Valmontone

Valmontone
Comune
Comune di Valmontone

Coat of arms
Valmontone

Location of Valmontone in Italy

Coordinates: 41°47′N 12°55′E / 41.783°N 12.917°E / 41.783; 12.917
Country Italy
Region Lazio
Province / Metropolitan city Rome
Government
  Mayor Alberto Latini (Democratic Party)
Area
  Total 40 km2 (20 sq mi)
Elevation 303 m (994 ft)
Population (31 August 2015)[1]
  Total 15,918
  Density 400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Valmontonesi
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 00038
Dialing code 06
Patron saint St. Luigi Gonzaga
Saint day June 21
Website Official website

Valmontone is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Lazio, located about 45 kilometres (28 miles) southeast of Rome.

Valmontone seen by Rocca di Cave: the massive white building is Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj.

Geography

The historic part of the town is situated on a tuffaceous hill, 303 metres (994 feet) above sea level, part of a morphological system of valleys and low relieves, known as Alta Valle del Sacco (High Valley of Sacco River). There are many natural springs due to the high water levels underground. Because of this the landscape is covered by forest and farmland.

To preserve this water system, in Valmontone exists the C.E.R.I., a center for the prevention and control of hydro-geological risks.

History

The origins of Valmontone are uncertain: it seems that a village was founded before the rise of Rome on a hill in the modern municipality of the town, and its ruins were visible until the 18th century. Perhaps these are the remains of the ancient Labicum, which, according to the myth, was founded by Glaucus, Minos’ son: the name of the village derives from a kind of Greek shield. Labicum was in war against Rome, but at last it was defeated and became a Roman castrum, a fortified castle: other testimonies of the Roman period are the post-station Ad Bivium, situated along the road called Via Latina, a village of coal-makers, some furnaces for tiles and vases, a villa and some other remains (two sarcophagus, memorial plates).

Later on, the castle was rebuilt on the actual site in the Late Roman Empire. The presence of a Castrum Lateranense goes back to the 1052, while the name of Vallis Montonis (Valmontone means “a valley overhung by a little hill”) appears the first time in a document dated 1139. Valmontone became a fief under the Conti family until the 16th century, when, in 1548, the fief passed under the Sforza then, in 1632 and for a few years, under the Barberini, until Camillo Pamphili bought Valmontone (1634). The Pamphili family became Doria-Pamphili-Landi in the 18th century. In 1843 Valmontone assumed the rank of “city” by decision of Pope Gregory XVI.

On 22 January 1944, during the Italian Campaign of the Second World War, the Allies commenced Operation Shingle, an amphibious landing at Anzio in an attempt to outflank the formidable German defensive positions known as the Winter Line (also Gustave Line) and push toward Rome: Valmontone was an important objective on the way to Rome, in according to Operation Buffalo, May–June 1944. The Allies thought the German forces were garrisoning the city, so they bombed Valmontone with their air forces, nearly destroying it completely: Valmontone lost 80 percent of its ancient buildings, like the fortified gates, the monastery on Colle Sant’Angelo, fountains, churches. With the post-war reconstruction the town lost its medieval and baroque appeal, of which only a few sights survive.

Main sights

Mattia Preti, ceiling fresco of Stanza dell'Aria, Palazzo Doria-Pamphilij.
Colleggiata church.

Not far from Valmontone is the large Valmontone Outlet, a shopping center built like an American town, with squares, buildings, streets, a fake train-station, etc. Near this complex is Rainbow Magic Land, opened on 26 May 2011.

Transportation

The town is crossed by via Casilina, a modern road following the ancient road with the same name built by the Romans, now the town's main street: moreover it is connected with the Autostrada A1 (Autostrada del Sole), on the Roma-Napoli branch (exit to Valmontone).

Valmontone has a railway station, served by the line Rome-Cassino-Naples.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Valmontone is twinned with:

References

  1. All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Valmontone.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.