| Comune di Terracina | |
|---|---|
 Municipal coat of arms |
|
| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Lazio |
| Province | Latina (LT) |
| Mayor | Stefano Nardi |
| Elevation | 22 m (72 ft) |
| Area | 136 km² (53 sq mi) |
| Population (as of December 31, 2004) | |
| - Total | 42,475 |
| - Density | 312/km² (808/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | Terracinesi |
| Dialing code | 0773 |
| Postal code | 04019 |
| Frazioni | Borgo Hermada |
| Patron | San Cesario |
| - Day | First Sunday of November |
| Website: http://www.comune.terracina.lt.it http://www.terracina.com | |
Terracina is a town and comune of the province of Latina - (until 1934 of the province of Rome), Italy, 76 km SE of Rome by rail (56 km by the Via Appia). Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest For the football club see SS Lazio Lazio ( Latium in Latin) is a regione of central In Italy, a Province (in Italian provincia) is an administrative division of intermediate level between Municipality ( Comune The Province of Latina (Provincia di Latina is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Central European Time ( CET) is one of the names of the Time zone that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+1 is used in the following locations Central European Time West Africa Time Western European Summer Time A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place Here are a list of area codes in Italy. All numbers here begin with the country code (0039 A frazione, in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a Comune; for other Administrative In Italy, the comune, (plural comuni) is the basic Administrative division of both provinces and regions and may be properly approximated in The Province of Latina (Provincia di Latina is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. The Province of Rome (Provincia di Roma is a province and the Metropolitan area of Rome in the Lazio region of Italy, with an area Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 The Appian Way ( Latin and Italian: Via Appia) was the most important ancient Roman road.
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History
Ancient times
Terracina appears in ancient sources with two names: the Latin Tarracina and the Volscian Anxur (Plin. NH 3.59: "lingua Volscorum Anxur dictum"). Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Volscian was a Sabellic Italic language, which was spoken by the Volsci and closely related to Oscan and Umbrian. The latter is the name of Jupiter himself as a youth (Iuppiter Anxur or Anxurus), and was the tutelary god of the city, venerated on the Mons Neptunius (current Monte S. In Roman mythology, Jupiter was the king of the gods and the god of Sky and Thunder. Angelo), where a temple dedicated to him still exists (see below). Terracina is a town and Comune of the Province of Latina - (until 1934 of the Province of Rome) Italy, 76 km SE of Rome by The name Tarracina has been instead pointed out variously as pre-Indo-European origin, or as Etruscan (Tarchna or Tarchuna, the name of the Tarquinii family): in this view, it would precede the Volscian conquest. The Etruscan Language was spoken and written by the Etruscan civilization in the ancient region of Etruria (modern Tuscany plus western Tarquinius is the name of an illustrious Roman family of Etruscan origin two of whose members according to legend reigned as king in Rome Tarquinius
Terracina occupied a position of notable strategic importance: it is located in fact at the point where the Volscian Hills (an extension of the Lepini Mountains) reach the coast, leaving no space for passage between them and the sea, in a site commanding the Pontine Marshes (urbs prona in paludes, "a city flat in the marshes", as Livy called it) and possessing a small harbour. The Volsci were an ancient Italic people, well known in the history of the first century of the Roman Republic. The Monti Lepini (Italian Lepini mountains) are a mountain range which belongs to the Anti-Apennines of the Lazio region of central Italy, between The Pontine Marshes ( Agro Pontino in Italian) is a former Marsh area in the Lazio Region of Central Italy southeast of Rome Titus Livius (traditionally 59 BC &ndash AD 17 known as Livy in English, was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome In 509 BCE Tarracina was already under Roman supremacy, but was not included in the list of the Latin league of 499 BCE. The Latin League (c 7th century BC - 338 BC) was a confederation of about 30 villages and tribes in the region of Latium near Ancient Rome organized for Events By place Greece After a failed attack on the rebellious island of Naxos in 502 BC (on behalf of In 406 it was stormed by the Romans, then lost in 402, recovered in 400, unsuccessfully attacked by the Volsci in 397, and finally secured by the establishment of a colony of Roman citizens in 329 BCE. The Volsci were an ancient Italic people, well known in the history of the first century of the Roman Republic. Events By place Macedonian Empire From Phrada, Alexander the Great presses on up the valley of the Helmand River,
As a colonia maritima it frequently appears in history. A Roman colonia (plural coloniae) was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it The construction of the Via Appia in 312 BCE added to its importance: the road at first crossed the hill at the back of the promontory by a steep ascent and descent. The Appian Way ( Latin and Italian: Via Appia) was the most important ancient Roman road. Events By place Seleucid Empire Ptolemy and Seleucus, the Satrap of Babylonia, invade the satrapy of An attempt was made in 184 BCE to get round it by an embankment thrown out into the sea: but it was probably not until early in Trajan's time that a cut in the rocks at the foot of the promontory (Pisco Montano) finally solved the problem. Events By place Roman Republic Cato the Elder, along with his colleague Lucius Valerius Flaccus, are elected censors The depth of the cut is indicated by marks on the vertical wall at intervals of 10 Roman feet; the lowest mark, about 1 m above the present road, is CXX, corresponding to 36 meters.
