Filettino
Encyclopedia
Filettino is a village located about 70 km east of Rome
and about 30 km north of Frosinone
. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 542 and an area of 77.5 km².
Filettino borders the following municipalities: Canistro
, Capistrello
, Cappadocia
, Castellafiume
, Civitella Roveto
, Guarcino
, Morino
, Trevi nel Lazio
, Vallepietra
.
, and remaining a tiny hamlet until the time of Christ, it became a safe haven for those fleeing from Saracen
invasions in 800 A.D, due to its mountainous location. In 1297 it fell under the control of Pietro Caetani, nephew of Pope Boniface VIII
, whose family
became notorious as cruel and oppressive, crushing various uprisings until the last of the Filettino Caetanis was executed in 1602 at Castel Sant'Angelo
in Rome
. In the same year it was entered by Pope Clement VII
into the Apostolic Chamber and was thus subsequently absorbed into the Papal States
until the States themselves were annexed to the Kingdom of Italy
in 1870.
, the village's mayor Luca Sellari started a campaign for Filettino to become an independent state. The village began to print its own currency, the fiorito, which translates as "flowered", referring to how Filettino will "flower under its new guise", according to the mayor, and alluding to the currency first minted in 13th-century Florence
, the florin. The fiorito's exchange rate is currently unclear, with one source reporting the fiorito to be worth two euro
s and another stating that two fioritos are equivalent to one euro.
The citizens intend to invite prince Emanuele Filiberto
, from the deposed Italian royal family
, to become the Prince of Filettino.
The independence movement created its own coat of arms
(motto: "Nec flector, nec frangor" — we won't bow or break).
A first meeting with entrepreneurs concerning the establishment of a National Bank of the Principality of Filettino was scheduled for 5 September 2011.
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...
and about 30 km north of Frosinone
Frosinone
Frosinone is a town and comune in Lazio, central Italy, the administrative seat of the Province of Frosinone. It is located about 75 km south-east of Rome close to the Rome-Naples Autostrada A1...
. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 542 and an area of 77.5 km².
Filettino borders the following municipalities: Canistro
Canistro
Canistro is a comune and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy....
, Capistrello
Capistrello
Capistrello is a comune and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy....
, Cappadocia
Cappadocia (Italy)
Cappadocia is a comune and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is part of the Marsica....
, Castellafiume
Castellafiume
Castellafiume is a comune and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy....
, Civitella Roveto
Civitella Roveto
Civitella Roveto is a comune and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy...
, Guarcino
Guarcino
Guarcino is a comune in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about 70 km east of Rome and about 20 km north of Frosinone in the Monti Ernici area.-History:...
, Morino
Morino
Morino may also refer to a common Japanese and Italian surname.Morino is a comune and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy....
, Trevi nel Lazio
Trevi nel Lazio
Trevi nel Lazio is a town and comune of the province of Frosinone in the Italian region of Lazio in the upper valley of the Aniene river. It is 17 km by road NE of Fiuggi and 23 km by road SE of Subiaco, the nearest larger towns....
, Vallepietra
Vallepietra
Vallepietra is a comune in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Lazio, located about 60 km east of Rome, in the Monti Simbruini area....
.
History
Originally a place of the AequiAequi
thumb|300px|Location of the Aequi in central Italy.The Aequi were an ancient people of northeast Latium and the central Appennines of Italy who appear in the early history of ancient Rome. After a long struggle for independence from Rome they were defeated and substantial Roman colonies were...
, and remaining a tiny hamlet until the time of Christ, it became a safe haven for those fleeing from Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
invasions in 800 A.D, due to its mountainous location. In 1297 it fell under the control of Pietro Caetani, nephew of Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII , born Benedetto Gaetani, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303. Today, Boniface VIII is probably best remembered for his feuds with Dante, who placed him in the Eighth circle of Hell in his Divina Commedia, among the Simonists.- Biography :Gaetani was born in 1235 in...
, whose family
Caetani
Caetani, or Gaetani, is the name of an Italian noble family princely family which played a great part in the history of Pisa and of Rome, principally via their close links to the papacy.-Origins:...
became notorious as cruel and oppressive, crushing various uprisings until the last of the Filettino Caetanis was executed in 1602 at Castel Sant'Angelo
Castel Sant'Angelo
The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as the Castel Sant'Angelo, is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family...
in 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...
. In the same year it was entered by Pope Clement VII
Pope Clement VII
Clement VII , born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, was a cardinal from 1513 to 1523 and was Pope from 1523 to 1534.-Early life:...
into the Apostolic Chamber and was thus subsequently absorbed into the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
until the States themselves were annexed to the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
in 1870.
Campaign for independence
In August 2011, following an Italian government announcement that all villages with under 1,000 residents would have to merge with nearby villages in order to cut administrative costs, forcing Filettino to merge with the neighbouring town of Trevi nel LazioTrevi nel Lazio
Trevi nel Lazio is a town and comune of the province of Frosinone in the Italian region of Lazio in the upper valley of the Aniene river. It is 17 km by road NE of Fiuggi and 23 km by road SE of Subiaco, the nearest larger towns....
, the village's mayor Luca Sellari started a campaign for Filettino to become an independent state. The village began to print its own currency, the fiorito, which translates as "flowered", referring to how Filettino will "flower under its new guise", according to the mayor, and alluding to the currency first minted in 13th-century Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, the florin. The fiorito's exchange rate is currently unclear, with one source reporting the fiorito to be worth two euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s and another stating that two fioritos are equivalent to one euro.
The citizens intend to invite prince Emanuele Filiberto
Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice and Piedmont
Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice and Piedmont is a member of the House of Savoy and the only child and heir of Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples. He is the grandson of Umberto II, last King of Italy...
, from the deposed Italian royal family
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
, to become the Prince of Filettino.
The independence movement created its own coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
(motto: "Nec flector, nec frangor" — we won't bow or break).
A first meeting with entrepreneurs concerning the establishment of a National Bank of the Principality of Filettino was scheduled for 5 September 2011.
External links
- www.comunefilettino.it/
- www.filettino.org Principato di Filettino - website of the Principality of Filettino