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115-691: Velletri was an ancient city of the Volsci tribe. Legendarily it came into conflict with the Romans during the reign of Ancus Marcius , the fourth king of Rome; then again in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE, during the early Roman Republic . Velletri was also the home of the Octavii , the paternal family of the first Roman Emperor Augustus . In the Middle Ages , it was one of the few " free cities " in Lazio and central Italy. It

230-417: A council of novemviri (nine men), a mayor with supervisory functions, constables who were military leaders, and a podestà who had judicial duties. Pope Alexander IV (1254–1261), former bishop of Velletri, ordered during his pontificate to bring the relics of Velletri holy martyrs Pontian and Eleuterio to be preserved in the crypt beneath the cathedral. In 1342, Nicola Caetani besieged Velletri. However,

345-707: A force of Gauls which had encamped near Rome, captured the town, which surrendered without a struggle. In 340 BC the Latin cities federated in the Latin League , which had been an ally of the Romans, rebelled in what had been called the Latin War (340-338 BC). They were joined by the Campanians , the Volsci and the Roman colonies of Signa and Velitrae. After two years of fighting Rome defeated

460-411: A group of Latin horsemen rode to Rome to warn that a Volscian army was approaching the city. Discord between the Roman plebs (who were angry at levels of debt being suffered by them) and the patrician senators was quickly avoided. The plebs refused to enroll to fight against the Volsci on account of their grievances. The senate dispatched the consul Servilius to deal with the issue. Servilius assembled

575-622: A larger pattern of Sabellian -speaking peoples migrating out of the Apennines and into the plains. Several peripheral Latin communities appear to have been overrun. In response the Latins formed the Foedus Cassianum , a mutual military alliance between the Latin cities with Rome as the leading partner. The ancient sources record fighting against either the Aequi, the Volsci, or both almost every year during

690-451: A new colony to Norba, in the mountains, as a stronghold for the Pomptine country", which was a Volscian area near Velitrae. According to Diodorus Siculus , "the Romans increased the number of colonists in the city known as Velitrae" in 404 BC. In 385 BC, during another war between Rome and the Volsci, the Roman colonists from Circeii and Velitrae provided a contingent which fought alongside

805-534: A pantry is shown to this day as the emperor's nursery in his grandfather's country-house near Velitrae, and the opinion prevails in the neighbourhood that he was actually born there." Velletri began to decline after it was sacked by Alaric the Goth in 410 CE. It was the seat of a bishopric and, in the following century, it became an imperial city after the Byzantine reconquest of Italy. The first information about Velletri in

920-460: A reference to the colonization of Satricum, the name having been corrupted by Diodorus or his copyist. Beloch rejected Camillus' campaign of 386 as a doublet of that of 389 (itself invented) and also the events of 385 as they depended on Camillus' victory at Satricum the previous year. More recently, Cornell (1995), Oakley (1997) and Forsythe (2005) have instead chosen to interpret these events as part of an expansionist Roman policy to take control of

1035-527: A symbol of the city of Velletri. In 1408, Ladislaus of Naples occupied Velletri during his attempt to conquer the Papal States . In 1434, during the struggle against the Colonna and Savelli families, Pope Eugene IV razed the castle of Lariano with the assistance of 800 Velletrani soldiers. The land of Castellana was granted to Velletri, and remained merged with Velletri until 1967. On April 21, 1482, during

1150-463: A thousand pupils. It offers courses in science and technology. Volsci The Volsci ( UK : / ˈ v ɒ l s k iː / , US : / ˈ v ɔː l -, ˈ v ɒ l s aɪ , - s iː / , Latin: [ˈwɔɫskiː] ) were an Italic tribe, well known in the history of the first century of the Roman Republic . At the time they inhabited the partly hilly, partly marshy district of

1265-586: Is one of the centers the Via Appia Nuova (modern Appian Way) passes through. The territory of Velletri stretches between two distinct areas. The northern part is situated on the southern foothills of the Colli Albani range and was geologically formed about 150,000 years ago, after the collapse of the Volcano Laziale (caldera). The southern boundary forms around Pontine Marshes , whose reclamation started at

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1380-458: Is strengthened by Livy and Plutarch's very similar accounts of the fighting at Sutrium later the same year. However the original historical records probably just stated that the Romans won against the Volsci in a battle fought ad Maecium , all other details being later inventions. Except for the repayment of the gold to the matrons, Livy's description of Camillus' triumph that year could be based on authentic information; if so this would help confirm