Not far off are mineral springs by the coast, known to the Romans as Neptuniae aquae and later renamed Acqua Magnesia, are still in use, except one containing arsenic which was blocked up both by the ancients and again in 1839 as a precaution. Arsenic (ˈɑrsənɪk is a Chemical element that has the symbol As and Atomic number of 33 The two roads met some few miles east of Tarracina, and the Via Appia then traversed the pass of Lautulae, between the mountains and the Lake of Fondi, where the Samnites defeated the Romans with losses in 315 BCE. Fondi is a city and comune in the Province of Latina ( Lazio, Italy) halfway between Rome and Naples. This pass, formerly the frontier between the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples, was also fortified in Early Modern days. The Papal States, State(s of the Church or Pontifical States (in Italian Stato Ecclesiastico, Stato della Chiesa, Stati della Chiesa The Kingdom of Naples was an informal name of the Polity officially known as the Kingdom of Sicily which existed on the mainland of the southern Italian The early modern period is a term used by historians to refer to the period in Western '''Europe''' and its first colonies which spans the three centuries between
It was probably in consequence of the road cut just mentioned that some of the more important buildings of the imperial period were erected in the low ground by the shore, and near the small harbour. The construction of the coast road, the Via Severiana, from Ostia to Tarracina, added to the importance of the place; and the beauty of the promontory with its luxuriant flora and attractive view had caused it to be frequented by the Romans as early as 200 BCE. Via Severiana was an ancient highroad of Italy, running southeast from Ostia to Terracina, a distance of 73 miles along the coast and taking its name Ostia Antica was the Harbour of Ancient Rome and perhaps its first colonia. Terracina became an important centre for the development of the fertile valley lying to the west, and started to grow new settlements at the foot of the first one, which turned into a sanctuary area with some patrician mansions. Sanctuary has multiple meanings A sanctuary is the consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar The term " patrician " originally referred to a group of elite families in Ancient Rome, including both their natural and Galba (born here in 3 BC) and Domitian both possessed villas in the area of the city. Servius Sulpicius Galba ( December 24, 3 BC &ndash January 15, 69) also called Servius Sulpicius Galba Caesar Titus Flavius Domitianus (24 October 51 &ndash 18 September 96 commonly known as Domitian, was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 14 September 81 until his death A Roman villa is a Villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. Various new public edifices were erected starting from the time of Sulla: these included a new theatre and forum, while the sanctuary was renovated, as well as the port (under Trajan and Antoninus Pius, 2nd century CE). Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix ( Latin: L•CORNELIVS•L•F•P•N•SVLLA•FELIX (c Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan ( September 18 53 &ndash August 9 117) was a Roman Emperor who Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus ( September 19, 86 &ndash March 7 161) generally known in English as Antoninus Pius The 2nd century is the period from 101 to 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. The last Roman construction was that of a new line of walls during the 5th century CE.
