Ronciglione
Encyclopedia
Ronciglione is a city and comune
in the province of Viterbo
, Lazio (central Italy
), c. 20 km from Viterbo
. The city is located in the Cimini mountains, over two tuff
scarps, on the SE slope of the former volcano crater now housing the Vico's Lake.
The city's economy is based largely on agriculture, with production of nut
s, chestnut
s and wine
.
set its foundation around 1045, due to the Prefetti of Vico. Later it was a possession of the Anguillara
, a Guelph
family of Rome
. Pope Paul II
conquered it to the Papal States
in 1465.
In 1526 Ronciglione became a possession of the Farnese, and lived its period of greatest splendour: its industries included manufacturing of copper
, iron
, paper
, weapons and others. Ended in 1649 the Farnese seignory and bought back by Pope Innocent X
, in 1728 it received the status of city by Pope Benedict XIII
.
The Ronciglionesi took active part in the Roman Republic
of 1798-1799: the French troops, however, crushed the revolt and burnt the city on July 20, 1799.
The city monuments and sights include:
Carnival of Rome. It has typical "empty races" in which the horses are left to run without riders. The cities are divided into 9 contrades which contend for the "Palio of the Manna".
Villa Lina. A Villa built by Ulisse Igliori for his wife Lina in 1928 and currently owned and magnificently operated as a Luxury Bed and Breakfast. It has stunning Botanicals gardens and is a must see on a trip through the true Roman Countryside.
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:...
in the province of Viterbo
Province of Viterbo
The Province of Viterbo is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Viterbo. It is bordered to the north by the Province of Grosseto and Siena, by the north-east with the Province of Terni and Rieti, in the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea and south by the Province of Rome.It...
, Lazio (central 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...
), c. 20 km from Viterbo
Viterbo
See also Viterbo, Texas and Viterbo UniversityViterbo is an ancient city and comune in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It is approximately 80 driving / 80 walking kilometers north of GRA on the Via Cassia, and it is surrounded by the Monti Cimini and...
. The city is located in the Cimini mountains, over two 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...
scarps, on the SE slope of the former volcano crater now housing the Vico's Lake.
The city's economy is based largely on agriculture, with production of nut
Nut (fruit)
A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
s, chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
s and wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
.
History
The most ancient document mentioning Ronciglione dates to 1103. A historian from the 16th century OrvietoOrvieto
Orvieto is a city and comune in Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff...
set its foundation around 1045, due to the Prefetti of Vico. Later it was a possession of the Anguillara
Anguillara
Anguillara were a baronal family of Latium, especially powerful in Rome and in the current province of Viterbo during the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance....
, a Guelph
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in central and northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the split between these two parties was a particularly important aspect of the internal policy of the Italian city-states...
family of 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...
. Pope Paul II
Pope Paul II
Pope Paul II , born Pietro Barbo, was pope from 1464 until his death in 1471.- Early life :He was born in Venice, and was a nephew of Pope Eugene IV , through his mother. His adoption of the spiritual career, after having been trained as a merchant, was prompted by his uncle's election as pope...
conquered it to 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...
in 1465.
In 1526 Ronciglione became a possession of the Farnese, and lived its period of greatest splendour: its industries included manufacturing of copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
, weapons and others. Ended in 1649 the Farnese seignory and bought back by Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X , born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj , was Pope from 1644 to 1655. Born in Rome of a family from Gubbio in Umbria who had come to Rome during the pontificate of Pope Innocent IX, he graduated from the Collegio Romano and followed a conventional cursus honorum, following his uncle...
, in 1728 it received the status of city by Pope Benedict XIII
Pope Benedict XIII
-Footnotes:...
.
The Ronciglionesi took active part in the Roman Republic
Roman Republic (18th century)
The Roman Republic was proclaimed on February 15, 1798 after Louis Alexandre Berthier, a general of Napoleon, had invaded the city of Rome on February 10....
of 1798-1799: the French troops, however, crushed the revolt and burnt the city on July 20, 1799.
Main sights
Ronciglione has one of the most beautiful mediaeval burgs of central Italy.The city monuments and sights include:
- The Castle, originally built in the High Middle Ages, with the characteristic angle rounded towers.
- The Cathedral, a Baroque edifice designed by Pietro da CortonaPietro da CortonaPietro da Cortona, by the name of Pietro Berrettini, born Pietro Berrettini da Cortona, was the leading Italian Baroque painter of his time and also one of the key architects in the emergence of Roman Baroque architecture. He was also an important decorator...
, rebuilt by Carlo RainaldiCarlo RainaldiCarlo Rainaldi was an Italian architect of the Baroque period.Born in Rome, Rainaldi was one of the leading architects of 17th century Rome, known for a certain grandeur in his designs. He worked at first with his father, Girolamo Rainaldi, a late Mannerist architect in Rome. After his father's...
between 1671 and 1695. The bell tower is from 1734. It houses a Tryptych of Christ by the Viterbese painter Gabriele di Francesco (15th century). - The church of Santa Maria della Provvidenza (11th century), restored in Baroque style, although still retaining a three-floors RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque 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,...
belfry. The interior, with a single nave, houses some frescoes from th 15th century. - The ruins of the church of St. Andrew (12th-13th centuries), with a notable belfry from 1436.
- Church of Santa Maria della Pace, began in 1581 and variously attributed to Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola or Rainaldi. It houses paintings by Sebastiano ConcaSebastiano ConcaSebastiano Conca was an Italian painter.He was born at Gaeta, then part of the Kingdom of Naples, and apprenticed in Naples under Francesco Solimena. In 1706, along with his brother Giovanni, who acted as his assistant, he settled at Rome, where for several years he worked in chalk only, to...
, Cavalier D'Arpino and a tabernacle by Sansovino. - The suggestive basilica church of Sant'Eusebio, along the Via CassiaVia CassiaThe Via Cassia was an important Roman road striking out of the Via Flaminia near the Milvian Bridge in the immediate vicinity of Rome and, passing not far from Veii traversed Etruria...
, 3 km in direction of Rome. Located on a wide alture, it was built by monks ascpaed from Palestine in the 7th and 8th centuries. Traces of the ancient coenoby and the belfry can still be seen. The interior of the current edifice has a nave with aisles of irregular dimensions, with 12th-13th centuries frescoes and a Madonna with Child from the 15th century. It is dedicated to St. Eusebius, bishop of Sutri which is nearby. - Villa Lina. A villa with extensive botanical gardens, built by Ulisse Igliori for his wife Lina in 1928 and currently owned and operated as a luxury Bed and BreakfastBed and breakfastA bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
by their daughter Paola IglioriPaola IglioriPaola Igliori, born in Rome, Italy, is a poet, writer, photographer, essayist and publisher. She became a resident of New York City from the 1980s, when she first moved there, until 2003 when she returned to her home country. Paola Igliori has a son Filippo, who is a photographer and film maker...
.
Culture
Ronciglione is famous for its Carnival, one of the most important in the Lazio. It was born as a derivative of the RenaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
Carnival of Rome. It has typical "empty races" in which the horses are left to run without riders. The cities are divided into 9 contrades which contend for the "Palio of the Manna".
Villa Lina. A Villa built by Ulisse Igliori for his wife Lina in 1928 and currently owned and magnificently operated as a Luxury Bed and Breakfast. It has stunning Botanicals gardens and is a must see on a trip through the true Roman Countryside.
External links
- A Page on DiscoverSoriano with information obout Ronciglione's Carnival
- Carnival of Ronciglione
- Ronciglione Studies Centre