1495-502: Is the result of a merger between various educational bodies. It runs courses in the classics, languages, socio-psycho- pedagogy and social sciences at high school level. The Giancarlo Vallauri Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale is a technical school which was founded in 1960 as a branch of the Enrico Fermi Institute of Rome. It became autonomous in 1968. Since then it has had over 6000 graduates. Today, it has 50 classes and

1610-568: The Central-Northern Lazian and Neapolitan dialect. The Veliterno dialect, is often unintelligible for those who do not normally speak Italian. It is characterized by a predominance of the vowel "o" and Neapolitan expressions such as "nanny" for a father, "am dead" for dead. The first dictionary of the Velletrano dialect was published in the 1980s. The main public library in Velletri is

1725-565: The Acqua de Ferrari , at 650 metres (2,130 feet), underlying Monte de Ferrari (886 metres (2,907 feet) above sea level) at Rocca di Papa , from which is part of the municipal water supply. The old town's altitude is substantially uniform from the elevation of Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi at 339 m above sea level , the square of the Trivium at 332 metres (1,089 feet) above sea level, and Napoletana at 329 metres (1,079 feet) above sea level. The area west of

1840-709: The Latins under leadership of Rome, the region's dominant city-state . By the late 5th century BC, the Volsci were increasingly on the defensive and by the end of the Samnite Wars had been incorporated into the Roman Republic. The ancient historians devoted considerable space to Volscian wars in their accounts of the early Roman Republic, but the historical accuracy of much of this material has been questioned by modern historians. According to Rome's early semi-legendary history, Rome's seventh and last king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus

1955-755: The Octavian family was in days of old a distinguished one at Velitrae; for not only was a street in the most frequented part of town long ago called Octavian, but an altar was shown there besides, consecrated by an Octavius. This man was leader in a war with a neighbouring town ..." This was the family of Rome's first emperor, Augustus . Augustus was born at the Ox Head, a small property on the Palatine Hill in Rome, but spent his childhood in Velitrae. Suetonius wrote that "A small room like

2070-626: The Salt War between Pope Sixtus IV and Ferdinand of Aragon 500 Velletrani soldiers, 250 of whom were considered to be among the best Italian archers, fought with the papal army of Roberto Malatesta in the Battle of Campomorto , in a marshy area next to the territory Velletri, now in the town of Aprilia . The Pope won and the Velletrani were rewarded for their faithfulness by the Holy See . In 1512, Velletri

2185-656: The Wehrmacht was stationed at Velletri. The U.S. General Mark Wayne Clark ordered the May 25 offensive against the Caesar line facing strong resistance. The 36th U.S. Infantry Division commanded by General Fred Walker spotted a flaw in the German defenses on Mount Artemisio between Velletri and Valmontone. Between 30 and 31 May 1944, the 142nd and 143rd regiments penetrated the German defenses at Monte Artemisio, and on June 1 Velletri fell, followed

2300-423: The 11th century. Until the 18th century, Velletri survived as parallel forms of Blitri and Belitri. During his reign (642–617 BC), Ancus Marcius , the fourth king of Rome, came into conflict with the Volsci because the latter plundered Roman territory. He besieged the Velitrae, which was a Volscian town. The elders of the town surrendered and promised "to make good the damage they had done" and "agreed to deliver up

2415-408: The Aequi all raised armies in hope of exploiting this blow to Roman power while the Latins and Hernici abandoned their alliance with Rome. Livy , Plutarch and Diodorus Siculus provide roughly similar narratives of the ensuing Roman campaign against the Volsci, with Plutarch's account being the most detailed. According to Plutarch and Diodorus Siculus the Roman consular tribunes marched out with

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2530-581: The Aequi and then against the Etruscans at Sutrium . Livy also provides a description of the amount of spoils taken. Having won three simultaneous wars, Camillus returned to Rome in triumph. The many prisoners taken in the Etruscan war were publicly sold; after the gold owed to Rome's matrons had been repaid (they had contributed their gold to ransom Rome from the Gauls), enough was left for three golden bowls inscribed with

2645-587: The Biblioteca Comunale (Municipal Library) Augusta Tersenghi. It has several book collections assembled by individuals from the 18th century and is an integral part of SBCR (Library System of the Castelli Romani). In 1999–2000, 10,090 children attended schools of all levels in the area of Velletri: The first schools for children in Velletri had very old roots. The Conservatorio di zitelle per l'educazione della fanciulle (conservatory for old maids and for

2760-668: The Counts of Tusculum, including the fortress of Lariano next to Velletri. In 1084, Robert Guiscard marched against Rome and passed through Velletri, meeting resistance from residents, who were rewarded by the Pope in 1101, with a Breve that gave very broad boundaries to the Veliterna community. In the 13th century, Velletri was administered in the form of a republic. It was governed by the Great Council, composed of consuls, who were then replaced by

