Nolite nocere terrae et mari nec arboribus

52 Pages·2011·6.22 MB·English

Nolitenocereterraeetmarinecarboribus
Contents
Touristic, artistic and historic itineraries.
Aprilia
CisternadiLatina
8Ninfa
RoccaMassima Sermoneta
14Cori Valvisciolo
Norma B2assia2no
Sezze
Touristic, artistic and historic itineraries.
Latina
3S0abaudia Roccagorga
Editorialprojectandcoordination Pontinia Maenza
44
PierGiacomoSottorivaandBrunoMaragoni Prossedi
Pisterzo
Texts
PierGiacomoSottoriva(basedon“PiccoloGrandTour”
Fossanova
byPierGiacomoSottoriva,revisedandadapted
Priverno
byPierGiacomoSottorivaandBrunoMaragoni). RoccaseccadeiVolsci SanFeliceCirceo
50 58
Sonnino Terracina
Translation
QuadrivioTraduzioniRoma
Photography MonteS.Biagio
Fondi Gaeta
AptLatinaArchives,FabrizioArdito,DiegoCaruso, 66
Lenola Formia
MartinoCusano,AttilioFrancescani,PaolaGhirotti,I-BUGA, 80
Campodimele Minturno
NoéMarullo,BrunoMaragoni,PaoloPetrignani,CarloPicone,
Itri
LucianoRomano,PierGiacomoSottoriva,SandroVannini.
Sperlonga
Layoutandgraphicdesign
SpignoSaturnia
GuercioDesigndiLatina
Castelforte ThePontine
Printing SuioTerme 9Islan6ds
Primaprint-Viterbo(2010) SS.CosmaeDamiano
92
Publishedby
AziendadiPromozioneTuristicadellaProvinciadiLatina
04100Latina,ViaDucadelMare,19.
Tel.[phone]Fax[phone]
www.latinaturismo.it [email protected]
T
Established in 1934, the province of
Latina (33 municipalities) extends over
Touristic, artistic and historic itineraries.
2,250 square kilometres, covering al-
most equal proportions of hilly, moun-
HE PROVINCE OF LATINA
tainous areas (the Volsci mountains,
dividedintotheLepini,AusoniandAu-
runci mountain ranges) and coastal
plains (the Pontine, Fondi-Monte San
BiagioandGariglianoplains).Thegeo-
graphic features and ancient human
settlements make it an extremely inte-
resting area to visit. It includes seaside
towns, mountain-top villages, islands,
natural springs, national and regional
parks, natural monuments, archaeolo-
gicalandmedievalsitesandeven“new
cities”. Transportation services. The
area is well served by transportation
networks such as the airports of Fiumi-
cino and Ciampino (Rome) and Capo-
dichino(Naples)andtheAutostradadel
Sole motorway (Valmontone and Col-
leferro junctions for the north, Frosi-
4 5
nonejunctionforthecentralareaandCeprano,CassinoandSanVit- Acquaviva-QuerciadelMonaco (Le-
torejunctionsforthesouth),theSS7ViaAppiaandtheSS148ViaPon- nola) and the gardens and ruins of
tinatrunkroads.ItisalsoservedbytheRoma-Napolirailwayservice Ninfa (Cisterna and Sermoneta), the
with stations in Aprilia, Cisterna, Latina, Sezze, Priverno, Monte San jewel in the crown of the natural he-
Biagio, Fondi, Itri, Formia and Minturno Scauri, from whence all the ritageoftheprovincewithawideva-
areasoftheprovincearewithineasyreach.Thecoast.Stretchingover rietyofplantsandflowersfromevery
onehundredkilometersfromtheRiverAstura(tothewestonthebor- corneroftheglobeandtheremainsof
derwiththeprovinceofRome)totheRiverGarigliano(totheeaston amedievaltown.Thenaturalfeatures
theborderofLatiumwithCampania,andtheprovinceofLatinawith of the province also include the State
the province of Caserta), the coast is lined with beaches of golden nature reserve and protected marine
sandandrockypromontoriesandheadlands.ThecoastaltownsofLa- area of the islands of Ventotene and
tina Lido, Sabaudia, San Felice Circeo, Terracina, Fondi Lido, Sper- Santo Stefano. Natural springs. Fa-
longa,Gaeta,FormiaandMinturno-Scauriofferadiversifiedrangeof mousforthecurativevirtuesofitswa-
hotels,campsites,villas,holidayhomesandflats,farmholidayfacili- ters, the Terme di Suio (Castelforte)
ties, bed & breakfasts and guest houses, while there are marina faci- are located in the extreme south of
lities in San Felice Circeo, Terracina, Sperlonga, Gaeta, Formia and theprovinceonthebanksoftheRiver
Scauri and landing stages in River Rio Martino (Latina), River Sisto, Garigliano in the volcanic basin of
River Badino (Terracina) and River Garigliano (Minturno). The pro- Roccamonfina. Hotels with spa
vincealsoincludestheArchipelagoofthePontineIslands,agroupof facilities designed to exploit all the
