Castelli Romani
Encyclopedia
The Castelli Romani is a group of communes in the province of Rome
, Italy
. They are located at short distance south-east to Rome
, at the feet of the Alban Hills
.
.
Starting from the Romans
, it was an area frequented by the noblemen of Rome for its fresher climate during summer: the tradition was followed by the Popes which still have their summer residence in Castel Gandolfo
, on the Lake Albano. Families which ruled in the castelli include Orsini, Colonna, Chigi
, Aldobrandini
and Ruspoli
.
The Castelli Romani are:
Ariccia is celebrated for its porchetta
(roasted pork meat). Local sweets include maritozzi, a kind of sweet bun. Pizzas here tend to be with a thin, crusty base (typically Roman) and rectangular, with portions often sold by weight, allowing a wider choice of flavours.
Typical courses for a meal include starter, pasta, main course, dessert and coffee (espresso), perhaps washed down with a sambuca, grappa or other digestif.
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...
, Italy
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...
. They are located at short distance south-east to 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...
, at the feet of the Alban Hills
Alban Hills
The Alban Hills are the site of a quiescent volcanic complex in Italy, located southeast of Rome and about north of Anzio.The dominant peak is Monte Cavo. There are two small calderas which contain lakes, Lago Albano and Lake Nemi...
.
Overview
The area of the Castelli occupies an ancient, fertile volcanic area which has allowed since ancient times a flourishing agriculture. The former crater is occupied by two lakes, the Lake of Nemi and that of AlbanoLake of Albano
Lake Albano is a small volcanic crater lake in the Alban Hills of Lazio, at the foot of Monte Cavo, southeast of Rome. Overlooking it is Castel Gandolfo, where the Pope has a villa....
.
Starting from the Romans
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....
, it was an area frequented by the noblemen of Rome for its fresher climate during summer: the tradition was followed by the Popes which still have their summer residence in Castel Gandolfo
Castel Gandolfo
Castel Gandolfo is a small Italian town or comune in Lazio that occupies a height overlooking Lake Albano about 15 miles south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills. It is best known as the summer residence of the Pope. It is an Italian town with the population of 8834...
, on the Lake Albano. Families which ruled in the castelli include Orsini, Colonna, Chigi
Chigi
Chigi may refer to:* Chigi , a crossbreed between a Welsh Corgi and a chihuahua * House of Chigi, a Roman princely family* Chigi , an element in Japanese architecture...
, Aldobrandini
Aldobrandini
The Aldobrandini are an Italian noble family from Florence, with close ties to the Vatican. Its Roman fortunes were made when Ippolito Aldobrandini became pope under the name Pope Clement VIII. He arranged the marriage that linked the Aldobrandini with the Roman family of Pamphili...
and Ruspoli
Ruspoli
The Ruspoli are an old and noble Italian family .The origins of the family can be traced back to the Ruspolis of Florence in the 13th Century and through the family's claimed direct descent from Marius Scotus in the 8th Century and the Marescottis of Bologna...
.
Municipalities
- Albano LazialeAlbano LazialeAlbano Laziale is a comune in the province of Rome, on the Alban Hills, in Latium, central Italy. It is also a suburb of Rome, which is 25 km distant. It is bounded by other communes of Castel Gandolfo, Rocca di Papa, Ariccia and Ardea. Located in the Castelli Romani area of Lazio...
- AricciaAricciaAriccia is a town and comune in the Province of Rome, central Italy. It is in the Alban Hills of the Lazio region and could be considered an extension of Rome's southeastern suburbs...
- Castel GandolfoCastel GandolfoCastel Gandolfo is a small Italian town or comune in Lazio that occupies a height overlooking Lake Albano about 15 miles south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills. It is best known as the summer residence of the Pope. It is an Italian town with the population of 8834...
- CiampinoCiampinoCiampino is a town and comune in the province of Rome, Lazio, Italy. It was a frazione of Marino until 1974, when it became a comune; it obtained the city status in 2004 by presidential decree.-Overview:It is best known for the local "Giovan Battista Pastine" International Airport, best known as...
- ColonnaColonna (RM)Colonna is a comune in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 20 km southeast of Rome, on the Alban Hills...
- FrascatiFrascatiFrascati is a town and comune in the province of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with science, being the location of several international scientific...
- Genzano di RomaGenzano di RomaGenzano di Roma is a town and comune in the province of Rome, in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is one of the Castelli Romani, at a distance of 29 km from Rome, on the Alban Hills.-History:The origin of the name Genzano is still disputed...