Middle Ages
Terracina is mentioned in the history of the Gothic War, and Theodoric is said to have had a palace here. See Gothic War (376-382 for the war on the Danube The Gothic War was a war fought in Italy and the adjoining regions of Dalmatia, Sardinia It was sacked in 409 and 595. After the Lombards had conquered most of Italy in the late sixth century, Terracina remained an important military stronghold of the Eastern Roman Empire, and later became part of the Duchy of Naples. The Lombards ( Latin Langobardi, whence the alternative names Langobards and Longobards) were a Germanic people originally from The Duchy of Naples ( Ducatus Neapolitanus) began as a Byzantine province that was constituted in the seventh century in the reduced coastal lands that the Lombards It was one of the northernmost outposts of Byzantine authority in the south. A monument bearing the name of Duke George of Naples stood there at the turn of the twentieth-century. George (died 739 was the Duke of Naples for a decade beginning in 729
In 872, Pope John VIII brought it under the domination of the Holy See. John VIII was Pope from December 13, 872 to December 16, 882. However, after the crisis of Papal authority in the following century, Terracina came to be ruled by local or Roman families (like that of Crescenzi, who built a massive castle, or the Frangipane, who occupied it from 1153 to 1202). The Crescentii clan (in modern Italian Crescenzi) — if in fact they were an extended family — essentially ruled Rome and controlled the Papacy from the middle Frangipane is used commonly to refer to a filling made from almonds or that tastes like Almonds This filling can be used in a variety of ways including cakes tarts and other In 1088 it was the seat of the first conclave held outside Rome. A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals to elect the Pope (or Bishop of Rome) who is considered by Catholics to be the Successor In the eleventh and twelfth centuries Terracina had a notable spurt of growth, and two new suburbs were built next to the two walled gates of Porta Maggio ("Cipollata"), Porta Albina, Porta St. Gregory and Porta Romana. A free commune was also instituted. Communes in Europe in the Middle Ages were sworn allegiances of mutual defense (both physical defense and of traditional freedoms among community members of a town or city In 1217 Pope Honorius III united its diocese to those of Sezze and Priverno. Pope Honorius III (1148 &ndash March 18 1227) born Cencio, was Pope from 1216 to 1227 Priverno is a town in the Province of Latina, Lazio, Italy. It has a station of the Rome-Naples railway mainline
The 1357 Costituzioni Egiziane ("Egyptian Constitutions") marked the beginning of a stronger papal authority, which however did not impede the growth of the king of Naples's influence, nor did it stop the city's internal struggles. The Kingdom of Naples was an informal name of the Polity officially known as the Kingdom of Sicily which existed on the mainland of the southern Italian
Modern era
The 16th century saw the communal freedoms steadily eroded, due both to the general decline of Terracina (aggravated by the malaria in the increasingly marshy surrounding land) and the devastating attacks by pirates coming from North Africa. A malaria plague in 1520 contributed to this process. Malaria is a vector -borne Infectious disease caused by Protozoan Parasites It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions including However, in this period the first Renaissance mansions began to be built by noble families like the Savio, Garzoni, Gottifredi, de' Romanis and others. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere
In the seventeenth century the popes began a program of repopulation of Terracina through the replacement of families from the country nearby and the introduction of tax exemptions. In this period the churches of St. John (formerly St. Lawrence) and Madonna delle Grazie were both rebuilt. Our Lady of Graces (Italian Madonna delle Grazie or Nostra Signora delle Grazie) or St Mary of Graces (Italian Santa Maria delle Grazie) is In the two following centuries Terracina assumed its current appearance. Pope Pius VI started a program of draining the marshes and added a new quarter next to the channel-port. Pope Pius VI (December 27 1717 &ndash August 29 1799 born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, Pope from 1775 to 1799 was born at Cesena.
