Velletri

Velletri
Comune
Comune di Velletri
Panorama of Velletri
Coat of arms
Velletri within the Metropolitan City of Rome
Location of Velletri
Saint Clement
Saint day	November 23
Website	Official website

Velletri (Italian:

The

The territory of Velletri collects water run off from many streams. These streams, most of them torrential in character or small in scale, are known as fossi. Main fossi include:

• Fosso Minella at the edge of the municipal area to Genzano di Roma, near the Velletri frazione of Sant'Eurosia. This stream originates from Monte Spina, elevation 731 metres (2,398 ft) above sea level, in the territory of Nemi, with the name of Acqua Lucia. It is named after the Minella bridge on State Road 7, Via Appia Nuova and originates at 405 metres (1,329 ft) above sea level, at the foot of Colle degli Olmi. Minella also runs parallel to the fosso delle Tre Armi, which then connects to it.
• Fossa Sant'Eurosia, originating from Colle degli Olmi; it goes through the village of the same name, located at 238 metres (781 ft) above sea level.
• Fossa Paganica, which originates from springs on Colle Caldaro (467 m), and on Colle Tondo (596 m).
• Fosso di Ponte Veloce, which arises from Colle Tondo, on Maschio dell'Artemisio (812 m) and in the Faccialone forest (615 m). This watercourse near Villa Borgia, superseded the old town of Velletri, changes name to Fossa Farina near the iron bridge of the Roma-Velletri railway.
• Fossa Anatolia: originating from Colle Bello (600 m), it flows at the foot of old town Velletri, until it joins the Fossa Farina.

Other water sources include the Acqua de Ferrari, at 650 metres (2,130 feet), underlying Monte de Ferrari (886 metres (2,907 feet) above sea level) at Rocca di Papa, from which is part of the municipal water supply.^[6]

Topography

The old town's altitude is substantially uniform from the elevation of Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi at 339 m

• Climate classification: Zone D, 1544 GR / G
• Atmospheric Diffusivity: average

Etymology

The Latin term for "swamp" was Velia, corresponding to the Greek "ουελια" ( "Velia"). From this root came the place name Velestrom, the place next to a swamp or marsh, was probably used by Volsci to call old Velletri. The Romans named it after the same city Velitrae, hence the Greek Ουελιτραι ("Ouelitrai"), Ουελιτρα ("Ouelitra") or Βελιτρα ("Belitra").^[8]

In the Middle Ages, at least six naming variants (Velletrum, Veletrum, Veletra, Velitrum, Bellitro, Villitria) are attested by various official acts until the 11th century. Until the 18th century, Velletri survived as parallel forms of Blitri and Belitri.^[8]

History

Ancient

During his reign (642–617 BC), Ancus Marcius, the fourth king of Rome, came into conflict with the Volsci because the latter plundered Roman territory. He besieged the Velitrae, which was a Volscian town. The elders of the town surrendered and promised "to make good the damage they had done" and "agreed to deliver up the guilty to be punished". Ancus Marcius "concluded a treaty of peace and friendship".^[9]

In 494 BC, a war between Rome and the

In 380 BC the Romans stormed Velitrae and then moved on to fight other enemies. In 370 BC the colonists of Velitrae made several incursions into Roman territory and also besieged Tusculum. The Romans drove them form Tusculum and besieged Velitrae. The siege lasted until 367 BC when Marcus Furius Camillus, after defeating a force of Gauls which had encamped near Rome, captured the town, which surrendered without a struggle.^[13][14]

In 340 BC the Latin cities federated in the Latin League, which had been an ally of the Romans, rebelled in what had been called the Latin War (340-338 BC). They were joined by the Campanians, the Volsci and the Roman colonies of Signa and Velitrae. After two years of fighting Rome defeated the rebels. Velitrae was punished harshly. Her walls were demolished. Her senators were exiled beyond the River Tiber (that, is, they were interned in a foreign land; the Tiber was the border between Latium and Etruria). It was decreed that if a Veliternian senator crossed this river, "his redemption should be set at a thousand pounds of bronze, and that he who had captured him might not release his prisoner from bondage until the fine was paid". The town was repopulated with colonists who were settled on the lands of the senators.^[15]

In the 10th century, Velletri fell under the rule of the Counts of Tusculum (981). The entire area of the Alban Hills and the Monti Prenestini was dominated by the Counts of Tusculum, including the fortress of Lariano next to Velletri. In 1084, Robert Guiscard marched against Rome and passed through Velletri, meeting resistance from residents, who were rewarded by the Pope in 1101, with a Breve that gave very broad boundaries to the Veliterna community.^[24]