volcanic islands (with the exception of Zannone) characterized by a properties of the local spring water
wealth of colours, magical environments and fascinating sea-beds. openonadailybasistoofferaperfect
Hills and mountains. Over half of the territory and two thirds of the alternative to a day at the beach or
municipalities of the province lie in hillside and mountain areas. In- entire vacations dedicated to treating
deed, the entire length of the province is washed by the sea and di- various illnesses (see Castelforte-Suio
stinguished by a range of mountains (Mount Semprevisa and Mount Terme).Culture. The numerous cultu-
Petrella both stand at over 1500 metres) and hills inland. Since an- ral attractions include the archaeolo-
cienttimes,theplateausofthemountainrangeshavebeenoccupied gical sites of Minturnae, Sperlonga
bythetownsofCori,RoccaMassima,Norba(nowknownasNorma), (Tiberius’ Grotto and archaeological
Sezze,LenolaandItri,whileothertowns(Sermoneta,Bassiano,Roc- museum), Norba, Formia (Cicero’s
cagorga,Maenza,Sonnino,Prossedi,Priverno,RoccaseccadeiVolsci, Tomb and archaeological museum),
Monte San Biagio, Campodimele, Castelforte, SS. Cosma e Damiano Mezzagosto (Priverno), Cori (Temple
and Spigno Saturnia) date back to the middle ages, as can clearly be of Hercules), Sabaudia (Domitian’s
seen by their medieval buildings and urban layout. Parks and nature Palace on the banks of the lake), Ter-
reserves. The province includes numerous areas of great environ- racina (Temple of Jupiter Anxur and
mentalinterest.ThelargestnaturereserveistheCirceoNationalPark, Emilian Forum) as well as the medie-
whichincludespartsofLatina,Sabaudia,SanFeliceCirceoandPonza val towns and castles of Sermoneta,
(Zannone), while the three regional nature reserves in the province - Fondi,ItriandGaeta. TheGothic-Ci-
MontiAurunciRegionalPark,RivieradiUlisseRegionalPark,which stercian abbeys of Fossanova (Pri-
includes the protected areas of Monte Orlando (Gaeta), Gianola- verno) and Valvisciolo (Sermoneta);
MontediScauri(Formia-Scauri)thePromontoryofTiberius’Villaand the various sanctuaries (Holy Trinity
CostaTorreCapovento-PuntaCetarola(Sperlonga)andMontiAusoni and Montagna Spaccata in Gaeta,
and Lago di Fondi Regional Park, which includes the natural monu- Madonna della Civita in Itri, Ma-
ments of Camposoriano (Terracina and Sonnino), the Temple of Jupi- donna del Colle in Lenola, Madonna
ter Anxur (Terracina), Lake Fondi and the Mola della del Soccorso in Cori, Santa Maria
Corte-Settecannelle-Capodacqua(Fondi)–areflankedbyvariousna- della Sorresca in Sabaudia and Ma-
tural monuments including Torrecchia Vecchia (Cisterna and part of donnadellaDeliberainTerracina)are
6 Cori), Lake Giulianello (Cori and part of Artena), Cima del Monte- all worth visiting. 7
Terracina-Fondishore
A
PRILIA
Located on the border between the provinces of Latina and of Rome,
Aprilia was founded on 25 April 1936 as the fourth “new city” to be
built by Benito Mussolini - who outlined the first foundations of the
new metropolis with a plough - on the recently drained Pontine mar-
shes.Inauguratedon29October1937,theinitialcitywasasmallrural (today’s Anzio). In the surroun-
townbuiltaroundacentralnucleusofpublicbuildings(atownhall,a ding countryside, Spaccasassi,
church,aschool,aCarabinieribarracks,aCasadelFascio,anOpera Padiglione (the largest settle-
Balillabuilding,anofficeofOperaNazionaleCombattenti,atrattoria, ment to be colonized prior to
asmallhotel,apostoffice,acinemaandhousingforcivilservants),al- thedrainingofthePontineMar-
mostcompletelydestroyed duringtheviolentbattlesbetweenGerman shes) Casalazzara, Fossignano
and Campo del Fico all have
ITINERARY No. 1 watchtowers which were origi-
Aprilia nallypartofasystemofmilitary
surveillance.Worthvisiting:the
Cisterna
Oldfarmstorehouse Horti Sangiulianei, an experi-
Ninfa mental garden and study area
andAlliedForceswhichtookplace from22January1944(whenthe established by the Garden
Allied Forces landed at Anzio) to May 1944. All that can be seen of Sciences department of the In-
theoriginalcitynowaretheporticoes,thecinema,theparishchurch ternationalFloricultureCentre.
