Roccamonfina
Encyclopedia
Roccamonfina is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Caserta
in the Italian
region Campania
, located about 60 km northwest of Naples
and about 40 km northwest of Caserta
.
In the communal territory is the extinct volcano of Roccamonfina. The fossil human footprints called Ciampate del Diavolo
have been found there. The town is notable for the dense groves of sweet chestnut
trees which surround it.
In the territory of the volcano are traces of Ausonian or Auruncan
settlements, with remains of polygonal walls dating to the 6th-5th century BC. Findings of coins and inscriptions seems to confirm the presence of a settlement in the current town as early as the 3rd century BC, although it is mentioned only in the 10th century AD.
In the Middle Ages and the modern era it was a fief of Neapolitan and Papal noble families, while under the Bourbon
rulers it was a direct possession of the crown of the Two Sicilies
.
and St. James of the Marches
and enlarged to the current shape in 1448-1507. The façade has a large portico with the original wooden door from 1507. The interior has a nave with no aisles, and 15th and 17th centuries frescoes. The Chapel of the Virgin of the Lattani has a statue of "Madonna with Child", dating perhaps to the 9th century. The convent has a two-storey cloister.
The Collegiate church of Santa Maria Maggiore is of medieval origin, but its current appearance dates to the 1715 restoration. In the same square is the Palazzo Colletta.
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:...
(municipality) in the Province of Caserta
Province of Caserta
The Province of Caserta is a province in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Caserta. The former royal palace of Caserta is located near to the city.It has an area of 2,639 km², and a total population of 879,342...
in the Italian
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...
region Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
, located about 60 km northwest of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and about 40 km northwest of Caserta
Caserta
Caserta is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. It is an important agricultural, commercial and industrial comune and city. Caserta is located on the edge of the Campanian plain at the foot of the Campanian Subapennine mountain range...
.
In the communal territory is the extinct volcano of Roccamonfina. The fossil human footprints called Ciampate del Diavolo
Ciampate del Diavolo
Ciampate del Diavolo is the name of a locality near Roccamonfina , in the neighbourhood of an extinct volcano with the same name. It takes its name from several human fossil footprints....
have been found there. The town is notable for the dense groves of sweet chestnut
Sweet Chestnut
Castanea sativa is a species of the flowering plant family Fagaceae, the tree and its edible seeds are referred to by several common names such Sweet Chestnut or Marron. Originally native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, it is now widely dispersed throughout Europe and parts of Asia, such as...
trees which surround it.
History
Aurunci
The Aurunci were an Italic population which lived in southern Italy from around the 1st millennium BC. Of Indo-European origin, their language belonged to the Oscan group...
settlements, with remains of polygonal walls dating to the 6th-5th century BC. Findings of coins and inscriptions seems to confirm the presence of a settlement in the current town as early as the 3rd century BC, although it is mentioned only in the 10th century AD.
In the Middle Ages and the modern era it was a fief of Neapolitan and Papal noble families, while under the Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
rulers it was a direct possession of the crown of the Two Sicilies
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, commonly known as the Two Sicilies even before formally coming into being, was the largest and wealthiest of the Italian states before Italian unification...
.
Main sights
Roccamonfina's main attraction is the sanctuary of Maria Santissima dei Lattani, founded in 1430 by St. Bernardino of SienaBernardino of Siena
Saint Bernardino of Siena, O.F.M., was an Italian priest, Franciscan missionary, and is a Catholic saint.-Early life:...
and St. James of the Marches
James of the Marches
Saint James of the Marche, O.F.M., was an Italian Friar Minor, preacher and writer.-Biography:He was born Dominic Gangala in the early 1390s to a poor family in Monteprandone, Province of Ascoli Piceno, in the Marche region of Italy...
and enlarged to the current shape in 1448-1507. The façade has a large portico with the original wooden door from 1507. The interior has a nave with no aisles, and 15th and 17th centuries frescoes. The Chapel of the Virgin of the Lattani has a statue of "Madonna with Child", dating perhaps to the 9th century. The convent has a two-storey cloister.
The Collegiate church of Santa Maria Maggiore is of medieval origin, but its current appearance dates to the 1715 restoration. In the same square is the Palazzo Colletta.