In the 13th century, Velletri was administered in the form of a republic. It was governed by the Great Council, composed of consuls, who were then replaced by a council of novemviri (nine men), a mayor with supervisory functions, constables who were military leaders, and a podestà who had judicial duties.^[25]

In 1408,

After the French Revolution, Velletri rebelled and it was proclaimed a Republic. Later it changed sides and 900 of its citizens resisted in Castel Gandolfo the siege by Joachim Murat. The Republic lasted until 1814.^[24]

A

In 2000, the new library called Biblioteca Comunale Augusto Tersenghi was inaugurated. here were also the opening of the Teatro di Terra (1995), the reopening of the Ugo Tognazzi Theater and the restoration of the Civic Archaeological Museum and of the Diocesan Museum.

On 14 June 2001, Mario Pepe of the

• The Velletri Cathedral or Cathedral of St Clement was erected in the 4th century over the ruins of a pagan temple. It has three naves and was rebuilt in the current form in 1659–1662. The Renaissance portal is by Traiano da Palestrina (1512). The interior has several frescoes, while the Capitular Museum houses important relics, vessels and paintings including works by Gentile da Fabriano and Antoniazzo Romano.
• The Bell tower of Santa Maria in Trivio (Trivium), erected in 1353 in Lombard-Gothic style, in gratitude for the liberation of the city from a plague that devastated it in 1348. Symbol of the city.
• Holy Savior church
• San Michele Arcangelo church
• St Martin of Tours church
• Sant'Antonio di Padova church
• San Francesco d'Assisi church
• San Lorenzo church
• Most Holy Peter and Bartholomew church
• Santa Chiara church
• Santa Teresa church
• Sant'Antonio Abate church
• San Crispino church
• Church of the Chaplet church
• San Silvestro church
• Madonna della Neve church
• Oratorio di Santa Maria del Sangue
• Santa Trinita Church

• Santa Apollonia church
• San Giovanni in Plagis church
• San Giovanni Battista church
• St Mary of the Garden church
• Santa Maria degli Angeli church
• Holy Cross on Mount Calvary church
• Saint Stephen church
• Santa Maria del Carmine church
• Regina Pacis church

Public buildings

There are numerous public fountains in Velletri, some of them monumental. They are all served by the city aqueduct, which was built in the 17th century by the engineer Giovanni Fontana. The aqueduct was destroyed during a war in late 1744 and repaired by the engineer Girolamo Romani in 1842–1845. Notable fountains are:

• Fontana di Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi, was built around 1912;
• Fountain of Piazza Benedetto Cairoli, built in 1622

Notable buildings are:

• Piazza Giuseppe Mazzini fountain, built in 1612 to a design of the architect Massimiliano Bruni. Its travertine fountain depicts mythological scenes;
• The Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall), with a portico entrance, was begun in 1572 by Giacomo della Porta to a design of Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola. It wasfinished in 1741 by Filippo Barigioni. It was the seat of the Priors, or ruling authorities, of Velletri and the Great Council. The first stone of the new building, was laid on January 26, 1575. Completed in 1590, and destroyed in 1944, the palace has now been substantially rebuilt true to the original project.
• Palazzo Vecchio, begun in 1822 as the seat of the Delegation of Velletri. In 1870 it became the Palazzo della Giustizia, the seat of the courts. It was damaged in 1944, and it has been rebuilt following closely the original layout.
• Palazzo Toruzzi
• Palazzo Borgia
• Palazzo Alfonsi
• Palazzo Corsini

Fortifications

When Velletri was a Volscian town it was surrounded by massive walls. However, they were razed to the ground in 338 BC as a punishment after the final Roman conquest of the city. The walls were not rebuilt until the Middle Ages.^[29] In the Middle Ages, Velletri was surrounded by mighty castle walls which originally had six gates: Porta Fura, Porta del Pontone, Porta Santa Martina (o Portella), Porta Lucia, Porta Romana, and Porta Napoletana. In the 16th century, the city strengthened the walls by closing certain gates and keeping only three of them: Porta Lucia, Porta Napoletana, and Porta Romana.^[30] They were:

• Porta Napoletana, which was built in 1511 by laborers from Lombardy. It has survived virtually unscathed to this day and now houses the local branch of the AIS (Italian Sommelier Association).
• Porta Romana was rebuilt in 1573 to a design by Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola, near the bastions of the town. However, during extension works on the Appian Way, the gate was destroyed and was replaced by the blocco di Porta Romana, a customs post, and then the current Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi.