2875-615: The Etruscans, the Aequi and the Volsci—and dated them to the year after the Gallic sack when Rome was supposed to be beset by enemies on all sides. Until the development of Latina in modern times, south-eastern Latium was covered by the Pontine Marshes . Between these marshes and the Monti Lepini there was an area of dry land, the ager Pontinus . The Pontine region is the scene of much of

2990-411: The Gallic sack to have been a setback to Rome from which she rapidly recovered, and sees the Roman victories that followed as continuation of an aggressive expansionist policy begun three decades earlier. The accounts of these victories have been exaggerated and elaborated, and some events duplicated, but essentially describe historical events that fit into the broader picture of Rome's development. While

3105-462: The Latins appear to have stemmed the tide of Volscian aggression. The sources record the founding of several Roman colonies during this era, while mention of wars against the Aequi and Volsci become less frequent. In 390 BC, a Gaulish warband first defeated the Roman army at the Battle of Allia and then sacked Rome. The ancient writers report that in the following year, the Etruscans , the Volsci and

3220-668: The Middle Ages is dated 465 by Adeodato, the bishop of the city. Between the 5th and 6th century, the Veliterna diocese became increasingly important. In 592, Pope Gregory I brought together the Diocese of Tres Tabernae in Velletri. In the 10th century, Velletri fell under the rule of the Counts of Tusculum (981). The entire area of the Alban Hills and the Monti Prenestini was dominated by

3335-483: The Pomptine territory which he had heard was being invaded by the Volsci. The Volscian army was swelled by Latins and Hernici, and included contingents from the Roman colonies of Circeii and Velitrae . Preparing for battle on the morrow after his arrival, Cornelius ordered his soldiers to receive the enemy's charge. The Romans stood firm and when, as planned, the cavalry under Titus Quinctius attacked, panic broke out among

3450-496: The Roman army. In an initial engagement, the Romans were almost defeated, but Quinctius lifted their spirits by telling each wing of the army that the other was having great success. Thus re-animated, the Romans won the day. A period of rest followed, as both sides re-grouped. Then the Volsci launched a night attack on the Roman camp. But the consul kept the enemy at bay with a cohort of the allied Hernici , together with mounted trumpeters (the cornicines and tubicines ) to make

3565-410: The Romans. The town was captured, and Marcius gained the cognomen Coriolanus. In 492 BC Rome was beset by a famine. The consuls sought to buy grain amongst the neighbouring peoples. Amongst the Volsci the grain merchants were threatened with violence if grain was sold to the Romans. Livy reports that the Volsci were preparing to attack Rome. However a pestilence spread amongst the Volsci and war

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3680-670: The Royal Normal School was opened in 1874. A College of the Society of Jesus was established in Velletri by the papal bull of Pope Pius IX , Quod Divina Sapientia on April 7, 1851. The Royal Normal School was established at Velletri by royal decree of September 23, 1872, to meet the need for better training for primary school teachers in the province of Rome. In 1891 the school was named after Clemente Cardinali (1789–1839), an archaeologist and intellectual from Velletri. The Antonio Mancinelli Falconi-Dante Institute of Further Education

3795-465: The Scaptia and Maecia respectively, thus obtaining Roman citizenship. During the Roman period, several patricians built several villas in Velitrae. Inscriptions recorded that the city had a basilica, an amphitheater and a theater. Livy noted that the city had the shrines of the gods Apollo and Sangus. Velitrae was also a noted center for wine production. Suetonius wrote: "There are many indications that

3910-536: The Volscan war, tasking the other four with defending and governing the city. Camillus and Valerius met the Antiates at Satricum . In addition to Volsci, the Antiates had brought a large number of Latins and Hernici to the field. At first daunted by the size and composition of the enemy army, after a rousing speech by Camillus the Roman soldiers charged the enemy. It was claimed that to further incite his men, Camillus ordered

4025-465: The Volsci and Aequi fought a furious battle in which the strength of each was seriously diminished. One of the consuls in the following year (487 BC), Titus Sicinius Sabinus , was allocated responsibility for continuing the war with the Volsci. The outcome of the hostilities at that time is unclear, although it seems the Romans fared better. The Volsci and the Aequi were together defeated again in 485 BC. The consul Quintus Fabius Vibulanus incurred

4140-535: The Volsci and resided with the Volscian leader Attius Tullus Aufidius . Meanwhile, the Great Games were being celebrated in Rome on a grand scale, and a number of the Volsci had travelled to Rome to participate in the celebrations. Aufidius sought to devise a way to stir up Volscian ill-will against Rome. He obtained a private audience with the consuls, and convinced them that he feared some discord might erupt between