During the Napoleonic occupation Terracina was at first annexed to the Circeo département, but revolted in 1798: the riot was suppressed by French and Polish troops, led by general Étienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre MacDonald. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the position of Terracina at the border between the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples was officially set by the Concordat signed by Pope Pius VII and Ferdinand I of Two Sicilies in 1818. The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 involved Napoleon's French Empire and a shifting set of European allies and opposing coalitions Pope Pius VII, OSB (August 14 1740&mdashAugust 20 1823 born Count Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was Pope from March 14 1800 to August Ferdinand I ( Ferdinando Antonio Pasquale Giovanni Nepomuceno Serafino Gennaro Benedetto, January 12, 1751 &ndash January 4, 1825)
In 1839 and 1843 Gregory XVI visited the city, in which he instituted works for a new port. Pope Gregory XVI ( September 18 1765 &ndash June 1 1846) born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari, named Mauro as a member of
After the end of World War II, in which it suffered heavy damage, Terracina developed greatly, with a large new quarter developing towards the Via Appia and alongside the coast north to Monte S. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Angelo (Borgo Marino, "Marine Quarter").
Main sights
The picturesque modern town occupies the site of the old one. The present piazza is the ancient Roman forum, and the Roman pavement of slabs of travertine with the inscription A. AEMILIUS A. F. in letters once filled in with bronze, is well preserved. The paving is supported by massive arched substructures, which extend under the surrounding houses.
Medieval buildings
The Cathedral of SS. Pietro e Cesareo (Duomo) is ensconced within a temple of Rome and Augustus, part of the side wall of which, with engaged columns, is still visible. Duomo is a generic Italian term for a Cathedral church The formal word for a church that is presently a cathedral is cattedrale; a The historical phenomenon of Christianization (or Christianisation &mdash see spelling differences) the conversion of individuals to Christianity The holy edifice was consecrated in 1074, and renovated in the twelfth and eighteenth centuries. The Cosmatesque-inlaid vestibule is preceded by an eighteen-step staircase, and supported by ten ancient columns resting upon recumbent lions, with a mosaic frieze upon them, made by twelfth-century Sicilian-Norman artists. Cosmatesque style is a style of floor-making typical of Medieval era Italy, and especially of Rome and its surroundings Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. The brick campanile, in Gothic-Romanesque-style, has small columns with little pointed arches. A campanile &ndash pronounced /kampaˈnile/ &ndash is especially in Italy, a free-standing Bell tower, often adjacent to a church See also Gothic art Gothic architecture is a style of Architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. Regional characteristics of Romanesque architecture|Romanesque art Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the architecture of Middle Ages Europe which The interior has a fine Cosmatesque pulpit supported by ancient columns resting on lions, a Paschal candlestick of 1245, and a good pavement of the same period with beasts and dragons.
To the right of the Duomo is the noteworthy Gothic Palazzo Venditti, from the first half of the fourteenth century.
The town walls consist of Byzantine and Medieval towers erected along the Volscian and Roman curtain wall, in "polygonal" style similar to those of Constantinople. The Walls of Constantinople are a series of stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul in Turkey) since its Beyond a three-way crossing, next to Porta Nuova, is the Frangipane Castle or Rocca Traversa, which in 1202 became the symbol of the communal freedom of Terracina. It was however damaged by Allied bombs on September 4, 1943. Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Other interesting churches are those of San Domenico (erected in the first decades of the thirteenth century, and enlarged in 1298) and San Francesco (1222), which follows the Gothic Cistercian style of the Abbey of Fossanova. Fossanova Abbey, earlier Fossa Nuova, is a Cistercian monastery in Italy, in the Province of Rome, near the railway-station of Priverno
Roman remains
Many Roman ruins were brought to light only after the World War II bombings. These include a quadrifrons arch, which served as entrance to the forum. Two sides can be still seen in good condition, 6. 4 m x 6. 34 m wide. Under it is a well-preserved stretch of the ancient Via Appia.