The War Memorial, designed by Emanuele Cannigia was inaugurated on June 2, 1927, in before King Victor Emmanuel III. It is located in a corner of Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi.

Archaeological sites

The Oreste Nardini Civic Archeological Museum of Velletri, has noteworthy works from

The site of the Villa degli Ottavi, sub-urban residence of the gens Octavia and Augustus, the only Roman villa it the Velletri area, was identified outside the village of San Cesareo. Carefully excavated, the site shows evidence of a 15.05 x 13.20 m three-nave Roman cistern of the republican period. It is unique because it had pointed arches, and a mosaic. The area currently is private property. Another Roman cistern was discovered in 1982 along the ancient route of the Appian Way in Capanna Murata.^[31]

Green areas

The main urban green area is the Giardino Comunale (Municipal Garden) in via Orti Ginnetti. It previously was the Villa Ginnetti and the Ginnetti Allotments (Orti). There are other green areas: the recently restored Gardens of St. Mary, in the suburbs towards Nettuno, which has an ice skating rink, fountains and a bar, and the Muratori Park.

Society

Languages and dialects

The official language of Velletri is obviously Italian, while the Veliterno dialect (called Velletrano) is more commonly spoken. It is distinguished from neighboring dialects of the Castelli Romani area and the Roman dialect because it is more akin to the Central-Northern Lazian and Neapolitan dialect. The Veliterno dialect, is often unintelligible for those who do not normally speak Italian. It is characterized by a predominance of the vowel "o" and Neapolitan expressions such as "nanny" for a father, "am dead" for dead. The first dictionary of the Velletrano dialect was published in the 1980s.

Institutions and government services

• Court of Velletri: in Piazza Giovanni Falcone, is the second most important court of Lazio, preceded only by Rome.
• Velletri Prison: in the district Lazzara, it is a maximum security prison which housed Filippo Pappalardi and Angelo Izzo.
• The Regiment of Cadets Brigadier Marshals and Velletri Police.

  

• Commissariato della Guardia di Finanza of Velletri.
• Artemisia Teatro Terra
• Association Committee Velletri South
• Cultural Association 'A Matticella
• Cultural Association for the dance "Terpsichore"
• Associazione Culturale "University of Carnival"
• Italian Association of Sommeliers of Velletri
• Association "Sbandieratori e Musici di Velletri" - Flag-throwers & drummers
• Association Proloco Velitrae
• Calliope Cultural Association
• The Velletri Environment Spinosa
• Velletri Motorclub
• Lions Club of Velletri
• Rotary Club of Velletri

Culture

Education

Libraries

The main public library in Velletri is the Biblioteca Comunale (Municipal Library) Augusta Tersenghi. It has several book collections assembled by individuals from the 18th century and is an integral part of SBCR (Library System of the Castelli Romani).

Schools

In 1999–2000, 10,090 children attended schools of all levels in the area of Velletri:^[32]

• Kindergarten: 1346 members
• Elementary Schools
  : 2656 members
• Junior High Schools
  : 1773 members
• High Schools
  : 4265 members
• Consortium University of Velletri: 50 members

Primary schools

The first schools for children in Velletri had very old roots. The Conservatorio di zitelle per l'educazione della fanciulle (conservatory for old maids and for the education of young girls) and the istituto di Suore Orsoline (institute of the Orsoline Nuns) were founded in 1690 and 1695 respectively. They merged in 1713 and continued to exist until 1870. The Maestre Pie Venerini teachers opened their house in 1744. An Institute of the Brothers of Christian Schools was founded in 1836 and disbanded in 1850 due to lack of facilities. A primary school conjoined with the Royal Normal School was opened in 1874.

Colleges

A College of the

The Antonio Mancinelli Falconi-Dante Institute of Further Education is the result of a merger between various educational bodies. It runs courses in the classics, languages, socio-psycho-pedagogy and social sciences at high school level.

The Giancarlo Vallauri Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale is a

The Istituto Tecnico Commerciale Statale Professionale Cesare Battisti is an college rather rooted in Velletri with courses in hospitality.

The L'Istituto di Istruzione Superiore "Juana Romani" is an art school. There is also the agricultural college in Via Ferruccio Parri.