4255-423: The Volsci and the Volscian territory was ravaged, but there was no significant engagement between the opposing forces. The Volsci invaded Roman territory in 471 BC, and again from 469 to 468 BC, during a time of social upheaval in Rome. In 471 BC Appius Claudius , hated by the people in Rome, was consul. He unsuccessfully opposed popular legislation proposed by the tribune Volero Publilius , thereby inflaming

4370-686: The Volsci formed a sovereign state near the site of Rome. It was placed in the Pomentine plain, between the Latins and the Pontine marshes , which took their name from the plain. The Volsci were divided in Antiates Volsci (capital Antium) on the Tyrrhenian coast, and Ecetran Volsci ( Ecetra ) in the hinterland. The Volsci spoke Volscian , a Sabellic Italic language , which was closely related to Oscan and Umbrian , and more distantly to Latin . In

4485-527: The Volsci formed an alliance with the Hernici and sent ambassadors to seek the aid of the Latins. The Latins, having been defeated by Rome the previous year, were so outraged by the Volsci attempts to lure them into another war, that they seized the Volscian ambassadors, delivered them to the consuls in Rome, and advised them that the Volsci together with the Hernici were fomenting war. The Roman senate , so thankful at

4600-493: The Volsci raised troops to assist the Latins. Because of the Roman dictator 's speedy march, the Volsci forces did not arrive in time to participate in the battle. However, the Romans learnt of the Volscian activities and in 495 BC the consul Publius Servilius Priscus Structus marched into Volscian territory. The Volsci were alarmed, and gave three hundred children of the leading men of Cora and Suessa Pometia as hostages. The Roman army withdrew. Shortly afterwards, however,

4715-419: The Volsci retreated into their own camp and barricaded themselves inside. Knowing that a strong wind would blow down from the mountains at sunrise, Camillus ordered part of his forces to make a diversionary attack on the opposite side, while he led the rest of the army to hurl fire into the enemy camp once the sun rose. Aided by the wind, the fires burnt the camp to the ground. Most of the enemy perished, either in

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4830-608: The Volsci was not always hostile. Livy writes that at the approach of the Clusian army in 508 BC, with the prospect of a siege, the Roman senate arranged for the purchase of grain from the Volsci to feed the lower classes of Rome. Roman-Volscian wars#Engagement in 494 BC The Roman–Volscian wars were a series of wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Volsci , an ancient Italic people . Volscian migration into southern Latium led to conflict with that region's old inhabitants,

4945-406: The Volsci were routed at the first engagement. The Roman army pursued the Volscian army to its own camp, and the camp was surrounded then taken and plundered following the flight of the Volsci. The Roman force followed the Volscian army to Suessa Pometia, and took and plundered that town. The Romans then returned to Rome in glory. Ambassadors from the Volscian town of Ecetra then arrived in Rome, and

5060-406: The Volsci. The Romans found out about this because there were men from Velitrae among the prisoners they captured in a battle they won against the Volsci. They were sent to Rome and questioned. This "in no uncertain terms laid bare the defection of their respective peoples". The colonists sent envoys to Rome "to clear themselves of the charge of joining in the Volscian war and to ask for the release of

5175-471: The Volscian territory lay the little town of Velitrae (modern Velletri ), home of the ancestors of Caesar Augustus . From this town comes an inscription dating probably from early in the 3rd century BC; it is cut upon a small bronze plate (now in the Naples Museum), which must have once been fixed to some votive object , and dedicated to the god Declunus (or the goddess Decluna ). The Volsci were among

5290-472: The Volscian war Livy then describe how Camillus again defeated the Etruscans at Sutrium and Nepete. In 385 BC, Aulus Cornelius Cossus was nominated Dictator with Titus Quinctius Capitolinus as Master of the Horse , ostensibly to deal with the Volscian war and the defection of the Latins and Hernici, but the true reason was the trouble stirred up by Marcus Manlius Capitolinus . The Dictator marched his army into

5405-490: The Volscian youth and the Romans. The consuls put the matter before the senate, and the senate decided to expel the Volsci from Rome. Aufidius met the fleeing Volscians outside Rome in a grove sacred to the goddess Ferentina and stirred up their feelings against Rome, and thereby caused the Volsci to declare war against Rome. Coriolanus and Aufidius led the Volscian army against Roman towns, colonies and allies. Roman colonists were expelled from Circeii . They then retook

5520-432: The anger of the plebs by lodging the spoils of victory with the publicum . