Lazio

Lazio comprises a land area of 17,242 km² (6,657 sq mi) and it has borders with Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche to the north, Abruzzo and Molise to the east, Campania to the south, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. The region is mainly hilly (56%) and mountainous (26%), with some plains (20%) along the coast and the Tiber valley.

The coast of Lazio is mainly composed of sandy beaches, punctuated by the headlands of

The region's climate, monitored by several dozen meteorological stations (many of which managed by the Lazio Regional Hydrographic and Mareographic Office), shows considerable variability from area to area. In general, along the coast, there is a mediterranean climate, the temperature values vary between 9–10°C (48–50°F) in January and 24–25°C (75–77°F) in July. Towards the interior, the climate is more continental and, on the hills, winters are cold and at night, temperatures can be quite frigid.

With particular regard to the

History

The Italian word Lazio descends from the Latin word

The strengthening of the religious and ecclesiastical aristocracy led to continuous power struggles between secular lords (Baroni) and the Pope until the middle of the 16th century. Innocent III tried to strengthen his own territorial power, wishing to assert his authority in the provincial administrations of Tuscia, Campagna and Marittima through the Church's representatives, in order to reduce the power of the Colonna family. Other popes tried to do the same. During the period when the papacy resided in Avignon, France (1309–1377), the feudal lords' power increased due to the absence of the Pope from Rome. Small communes, and Rome above all, opposed the lords' increasing power, and with Cola di Rienzo, they tried to present themselves as antagonists of the ecclesiastical power. However, between 1353 and 1367, the papacy regained control of Lazio and the rest of the Papal States. From the middle of the 16th century, the papacy politically unified Lazio with the Papal States,^[11] so that these territories became provincial administrations of St. Peter's estate; governors in Viterbo, in Marittima and Campagna, and in Frosinone administered them for the papacy.

Lazio was part of the short-lived

Panoramic view of Rome from St. Peter's Basilica (Vatican City)

Economy

Agriculture, crafts, animal husbandry and fishery are the main traditional sources of income. Agriculture is characterized by the cultivation of wine grapes, fruit, vegetables and olives. Lazio is the main growing region of kiwi in Italy.

Approximately 73% of the working population are employed in the services sector, which contribute 85.8% of regional GDP; this is a considerable proportion, but is justified by the presence of Rome, which is the core of public administration, media, utility, telecommunication, transport, tourism and other sectors. Many national and multinational corporations, public and private, have their headquarters in Rome (

Lazio's limited industrial sector and highly developed service industries allowed the region to well outperform the Italian economy in 2009 in the heart of the global financial crisis, but it was strongly affected by the COVID-19 crisis of 2020–2021 due to the lock-downs.

Industrial development in Lazio is limited to the areas south of Rome. Communications and – above all – the setting of the border of the Cassa del Mezzogiorno some kilometers south of Rome have influenced the position of industry, favouring the areas with the best links to Rome and those near the Autostrada del Sole, especially around Frosinone. Additional factor was cheap energy supply from Latina Nuclear Power Plant and Garigliano Nuclear Power Plant, which are now out of the operation after Italian nuclear energy referendum.

Industry

Industry contributes a small part of GDP: its share is 8.9% compared to 25.0% in

• oil refining (Gaeta)
• automobile (Cassino Plant, which produced 53,422 Alfa Romeo cars in 2020 and has 3,433 employees.^[14])
• yachts and boats (Canados Shipyard in Rome-Ostia)
• engineering (Rieti, Anagni (rotor blades and composite structures;^[15] stone extractions machines Fantoni Sud), Frosinone (helicopter transmissions^[15]))
• electronic (Viterbo, Rome, Pomezia,^[15] Latina^[15]). A large Texas Instruments plant in Rieti was closed with the loss of thousands of jobs.
• building and building materials (Rome, Civitavecchia)
  • Well-developed travertine-processing industry, especially in the Ausoni-Tiburtina area (Tivoli and Guidonia Montecelio quarries).^[16]
  • ca. 70% of the national sanitary ceramics comes from Civita Castellana industrial district and Gaeta
• textile (Valle del Liri). In the district the production relationships are mostly of the subcontractor type, 40% of the companies produce semi-finished and finished products not intended for marketing.