University

The University of Velletri established under the

• The Oreste Nardini Civic Archaeological Museum has some substantial works, like the Velletri Sarcophagus, and Sarcophagus of the labors of Hercules. The museum is divided into two routes:
  • The Archaeological Route is the heart of the collection, the Sarcophagus of the Labors of Hercules, dating to the 2nd century and discovered in 1955, the Orontes plate of the 4th century, and the terracotta Volsci, discovered in 1910 are here.
  • The Geopaleontological and Prehistory of the Alban Hills opened in 2005. It is a journey into the
    Colli Albani
    area. It is divided into five sections:
    • Geology: a spectacular "fire pipe" leads the visitor into an environment that reproduces a volcanic eruption
    • Paleontology: fossils are exposed and explains the fossilization
    • Anthropology: human development from the first men on is explored
    • Prehistory: human development before the discovery of fire
    • Protohistory: explores the life of man before writing
• Diocesan Museum, in the
  Frederick II of Hohenstaufen to Pope Alexander IV
  , who, in turn, donated it to the Velitrae Cathedral. The Madonna and Child by Gentile da Fabriano is the only work the artist made during his Roman period (September 1426 – September 1427).

The paid subscription newspapers of Velletri are New Castle Today (with drafting in Piazza Cairoli) and Il Messaggero. The various free local newspapers are Free News, The Voice of the Castle, and Cape Point.

Cinema

Velletri has a well established film tradition. In addition to several studios in the town in the early 20th century, there has always been at least one cinema. Helios Filme studio was established in the town in 1900. In 1911 it released its film Dante's

.

Television

The Lazio regional TV, with the daily news (Tg Velletri Lazio), is located in Velletri.

Theater

Velletri has three theaters. Two of these are the Ugo Tognazzi Theater and the Theater of the Earth.

Music

Velletri has hosted a Philharmonic Concert at the Palazzo Comunale since the 19th century.

Events

• Festival of Saint Clemente, November 23
• Festival of Santa Maria delle Grazie
• The Pasquella is held on January 5: it consists of parade in period costumes
• National Grape and Wine Festival, October
• Festival of Camellias, these flowers which grow in the countryside have been celebrated since 1994 in March
• Matticella Artichoke Festival, May
• Palio delle Decarcie

Anthropogenic geography

Velletri has been divided into five decarcìe (singular decarcìa), areas equivalent to districts, since the medieval period. The name decarcia presumed to mean "power of ten" from to the Greek words δεκα (deka, "ten") and αρχια (Arkia, "power"). However, currently there are six decarcie. The decarcie are:^[33]

• Decarcia Portella
• Decarcia Collicello
• Decarcia Santa Maria
• Decarcia Castle
• Decarcia Saint Lucia
• Decarcia San Salvatore

Economy

Agriculture

The primary production in Velletri is wine and products of the surrounding agricultural region. In 1851, the wine production of the area was around 14,000 barrels, which was sold mainly to Rome. The territory of Velletri produces the following DOC wines:

• Velletri White
• Velletri Bianco Superiore
• Velletri red
• Velletri Rosso Riserva

At the end of the 19th century, the Velletri Experimental Winery was opened by the University of Tuscia.

Velletri DOC

The varieties of

Bonvino.^[34]

Tourism

Velletri was a mandatory stop between Rome and Naples on the Grand Tour d'Italie. It attracts travelers to its museum collections, its architecture and its natural environment.^{[citation needed]}

Sports

The Stadio Comunale Giovanni Scavo has a capacity of about 5,000 spectators and hosts its soccer team. The Stadio Comunale B is a smaller pitch (105x60 m) with a single stand with a capacity of about 500 people. It is a practice pitch for teams which play in the lower leagues.

The sports hall host the cities basketball and volleyball teams, It opened in December 2008, and it is located in San Biagio. It has a capacity of over 2000 spectators. It is used for the major domestic competitions, and is named after Spartaco Bandinelli, a decorated Olympic boxer.

The multipurpose gym as has functioned as a multiple sport centre for many years. It remains a major multi sport facility where volleyball and basketball games are also held. It has a capacity of about 1,000 spectators.

