Ceri
Encyclopedia
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...
), a frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of the comune
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:...
of Cerveteri
Cerveteri
Cerveteri is a town and comune of the northern Lazio, in the province of Rome. Originally known as Caere , it is famous for a number of Etruscan necropolis that include some of the best Etruscan tombs anywhere....
, 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...
. It occupies a fortified plateau of tuff
Tuff
Tuff 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...
at a short distance from the city of Cerveteri.
History
Inhabited before the 7th century BC, the town's native population changed several times, from Etruscans to 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....
. Numerous tombs from the Etruscan and Roman periods can be found in the area.
The town as it looks today was founded in 1236, when the inhabitants of its Caere neighbor abandoned the former to be better protected by rock formations. To this they gave the name of Caere Novum (simply Ceri, not to be confused with another neighbor, Cerenova
Cerenova
Cerenova is a coastal frazione of the comune of Cerveteri, in the Lazio region of Italy. It is located at c. 40 km north to Rome, on the Via Aurelia, midway between Santa Severa and Ladispoli....
), in order to distinguish it from the ancient city, Caere Vetus (today Cerveteri
Cerveteri
Cerveteri is a town and comune of the northern Lazio, in the province of Rome. Originally known as Caere , it is famous for a number of Etruscan necropolis that include some of the best Etruscan tombs anywhere....
). In the same period, the castle was constructed for the defense of the town.
Since the 14th century, Ceri became the property of some of the greatest Italian families: from the Anguillara (of which the greatest exponent was Renzo di Ceri
Renzo di Ceri
Renzo di Ceri, true name Lorenzo dell'Anguillara was as an Italian condottiero. He was a member of the Anguillara family.Born in Ceri, he was the son of Giovanni degli Anguillara....
) to Cesi, the Borromeo
Borromeo
-Members of the House of Borromeo:* Andrea Borromeo, a Theatine priest* Charles Borromeo , cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church* Federico Borromeo , archbishop of Milan, cousin of Charles-Other people:...
, the Odescalchi, and ended with the Torlonia
Torlonia
200px|thumb|Coat of arms of the House of Torlonia.The princes Torlonia are an Italian noble family from Rome, who acquired a huge fortune in the 18th and 19th centuries through administering the finances of the Vatican.-History:...
, who are still owners of a large part of Ceri.
Main sights
The main attraction is the RomanesqueRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
Church of the Madonna di Ceri, which stands on an ancient site where Etruscans and Romans venerated the cult of the goddess Vesta
Vesta (mythology)
Vesta was the virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and family in Roman religion. Vesta's presence was symbolized by the sacred fire that burned at her hearth and temples...
. In 1980, during a restoration, frescoes from approximately the 12th century, representing some scenes drawn from Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
were discovered on a wall of the church building.