Cantalupo in Sabina
Encyclopedia
Cantalupo in Sabina is a town and comune
in the province of Rieti
, on the Sabine Hills of Lazio. It is famous as the reputed origin of the muskmelon
called a cantaloupe
melon.
It is one of several Italian comuni
named "Cantalupo" ("song of the wolf" or "howl of the wolf" or literally "singing wolf") and it seems that these place names are due to an elevated presence of wolves at the time of their naming (probably because wolves could be heard howling, but this etymology is actually disputed nowadays).
s, one belonging to the Tullii, the family of the orator Marcus Tullius Cicero, but in the Migrations period the inhabitants were protected by a walled castle at the high point of a rocky spur, which was in possession of the counts of Cuneo. Cantalupo was not mentioned however, until an 11th century register reported the walled village as a possession of the abbots of Farfa. Though in 1278 the comune's representatives swore fealty
to the Papacy, its borderlands position in the marches
of Lazio (governed from Rome) and Umbria
, Cantalupo passed from one feudatory lord to another. The rocca commanding the town was expanded into a residence for the counts of Sant'Eustachio in the 13th and 14th centuries, and then passed to the Savelli family in the 15th century before it was further enlarged by a series of successive holders of the feodo. It is now a museum. The comune preserves its picturesque character.
In the Papal States
, Cantalupo was governed by a direct representative of the Apostolic Camera
.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of Rieti
Province of Rieti
The Province of Rieti is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rieti.It has an area of 2,749 km², and a total population of 153,258 . There are 73 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Rieti.It was founded in 1927.-External links:*...
, on the Sabine Hills of Lazio. It is famous as the reputed origin of the muskmelon
Muskmelon
Muskmelon is a species of melon that has been developed into many cultivated varieties. These include smooth skinned varieties such as honeydew, crenshaw and casaba, and different netted cultivars...
called a cantaloupe
Cantaloupe
"Rockmelon" redirects here, for the band see Rockmelons. See also Cantaloupe .Cantaloupe refers to a variety of Cucumis melo, a species in the family Cucurbitaceae which includes nearly all melons and squashes. Cantaloupes range in size from...
melon.
It is one of several Italian comuni
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
named "Cantalupo" ("song of the wolf" or "howl of the wolf" or literally "singing wolf") and it seems that these place names are due to an elevated presence of wolves at the time of their naming (probably because wolves could be heard howling, but this etymology is actually disputed nowadays).
History
Cantalupo in Imperial Roman times housed a scattering of villaVilla
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
s, one belonging to the Tullii, the family of the orator Marcus Tullius Cicero, but in the Migrations period the inhabitants were protected by a walled castle at the high point of a rocky spur, which was in possession of the counts of Cuneo. Cantalupo was not mentioned however, until an 11th century register reported the walled village as a possession of the abbots of Farfa. Though in 1278 the comune's representatives swore fealty
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
to the Papacy, its borderlands position in the marches
Marches
A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe....
of Lazio (governed from Rome) and Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
, Cantalupo passed from one feudatory lord to another. The rocca commanding the town was expanded into a residence for the counts of Sant'Eustachio in the 13th and 14th centuries, and then passed to the Savelli family in the 15th century before it was further enlarged by a series of successive holders of the feodo. It is now a museum. The comune preserves its picturesque character.
In the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
, Cantalupo was governed by a direct representative of the Apostolic Camera
Apostolic Camera
The Apostolic Camera, or in Latin Camera Apostolica or Apostolica Camera, is the central board of finance in the Papal administrative system, which at one time was of great importance in the government of the States of the Church, and in the administration of justice, led by the Camerlengo of the...
.
See also
- Cantalupo nel SannioCantalupo nel SannioCantalupo nel Sannio is a town and comune in the province of Isernia, in the Molise region of southern Italy.The town was known simply as Cantalupo until February 4, 1864, when the denomination nel Sannio was added in order to differentiate it from other villages with the same name...
(MoliseMoliseMolise is a region of Southern Italy, the second smallest of the regions. It was formerly part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise and now a separate entity...
) - Cantalupo LigureCantalupo LigureCantalupo Ligure is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 110 km southeast of Turin and about 40 km southeast of Alessandria...
(province of AlessandriaProvince of AlessandriaThe Province of Alessandria is an Italian province, with a population of some 430,000, which forms the southeastern part of the region of Piedmont. The provincial capital is the city of Alessandria....
, PiedmontPiedmontPiedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
) - Cantalupo di BevagnaCantalupo di BevagnaCantalupo is a frazione of Bevagna in the Italian region Umbria located at an elevation of 201 m on the Torrente Attone, a tributary of the Topino River...
(UmbriaUmbriaUmbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
)
External links
- Cantalupo in Sabina
- Cantalupo in Sabina (in Italian)
- Cantalupo in Sabina (in English with picture of a "family crest" of a wolf howling at a star. Does not have the same information as the Italian language site above)