Notable citizens

• Emperor of the Roman Empire
• Juana Romani (Velletri, 1867-1924 born Carolina Carlesimo), portrait painter
• Spartaco Bandinelli (Velletri, 1921 - Velletri, 1997), boxer, silver medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
• Marta Bastianelli (Velletri, born 1987), road cycling world champion
• Elisa Blanchi (Velletri, born 1987), Olympic gymnast
• Alessandro Borgia (1682–1784), archbishop and historian
• Stefano Borgia (Velletri, 1731 - Lyon, 1804), cardinal, and author
• Alessio Cerci (Velletri, 1987), footballer in Italian Serie A
• Marco Ferrante, footballer in Italian Serie A
• Antonio Mancinelli (1454–1505), poet and humanist
• Veronica Olivier (Velletri, 1990), actress and model
• Mirko Pagliarini (Velletri, 1975), footballer

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy

Twin towns – sister cities

Velletri is

twinned

with:

Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg Mödling, Austria Offenbach, Germany Puteaux, France[35]

Saint-Gilles, Belgium Tilburg, Netherlands Tower Hamlets, United Kingdom Zemun, Serbia

References

1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
2. ^ ISTAT
3. ^ "Velletri". Dizionario d'ortografia e pronunzia (in Italian). Retrieved 25 March 2019.
4. ^ Carta Geologica d'Italia, foglio 150 (Roma), edizione 1967
5. ^ Anche secondo le categorie sismiche stabilite dal D.M. LL.PP. 1984 e la successiva ordinanza P.C.M. n° 3274 20 marzo 2003 Velletri era in zona sismica 2. Sono nella stessa zone sismica tutti i Colli Albani.
6. ^ ^{a b} Carta Geologica d'Italia, edizione 1967
7. ^ Ad ogni modo, fuori dai periodi fissati non è consentito usare per più di sei ore giornaliere gli impianti di riscaldamento
8. ^ ^{a b} Antonio Nibby, Analisi storico-topografico-antiquaria della carta de' dintorni di Roma - Velletri, vol. III pp. 439-440, Roma, 1829.
9. ^ Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities, 3.41.5
10. ^ Livy, The History of Rome, 2.30.14-15, 31.4, 34.6
11. ^ Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History, 14.34.7
12. ^ Livy, The History of Rome, 6.12.6, 13.8, 17.7-8, 22.12
13. ^ Livy, The History of Rome, 6.29-7, 36.1-6, 42.4
14. ^ Plutarch, Parallel Lives, Camillus, 42.1
15. ^ Livy, The History of Rome, 8-14.5-8
16. ^ Livy, The History of Rome, 8.17.11
17. ^ Cornel, T.J., The Beginnings of Rome (1995), p. 349
18. ^ Oakley, S.P., A Commentary on Livy Books VI–X:, Volume II: Books VII–VIII (1998), pp. 562-3
19. ^ Stillwell, R., MacDonald, W.L., Holland McAllister, M. (Eds.), The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites: Velitrae (Velletri) Italy.
20. ^ Livy, The History of Rome, 32.1.10
21. ^ Pliny the Elder, Natural History, 14.65
22. ^ Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, Augustus, 1,5, 6
23. ^ Emanuele Lucidi, Memorie storiche dell'antichissimo municipio ora terra dell'Ariccia, e delle sue colonie di Genzano e Nemi, Roma, Tipografia Salomoni, 1786.
24. ^ ^{a b c d} Antonio Nibby, Analisi storico-topografico-antiquaria della carta de' dintorni di Roma - Velletri, Roma, 1829.
25. ^ Antonio Nibby, Analisi storico-topografico-antiquaria della carta de' dintorni di Roma - Velletri, p. 457
26. ^ Antonio Nibby, Analisi storico-topografico-antiquaria della carta de' dintorni di Roma - Velletri, Rome, 1829
27. ^ Raimondo Del Nero, La Valle Latina - Storia di un ambiente, Albano Laziale, 1990; Zaccaria Negroni, Marino sotto le bombe, Marino, 1948
28. ^ Camera dei Deputati - proposta di legge n° 853 XIV legislatura, art. 4 p. 6.
29. ^ Gaetano Moroni, Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica - Velletri, vol. LXXXIX, p. 214.
30. ^ Gaetano Moroni, Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica - Velletri, vol. LXXXIX,
31. ^ ^{a b} Antonio Nibby, Analisi storico-topografico-antiquaria della mappa de' dintorni di Roma - Velletri, vol. III p. 450
32. ^ Insert ISTAT-Comune di Velletri
33. ^ Gaetano Moroni, Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica - Velletri, vol. LXXXIX p. 413.
34. ISBN 1-55297-720-X
35. ^ "Puteaux - Qu'est-ce que le jumelage?". Mairie de Puteaux [Puteaux Official Website] (in French). Archived from the original on 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2013-12-28.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Velletri.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Velletri".

• Velletri community website
• Museo Civico Archeologico including, notably, the Velletri Sarcophagus
• Quilici, L., S. Quilici Gigli, R. Talbert, T. Elliott, S. Gillies (28 November 2020). "Places: 423117 (Velitrae)". Pleiades. Retrieved March 8, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)