Above the town are several massive terrace platforms for supporting buildings; these may well belong to the Roman period, and the latter even to the Empire. The summit of the promontory (227 m) is reached by the old line of the Via Appia, which is flanked by tombs and by remains of an ancient defensive wall with circular towers, the so-called Cinta Sillana (once attributed to Theodoric, but dating from the first decades of the first century BCE). The summit is occupied by a massive terrace, supported by arcades of fine opus incertum (traditionally, but wrongly, called the "palace of Theodoric") on all sides except the east, and commanding a magnificent view seaward over the coast and over the Pontine Marshes. Opus incertum was an ancient Roman construction technique using irregular shaped and random placed uncut stones or fist-sized Tuff blocks
On the terrace stood the Corinthian Temple of Jupiter Anxur (first century BCE), about 35 by 20 meters. The cella was decorated internally with engaged half-columns, and contained the pedestal for the statue of Jupiter Anxur venerated here as a child-god: this attribution is confirmed by the discovery of many curious leaden votive figures, like those made for dolls' houses today, in the favissae on the east of the temple. For the Spanish town see Cella Spain Naos redirects here For other meanings see Naos (disambiguation. The interior cell measures 13 x 14 m, with 6 half-columns per side. At the external of the temple is the "oracle", a kind of quadrilateral base with a hole from which, standing in a cave, the priests communicated the answers to the questions of the faithful. To the left of this great construction is the Small Temple, probably a civil edifice to be dated somewhat earlier than the former one.
Massive remains af another temple, the Capitolium (16. 5 x 16 m, with cells 9. 5 x 4. 5 m) lie on the street starting from Palazzo Venditti. Built in the mid-first century BCE, it was dedicated to the Capitoline Triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. The Capitoline Triad was a group of three supreme deities in Roman religion who were worshipped in an elaborate temple on Rome 's Capitoline Hill, the Juno was the protector and special counselor of the Roman state The MInisterial NEtwoRk for Valorising Activities in digitisation, or MINERVA, is a European Union organization concerned with the digitisation of cultural and
Of the lower town by the harbour, which had buildings of some importance of the imperial period (amphitheatre, baths, etc. ), little is now visible, and its site is mainly occupied by a new quarter built by Pius VI. Of the ancient harbour constructed by Antoninus Pius insignificant remains exist, and it is largely silted up. Close to it is the small modern port. Near the amphitheatre was found in 1838 the famous marble bust of Sophocles, now in the Lateran Museum, Rome. Sophocles (ˈsɒfəkliːz Ancient Greek, sopʰoklɛ̂ːs circa Lateran and Laterano are the shared names of several architectural projects throughout Rome.
The commune of Terracina includes a considerable extent of territory towards the northwest with much undergrowth (macchia) valuable for charcoal burning, and a considerable extent of pasture and arable land. The ancient aqueduct, bringing water some 55 km (35 miles) from the slopes of the Volscian Hills, has been repaired and is in use. Three miles to the northwest, at the foot of Monte Leano, was the shrine of the nymph Feronia, where the canal following the Via Appia through the marshes ended. Along these three km of the Via Appia are numerous ancient tombs, and the fertile valley to the northeast was thickly populated in Roman days, before the intrusion of malaria.
Infrastructure
The Terracina railway station is not on the main Rome-Naples railway line. The nearest stops are the station of Priverno-Fossanova or that of Monte San Biagio: the former has a shuttle rail connection to Terracina, with hourly departures. Monte San Biagio is a town and commune in the Province of Latina, in southern Lazio ( Italy)
Terracina can be reached by car from Rome by the old Via Appia, which goes on to Fondi, or by the more modern Via Pontina as far as Latina, and then through a direct road link running along the coast. Fondi is a city and comune in the Province of Latina ( Lazio, Italy) halfway between Rome and Naples. Latina is the capital of the Province of Latina in the Lazio region in central Italy. The Via Flacca connects the city to Sperlonga and Gaeta to the south coast. Sperlonga is a coastal town in the Province of Latina, Italy, about half way between Rome and Naples. Gaeta is a city and Comune in the Province of Latina, in Lazio, central Italy. A fast road link leads to the Frosinone exit of the A1 Rome-Naples highway. Frosinone is a town and Comune in Lazio, central Italy, the Capital of the Province of Frosinone.
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
Twin towns
Bad Homburg, Germany
Cabourg, France
Chur, Switzerland
Exeter, United Kingdom
Jurmala, Latvia
Mayrhofen, Austria
Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg
Pécs, Hungary
External links
- Terracina's international website
- Ferdinand Gregorovius' Walks - Terracina
- Web site in English about the city of Terracina in Italy - with photo gallery
- Information about Terracina
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