient city founded in the 5th century, which is a few kilometers from Zagarolo. The town center is of medieval origin and its current urban plan was developed in the 16th century, Zagarolo is the birthplace of composer Goffredo Petrassi. Most of the attractions of Zagarolo are in the historical town center. For many centuries it remained under the Colonna influence, and was besieged and destroyed several times due to the rivalry between the papacy and the Colonna family. In the 16th century the Colonnas and the papacy started having peaceful relationships, the palace now was used as a residence and two major wings were added to it towards the piazza, frescoes were painted and a hanging garden was built. In 1591 a council of eight cardinals was held in the Palace, with the mission to revise the Bible for an edition, among them were Marcantonio Colonna. The building is characterized by frescoes painted by manierist artists of 16th century, attributed to Dutch painters, to Antonio Tempesta, in the Palace also worked Carlo Maratta and Ludovico Gimignani, who died in this palace in 1697. Later the Palace became property of the Pallavicini family, until it was sold to the comune in 1979, when the Rospigliosi acquired the duchy of Zagarolo in 1668, it became property of that family. During World War II the palace was transformed in a German military hospital, today the Library of Zagarolo and the Toy Museum are inside the palace, and it is used for conventions, exhibitions and other cultural events. Church of St. Lawrence Martyr, located in Piazza del Risorgimento, convent and Church of St. Mary of the Graces, located in Piazza Santa Maria Church of St. Annunziata, has a peculiar octagonal belltower, and dominates the skyline of Zagarolo. Church of St. Peter, a Baroque church built on the site of an ancient church. It has an elliptical dome 46 meters high, the first gate to be encountered entering the city center from the southeast is Porta Rospigliosi, decorated with bas-reliefs in the 16th century and Roman busts and theatrical masques. The other gate, at the northwest entrance to the city is Porta San Martino, the Zagarolo Toy Museum, located in Rospigliosi Palace. The Museum offers a reconstruction of toys and the act of playing in a series of sections that, through a historic excursus
Zagarolo
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Palazzo Rospigliosi
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1927 postcard of the Zagarolo train station "Stazione Vicinale"