ofS.MicheleArcangelo,abronzestatueofArchangelMichaellocated
in front of the church (restored in the 1990s) and the bell tower re-
constructed shortly after the war. The ancient history of the territory
andthefoundationofApriliaisrecountedinaPermanentExhibitionof
theHistoryoftheCityat“G.Pascoli”institute.Throughouttheterritory
itispossibletoseesignsofhumaninhabitationinancienttimes(stone
and bronze articles created in Vulsci settlements such as Longula in
Buon Riposo, various underground structures and the bass-reliefs of
Antinoo-SilvanobyAntonianodiAfrodisiaatTorredelPadiglione);in
Carano, the Mausoleum of General Menotti Garibaldi, the son of the
famousHeroofTwoWorlds,whoisburiedtheretogetherwithhiswife,
children and other relations, is worth visiting. Traces of ancient and
modern history are also to be found in Carroceto whose small 17th
century church dedicated to St. Anthony was built to mark a visit to
thevillagebyPopeInnocenceXIIduringtheinaugurationofthePorto
Innocenziano in Anzio, while the village of Campo di Carne stands
around a railway bridge which was the scene of a bloody battle bet-
ween German and Allied forces in 1944. Furthermore, Campoverde
was home to the first domuscultae to develop after the fall of the
RomanEmpireandconsistedofthechurchofS.PietroinFormis(today
only a name) and a number of public buildings, while Via Selciatella
(astretchoftheancientViaAppiaconsularroad),markstheroutetaken
8 by Poppea when transporting her donkeys to the “Feriae in Antium” 9
ChurchofS.MicheleArcangelo
HouseofGeneral
MenottiGaribaldi
C
OnthefirstfloorofPalazzoCaetani(built
in 1560 on the Frangipane fortress), the
SaladegliZuccariwasfrescoedbyvarious
ISTERNA
famous painters, while the rooms of the
second floor are dedicated to a series of
OnthewesternedgeofthePontineplain,inRomantimesCisternawas permanent and temporary exhibitions. In
thelaststationpriortothePontineDecennoviumandwascrossedby the cloister a staircase leads to a room,
theViaAppia(themoderndayViaBufolareccia),whereitisstillpos- perhaps originally used as a cellar, from
sibletoseetheremainsofaRomanfuneralmonument.Theoriginsof which a central corridor leads to a series
CisternacanbetracedbacktothesettlementofTresTabernaeatkm58 oftunnelsrunning15metresunderthepa-
on the Via Appia where, as in Forum Appii, Saint Paul met the first lace. Many of the inhabitants of Cisterna
ChristiansfromRomeonhisjourneytotheItaliancapital(61AD).The hid in these tunnels during the bombings
municipality of Cisterna covers a vast territory between Aprilia, the oftheSecondWorldWar(fromJanuaryto
coast and Fogliano; thus it is believed that the city was connected to March 1944). The public gardens in the
thedomuscultaeofS.PietroinFormis andNinfa.AsCisternahadwel- centreofthetownarehometothemonu-
mental Biondi fountain, a representation
CaetaniPalace by Ernesto Biondi of the goddess Feronia
triumphingovermalaria.Approximately3
kmnorthofCisternaonViaAppialiesLe
Castella,thesiteofanancientRomanand
perhaps Italic settlement in which the
comedthefuturePopeAlexanderIIIduringhisenthronementinnearby ruins of various walls, wells and burrows
Ninfain1159,manyofitsmostimportantbuildingsweredestroyedby as well as coins and fragments of statues
thepope’senemyBarbarossa.Inlatertimes,theoldtownhallwasde- and everyday utensils have been found.