There is some R&D activity in

• Avio in Colleferro has headquarters and make research, development and manufacturing of solid propellant motors and liquid propellant engines for launch vehicles and tactical propulsion systems; boosters for Ariane 5 rocket
• Satellite services are provided from Telespazio which headquarters in Rome
• Thales Alenia Space has 2 locations in Rome (Tiburtina and Saccomuro) and makes design and integration of terrestrial observation, navigation and telecommunications satellites

Agriculture

From fruits the most important are kiwifruit (1st place in Italy) and hazel nuts "Nocciola romana". Italy itself is the second largest producer of kiwifruit worldwide and was surpassed only by China. Infrastructure which has been used for grape growing was easily adapted for kiwifruit cultivation.

Animal husbandry

Only sheep and buffalo herds are significant nationwide. Both are kept predominantly for milk, which is used in the production of pecorino romano and mozzarella di bufala cheese. Sheep herds are the 3rd nationwide after Sardinia and Sicily. 40% of sheep are bred in province of Viterbo.

Viticulture

Vineyards cover 47,884 hectares (118,320 acres) in Lazio. 90% of wines are white. In production of quality wine Lazio has rank 14 of 20 with 190.557 hl. There are 3 DOCG wines:

• Frascati Superiore
• Cannellino di Frascati
• Cesanese del Piglio

Tourism

• 
  The Colosseum, symbol of Rome in the world, World Heritage Site and one of the seven wonders of the modern world
• 
  The Vatican Museums, one of the most visited art museums in the world
• 
  Ostia Lido beach
• 
  Skiers on the slope at Pian de' Valli (Monte Terminillo)
• 
  Villa d'Este in Tivoli, UNESCO World Heritage Site
• 
  Casino del Bel Respiro, Villa Doria Pamphili

Tourism in Lazio is a thriving sector especially as regards tourism linked to art and monuments and places of interest in the region (

Lazio has many small and picturesque villages, 25 of them have been selected by I Borghi più belli d'Italia (English: The most beautiful Villages of Italy),^[21] a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest,^[22] that was founded on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities.^[23]

Statistics

Lazio GDP growth from 2013 to 2017 in euro:

In 2019 there were 657,855 companies, 10.8% of the national total.

The table below shows the GDP, produced in Lazio at current market prices in 2006,^[24] expressed in millions of euros, broken down into the main economic macro-activities:

Unemployment

The unemployment rate stood at 7.7% in 2022.^[25]

Demographics

With a population of 5,714,882 million (as of 31 December 2021), Lazio is the second-most populated region of Italy.^[1] The overall population density in the region is 341 inhabitants per km². However, the population density widely ranges from almost 800 inhabitants per km² in the highly urbanized Rome metropolitan area to less than 60 inhabitants per km² in the mountainous and rural province of Rieti. As of January 2023, the Italian national institute of statistics ISTAT estimated that 615,108 foreign-born immigrants live in Lazio, equal to 11.1% of the total regional population.^[26]

Main resident foreign populations[27]
Nationality	Population (1 January 2021)
1	Romania	192,983
2	Philippines	44,490
3	Bangladesh	41,109
4	India	32,653
5	China	25,553
6	Albania	24,233
7	Ukraine	24,149
8	Egypt	16,709
9	Poland	16,043
10	Morocco	14,899
11	Peru	14,778
12	Moldova	13,500
13	Sri Lanka	11,667
14	Nigeria	10,806

Government and politics

Lazio has a system of

Rome is centre-left politically oriented by tradition, while the rest of Lazio is centre-right oriented. In the 2008 general election, Lazio gave 44.2% of its vote to the centre-right coalition, while the centre-left block took 41.4% of vote. In the 2013 general election, Lazio gave 40.7% of its vote to the centre-left block coalition, 29.3% to the centre-right coalition and 20.2 to the Five Star Movement.

The current president of Lazio is Francesco Rocca, independent politician and former president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, in office in the centre-right coalition.

Administrative divisions

Lazio is divided into four provinces and one metropolitan (province-level) city:

Coat of arms	Province	Area (km2)	Population	Density (inhabitants/km2)
	Province of Frosinone	3,244	496,545	153.1
	Province of Latina	2,251	543,844	241.4
	Province of Rieti	2,749	158,545	57.7
	Metropolitan City of Rome Capital	5,352	4,097,085	765.5
	Province of Viterbo	3,612	314,690	87.1

