Sacrofano
Encyclopedia
Sacrofano is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Rome
in the Italian
region Latium
, located about 25 km north of Rome
. Located near the Monti Sabatini, at the feet of an extinct volcano, it is included in the Regional Park of Veii
.
Sacrofano borders the following municipalities: Campagnano di Roma
, Castelnuovo di Porto
, Formello
, Magliano Romano
, Riano
, Rome
.
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. A castle was built here probably in the 10th-11th century; in the 13th century it was a possession of the Prefetti di Vico
, and later of the Savelli
and the Orsini, who acquired it under the reign of Pope Gregory XI
(1370–1377). Apart a short conquest by Cesare Borgia
(1503–1516), 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.
and the Via Sacrofanese.
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:...
(municipality) in the Province of Rome
Province of Rome
The Province of Rome , is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. The province can be viewed as the extended metropolitan area of the city of Rome, although in its more peripheral portions, especially to the north, it comprises towns surrounded by rural landscape.-Geography:The Province of Rome...
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Latium
Latium
Lazio is one of the 20 administrative regions of Italy, situated in the central peninsular section of the country. With about 5.7 million residents and a GDP of more than 170 billion euros, Lazio is the third most populated and the second richest region of Italy...
, located about 25 km north of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Located near the Monti Sabatini, at the feet of an extinct volcano, it is included in the Regional Park of Veii
Veii
Veii was, in ancient times, an important Etrurian city NNW of Rome, Italy; its site lies in Isola Farnese, a village of Municipio XX, an administrative subdivision of the comune of Rome in the Province of Rome...
.
Sacrofano borders the following municipalities: Campagnano di Roma
Campagnano di Roma
Campagnano di Roma is a comune in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 30 km northwest of Rome. It was first mentioned in 1076, having been carved out of the great estate assembled on the Roman pattern by Pope Adrian I, ca...
, Castelnuovo di Porto
Castelnuovo di Porto
Castelnuovo di Porto is a comune in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 25 km north of Rome....
, Formello
Formello
Formello is a town and comune in the province 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. This town is known to be one of the few to have a football club in Serie A: S.S....
, Magliano Romano
Magliano Romano
Magliano Romano is a comune in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 30 km north of Rome.Magliano Romano borders the following municipalities: Calcata, Campagnano di Roma, Castelnuovo di Porto, Mazzano Romano, Morlupo, Rignano Flaminio, Sacrofano....
, Riano
Riano
Riano is a comune in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Latium. It is located about 20 km north of Rome, in the Tiber River valley, not far from Veio....
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
History
They were originally part of the territory of the EtruscanEtruscan cities
Etruscan cities flourished over most of Italy during the Roman Iron Age, marking the farthest extent of Etruscan civilization. They were gradually assimilated first by Italics in the south, then by Celts in the north and finally in Etruria itself by the growing Roman Republic.That many Roman cities...
city of Veii
Veii
Veii was, in ancient times, an important Etrurian city NNW of Rome, Italy; its site lies in Isola Farnese, a village of Municipio XX, an administrative subdivision of the comune of Rome in the Province of Rome...
. Later it was home to numerous Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
villas, which were abandoned in the 5th-6th centuries. A fundus Scrofanum is mentioned for the first time in 780. A castle was built here probably in the 10th-11th century; in the 13th century it was a possession of the Prefetti di Vico
Prefetti di Vico
The Prefetti di Vico were an Italian noble family, of German origin, who established in Rome from the 10th century.They obtained the title of praefect urbis by the Holy Roman Emperor. The rest of the name derived from the Lake Vico, in northern Lazio, where most of their lands were located...
, and later of the Savelli
Savelli
thumb|300px|The Coat of Arms of the Savelli over a wall of the church of [[Santa Maria in Aracoeli]], [[Rome]].The Savelli were a rich and influential Roman aristocratic family who rose to prominence in the 13th century and became extinct in the main line with Giulio Savelli .The family, who held...
and the Orsini, who acquired it under the reign of Pope Gregory XI
Pope Gregory XI
Gregory XI was pope from 1370 until his death.-Biography:He was born Pierre Roger de Beaufort, in Maumont, in the modern commune of Rosiers-d'Égletons, Limousin around 1336. He succeeded Pope Urban V in 1370, and was pope until 1378...
(1370–1377). Apart a short conquest by Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia , Duke of Valentinois, was an Italian condottiero, nobleman, politician, and cardinal. He was the son of Pope Alexander VI and his long-term mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei. He was the brother of Lucrezia Borgia; Giovanni Borgia , Duke of Gandia; and Gioffre Borgia , Prince of Squillace...
(1503–1516), 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.
Main sights
- The Rocca (castle)
- The church of San Giovanni Battista, dating from the 12th century but restored in the 15th century. It has a tuffTuffTuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
bell tower from the 14th century. The church has an irregular plan, with a single nave. The 1515 altar, in polychrome marbles, houses the relic of St. Justin Martyr.
Transportation
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 FlaminiaVia Flaminia
The Via Flaminia was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to Ariminum on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had for travel between Etruria, Latium and Campania and the Po Valley...
and the Via Sacrofanese.