stroyedinthewarandrebuiltaccordingtoverydifferentarchitectural During the draining of the Pontine mar-
principles, as was the church ofAssunta, which houses a marble sta- shesinthe1930s,twoothervillageswere
tueofSaintRocco,andPalazzoCaetani.Nevertheless,theseareper- established: Doganella di Ninfa, most of
haps the only (semi-) original buildings still standing in Cisterna. whoseoriginalbuildingsstillsurvive,and
BorgoFlora.TheterritoryofCisternaalso
includesthe“naturalmonuments”ofTor-
recchia Vecchia (part of which is located
inthemunicipalityofCori)andNinfa.Tor-
recchia,whichwaspartofthefeudalpro-
perty of the Caetani family at the end of
the13thcentury,stretchesoverabout600
hectares,60percentofwhichiscovered
byforest.Recognizedasa“naturalmonu-
ment” in 2007, the area has survived all
thevicissitudesofthe20thcentury andis
hometorareexamplesoffloraandfauna
inamostvaluablelandscape.
10 11
Decorationsofthe ChurchofAssunta Biondifountain
ChurchofAssunta
N
INFA
MostofNinfaliesinthemunicipalityofCisterna(althoughpartofthe
villageisanswerabletoSermoneta),butisgeographicallydominatedby
Norma.Ascanbeevincedfromtheruinsofpublicbuildingsandhou-
ses still visible today, Ninfa was originally a medieval village built
around a small Roman temple dedicated to the water and wood
nymphsofthefreshwaterstreamsoftheLepinimountains.Remainsof
thistemplecanstillbefoundinthelakewhichformedwhentheCae-
tanifamilybuiltadamattheendofthe13thcentury.Thewatersofthe
lake also reflect a medieval tower and the well preserved crenellated
walls of the (totally empty) castle. Destroyed in 1159 for being the
place in which Pope Alexander III was elected to the papacy, Ninfa
enjoyeditsmaximumsplendourintheearly14thcentury,afteraseries
of property and land acquisitions and the completion of several forti- GardensandlakeofNinfa
fication initiatives by Pietro II Caetani, the nephew of Pope Boniface
VIII.Butthecastlecouldnotbesavedfromcontinuousattacks,afire
andasacking,attheendofthe14thcentury(1381or1382).Thetow-
SanBiagio,SanPaolo,SanPietroandSanGiovanni–aswellasthecastle,
n’sinabilitytoregainitsformergloryledittobegraduallyabandoned,
thecitywalls,thehouses,thewatchtowers,theremainsoftheriversidelan-
becoming completely deserted when a wave of malaria infected the
dingstage,andthebridges(includingoneRomanbridge)areflankedbya
area.Indeed,writingattheendofthe19thcentury,thegreatGerman
marvellousgardencontainingthousandsofplants,bushesandforesttrees
travelwriterFerdinandGregoroviusnotedthe….“fabulousruinsofa
(includingmanydifferentrosesandotherfragrantplants)fromalloverthe
citywhich,withitswalls,towers,churches,monasteriesandhouses,
world arranged in to great chromatic effect by the latter members of the
stands half submerged in the marsh, buried under thick ivy […], a
Caetanifamily.NinfaisopentovisitorsfromApriltoOctober,onthefirst
place […] more graceful that even Pompeii, whose houses stand as
SaturdayandthesuccessiveSundayofeachmonth(andonthethirdSun-
stiffasmummiesdraggedoutofthevolcanicashes.AboveNinfathere
dayofthemonthfromApriltoJune)andonthefirstSundayofNovember.