Largest cities or towns in Lazio Source: ISTAT;[28] estimates for 1 January 2023
	Rank		Province	Pop.	Rank		Province	Pop.
Rome Latina	1	Rome	Rome	2,757,870	11	Civitavecchia	Rome	51,625	Guidonia Montecelio Fiumicino
	2	Latina	Latina	126,992	12	Ardea	Rome	49,057
	3	Guidonia Montecelio	Rome	88,602	13	Nettuno	Rome	48,033
	4	Fiumicino	Rome	81,091	14	Marino	Rome	46,347
	5	Aprilia	Latina	73,918	15	Rieti	Rieti	45,276
	6	Viterbo	Viterbo	66,012	16	Terracina	Latina	44,720
	7	Pomezia	Rome	63,712	17	Frosinone	Frosinone	43,417
	8	Anzio	Rome	58,652	18	Monterotondo	Rome	40,979
	9	Tivoli	Rome	54,673	19	Ladispoli	Rome	40,658
	10	Velletri	Rome	52,146	20	Albano Laziale	Rome	39,718

Cuisine

One of the most famous forms of food in Lazio is pasta. Dishes first attested inside the region's borders include:

• 
  Spaghetti alla carbonara
• 
  Bucatini all'amatriciana
• 
  Penne all'arrabbiata
• 
  Spaghetti alla gricia

Guanciale is used in several sauces. Guanciale is the cut of pork obtained from the cheek of the pig, crossed by lean veins of muscle with a component of valuable fat, of a composition different from lardo ("back fat") and pancetta ("belly fat"): the consistency is harder than pancetta and it possesses a more distinctive flavor. Guanciale is salted pork fat, different from bacon, which is smoked. It is a typical product of Lazio, Umbria and Abruzzo. Another important ingredient is pecorino romano cheese.

Vegetables are common, artichokes ("carciofi") being among the most popular:

• 
  Carciofi alla romana
• 
  Carciofi alla giudia
• 
  Carciofolata
• 
  Romanesco broccoli
• 
  Cima di rapa
• 
  Romaine lettuce

Other popular vegetables are romanesco broccoli, asparagus, fava bean, cima di rapa, romaine lettuce, pumpkin, zucchini and chicory.

Spices

In the cuisine of Lazio, spices are widely used. Among the most used are lesser cat-mint, called in Rome "mentuccia" (for artichokes and mushrooms), squaw mint, called in Rome "menta romana" (for lamb and tripe), laurel, rosemary, sage, juniper, chili and grated truffle.

Quinto quarto

Although Roman and Lazio cuisine use cheap ingredients like vegetable and pasta, poor people needed a source of protein. Therefore, they used the so-called "quinto quarto" ("fifth quarter"), leftovers from animal carcasses that remained after the sale of prized parts to the wealthy.

Quinto quarto includes tripe (the most valuable part of

• 
  Rigatoni con la pajata
• 
  Trippa alla romana
• 
  Lampredotto sandwich
• 
  Coda alla vaccinara

Meat dishes

Traditional meat dishes include saltimbocca alla romana (veal wrapped with prosciutto di Parma DOP and sage and cooked in white wine, butter and flour) and abbacchio alla romana (roasted lamb with garlic, rosemary, pepper and chopped prosciutto).

• 
  Saltimbocca alla romana (uncooked)
• 
  Abbacchio

Sports

The region gives its name to the professional football club SS Lazio that plays in the Italian Serie A. The region has two professional clubs in the top flight, the other being AS Roma, who also play in the highest division of Italian football. Combined, the two have won five Italian championships with Roma winning three and Lazio two. The main sports stadium in Lazio is Stadio Olimpico in Rome which has housed both teams for a prolonged time and hosts Derby della Capitale between the two clubs. The stadium also hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics and the 1990 FIFA World Cup final. Outside of Rome the football scene has another club playing in the Serie A, that being Frosinone.

Lazio hosts no top-line motorsports events, but the Vallelunga circuit previously hosted the Superbike World Championship in motorcycle racing.

Rome is home to many international sporting events and competitions, including:

• Italian Open Internazionali d'Italia, which take place between April and May of each year at the Foro Italico;
• Rome ePrix, the Formula E championship, has been held on the Circuito Cittadino dell'EUR since 2018;
• Six Nations Championship: the home matches of the Italian national rugby team;
• International horse show "Piazza di Siena", equestrian competition held since 1922 in piazza di Siena, inside Villa Borghese;
• Golden Gala Pietro Mennea international event of athletics which takes place annually at the Stadio Olimpico;
• Rome Marathon, organized in spring with start and finish in Via dei Fori Imperiali.

See also

• Geography of Italy
• Regions of Italy
• Administrative divisions of Italy
• Roman cuisine

References

External links

• Official Touristic Site of the Regione Lazio (in English)
• Official Site of the Regione Lazio (in Italian)

41°54′N 12°43′E / 41.900°N 12.717°E / 41.900; 12.717