- GrottaferrataGrottaferrataGrottaferrata, Italy is a small town and comune in the province of Rome, situated on the lower slopes of the Alban Hills, 20 km south east of Rome. It is bounded by other communes, Frascati, Rocca di Papa, Marino, and Rome.-History:...
- LanuvioLanuvioLanuvio is a comune in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 30 km southeast of Rome, on the Alban Hills.Lanuvio borders the following municipalities: Aprilia, Ariccia, Genzano di Roma, Velletri.-History:...
- LarianoLarianoLariano is a comune in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Lazio, located about 35 km southeast of Rome on the Alban Hills....
- MarinoMarino, ItalyMarino is an Italian city and comune in Lazio , on the Alban Hills, Italy, 21 km south east of Rome, with population of 37,684 and a territory of 26.10 km2...
- Monte CompatriMonte CompatriMonte Compatri is a comune in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 20 km southeast of Rome on the Alban Hills. It is one of the Castelli Romani.-History:...
- Monte Porzio CatoneMonte Porzio CatoneMonte Porzio Catone is a comune in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 20 km southeast of Rome, on the Alban Hills....
- NemiNemiNemi is a town and comune in the province of Rome , in the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Nemi, a volcanic crater lake. It is 6 km NW of Velletri and about 30 km southeast of Rome....
- Rocca di PapaRocca di PapaRocca di Papa is a small town and comune in the province of Rome, Lazio, Italy. It is one of the Castelli Romani about 25 km south east of Rome on the Alban Hills. It is bounded by the other communes of Velletri, Rocca Priora, Monte Compatri, Grottaferrata, Albano and Marino...
- Rocca PrioraRocca PrioraRocca Priora is a small town and comune in the province of Rome, Lazio, Italy. It is one of the Castelli Romani on the Alban Hills about 25 km south east of Rome, situated in the Regional Park known as the "Parco Regionale dei Castelli Romani"....
- VelletriVelletriVelletri is an Italian town of 53,298 inhabitants. It is a comune in the province of Rome, on the Alban Hills, in Lazio - Italy. It is bounded by other communes of Rocca di Papa, Lariano, Cisterna di Latina, Artena, Aprilia, Nemi, Genzano di Roma, Lanuvio...
Cuisine and food
The area is renowned for the production of wine, including the white wine of Frascati.Ariccia is celebrated for its porchetta
Porchetta
Porchetta is a savory, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition. The body of the pig is gutted, deboned, arranged carefully with layers of stuffing, meat, fat, and skin, then rolled, spitted, and roasted, traditionally over wood...
(roasted pork meat). Local sweets include maritozzi, a kind of sweet bun. Pizzas here tend to be with a thin, crusty base (typically Roman) and rectangular, with portions often sold by weight, allowing a wider choice of flavours.
Typical courses for a meal include starter, pasta, main course, dessert and coffee (espresso), perhaps washed down with a sambuca, grappa or other digestif.
See also
- Alban HillsAlban HillsThe Alban Hills are the site of a quiescent volcanic complex in Italy, located southeast of Rome and about north of Anzio.The dominant peak is Monte Cavo. There are two small calderas which contain lakes, Lago Albano and Lake Nemi...
- Lake NemiLake NemiLake Nemi is a small circular volcanic lake in the Lazio region of Italy south of Rome, taking its name from Nemi, the largest town in the area, that overlooks it from a height.-Archaeology and history:The lake is most famous for its sunken Roman ships...
- Lake Albano
- CecchinaCecchinaCecchina is a town located approximately 30 km south-east of Rome in the Italian region of Lazio, in central Italy.-Overview:The town is a frazione of the comune of Albano Laziale; it is part of the famous Castelli Romani; the elevation of the town is about 235 m above sea level and it...
- PavonaPavonaPavona is a town in Lazio, central Italy. It is a frazione of the comune of Albano Laziale. However, its traditional territory is also included in those of Castel Gandolfo and Rome.-Overview:...
- VermicinoVermicinoVermicino is a village and civil parish of the Italian municipality of Frascati, in the Province of Rome, Lazio. In Italian language its name means "little worm", in an unused form.-Geography:...
- History of RomeHistory of RomeThe history of Rome spans 2,800 years of the existence of a city that grew from a small Italian village in the 9th century BC into the centre of a vast civilisation that dominated the Mediterranean region for centuries. Its political power was eventually replaced by that of peoples of mostly...
- History of Lazio