undulatesafragrantseaofflowers[and]everywall,everychurchand
School groups and other groups of at least 30 people may book visits at
every house is enveloped in a veil of ivy and on all the ruins fly the
anytimeoftheyear.On15December2009theterritoryofNinfawasex-
purple banners of the triumphant God of Spring (Wanderjahre in Ita-
panded with the inauguration of the re-naturalized Area of Pantanello,
lien).Broughtbacktolifein1920,whenGelasioCaetanirestoredthe
whichincludesover100hectaresofthetypeofvegetationandnaturalen-
originalbuildingsandoversawtheplantingofanewgardenaccording
vironments which occupied the area prior to the draining of the Pontine
toalayoutdesignedbyMargueriteChapinCaetani,Ninfapassedinto
marsh.Theaimofthis re-naturalizedareaistooffereducationalandscien-
the hands of Lelia Caetani and her husband Hubert Howard. On the
tificservicesviatheimplementationofstudyprogrammesandmonitoring
deathoftheselatterowners,NinfawasdonatedbytheCaetanifamily
initiativestogetherwithnationalandinternationalresearchinstitutes.Part
–togetherwithSermonetacastle–totheRoffredoCaetaniFoundation,
oftheareaisalsousedforschoolteachinginitiatives,incollaborationwith
an organization dedicated to Leila Caetani’s father. Thus, nowadays
theRegionalParksAgencyforenvironmentaleducationandtheecological
the numerous ruined medieval churches – the church of Santa Maria
trainingof“mini-guides”.
12 Maggiore,wherePopeAlexanderIIIwascrowned,andthechurchesof 13
RemainsoftheChurch
ofS.MariaMaggiore
R
M
OCCA ASSIMA
Rocca Massima stands on the highest elevation in the province of
Latina,entrenchedonahillat746masl.ItoverlooksthesouthernAl-
baniareaandValledelSacco,protectedbyhillscoveredbyawoodof
Holm oak and oak that gives the entire area great naturalistic value.
TheRocca(fortress)probablyroseontheruinsofCaerventum(7thcen-
turyB.C.),asbornwitnesstobytheremainsofpolygonalwallsinthe
areas of Mount St.Angelo, La Selva and Lubro. There were continual
Thehistoriccentre
ITINERARY No. 2
RoccaMassima
Cori
Norma
battles over the territory between the Volsci and Romans, as in many
centres of the Lepini mountains. In medieval times, it was owned by
the Annibaldi family, who had a small castle and defence structures
builtinthe12thcentury;thecastlemayhavebeenthe“fortress”from
whichtheplacegotitsname,onMountMassimo.FromtheAnnibaldi
family it passed into the hands of the Malabranca, Pierleoni and the
Contifamilies.TheContifamilyheldtheRoccauntil1597,thenitpas-
sedtoCardinalAntonioMariaSalviati.Attheendofthe18thcentury
there was another transfer to the Borghese family, then to the Doria
Pamphili family. The quiet entrenched centre has the typical features
of medieval clusters: steep, narrow streets and buildings crowded
againsteachotherlikeadefenceshieldforthehomeofthefeudallord,
whichonlyretainsafeworiginalelementsandbelongstoprivateper-
sons.Acylindricaltowerprotectedtheentrancetothetown.Thehou-
ses of worship are not especially important from an artistic point of
view.However,theurbanchurchofSanMicheleArcangelo,probably
fromthesameeraasthecastle,wastransformedattheendofthe18th
century:theceilingisornamentedwithlacunars,thesmallcentralnave
Panoramicview
endsinacircular,decoratedapse.Outsidethetown,onefindsthelit-
tlechurchofCarmine(early17thcentury)andthatofSanRocco(16th
century),theannexedconventofwhichhasbeenabandoned.
14 15
Panoramicview
C
ORI
Along the road from Roccamassima to Cori extends Giulianello. Bat-
tlementsweresetuparoundthesiteattheturnofthefirstmillennium;
apartfromamoderateamountofadministrativeorganisation,thesebat-
tlementsensuredmilitarydefenceagainstbarbarianinvasions.Enfeof-
fed to the Conti family and then to the Malabranca, Salviati and
Borghesefamilies,thefortresspreservestheancientpalaceofCardinal
Antonio Maria Salviati and the church of San Giovanni Battista ed
PanoramicviewfromthetempleofHercules
Evangelista(17thcentury),whereaBambinGesù,sculptedoutofolive
wood,hasbeenhousedsince1799;itissupposedlytheoriginalofthe
onewhichwaspreservedinthechurchofAraCoeliinRomeanddi-
sappeared in 1993, after a theft. Cori’s origins, dating back to six or
sevencenturiesbeforethefoundingofRome,fallundertheTrojanand
nearby Orient myth; Dardanos supposedly founded the town and
Koraxfoundeditagain.AfterbeingconqueredbytheVolsciinthe6th
century B.C., Cori was a Latin colony and a Roman colony starting
from 493 B.C. Its fidelity to Rome remained intact over the centuries
andwasthecauseofitsdestructionbyFrederickBarbarossa.Thetown-
planning design is aimed at defence: a tightly grouped, impregnable
acropolis,withastrong,compactlowerpart,allofwhichisdefended
by a system of polygonal wall; the many parts still visible belong to
three construction techniques from different epochs between the 6th
and4thcenturiesB.C.Duringmedievaltimesthewallswererestored
andstrengthenedwithtowersandbulwarksandthreegateswerebuilt:
Romana,NinfinaandSignina.Themonument-symbolofthecity,over-
lookingthePontineplain,istheTempleofHercules,builtintheDoric
styleinthe1stcenturyB.C.Allthatremainsofitisthepronaos,whe-
reas the cella was probably incorporated into the adjacent Church of
San Pietro. Following allied bombings on 30 January 1944, only the
bell tower was left. Another temple was the one dedicated to Castor
and Pollux, this, too, from the 1st century B.C.; only two columns
remain, leaning against a modern building. The Roman era left other
16 17
traces in the lower part of the town, including the so-called Pozzo
Frescoesofthechapel TempleofHercules
oftheAnnunziata
dorico(Doricwell),whichmayhaveoriginallybeenawaterreservoir Warmemorial
orthermalstructure.ThePontedellaCatenaspanstheunderlyinggully.
Subsequentartmayhavebegunwiththe15thcenturyChurchofSanta
Oliva,whichrisesontheremainsofapagantemple.Alovelyconvent
stands next to the church and is now the seat of the museum of the
CityandTerritorythatopensontothecharmingcloistermarkedbytwo
rows of columns with capitals bearing sculpted motifs; opposite the
convent stands the renaissance Palazzetto Luciani and next to it the
modernMunicipalBuilding,whichincorporatespartofthemegalithic
walls. Sacred buildings are well represented: the Church of Santa
MariadellaPietàrisesonapagantemple,wheretherelicsoftwobles-
sed Cori inhabitants, Sante Laurienti and Tommaso Placidi, are pre-
Polygonalwalls
served; the Church of San Francesco, inaugurated in 1526 together
withtheconvent,hasanavedistinguishedbyalovelycofferedceiling
andmanyotherworksofgreatartisticvalue;inthelowerpartoftown,
almost at the entrance, rises the small church-oratory of Annunziata
(late14thcentury),anationalmonument,thewallsofwhichareenti-
relyfrescoedbyeventsinthelifeofJesus,notablefiguresfromtheOld
TestamentandtheLastJudgement;intheuppersectionoftown,which
canalsobereachedbymeansofalongstaircaseofaboutonehundred
steps,alongwhicharethestationsoftheViaCrucis,risestheSanctuary
of the Soccorso, linked to the apparition of the Madonna to a young
girl, Oliva, who was lost on the mountain; also in this area one finds
theChurchoftheSaintsPietroandPaolo,wherethemarblebaseofthe
altar is Roman; and, finally, the Church of San Salvatore, which, al-
though closed, is important. Belonging to the Cori surroundings are
“naturalmonuments”,suchasTorrecchiaVecchia(alsointhemunici-
palityofCisterna)andLagodiGiulianello(alsointhemunicipalityof
Artena),locatedhalfwaybetweenthevolcanichighlandsoftheAlbani
HillsandthecalcareousslopesoftheLepiniMountains,fedmostlyby
underground springs, and offering a natural habitat and feeding
groundsformanyspeciesofbirds.
18 19
ChurchofS.Oliva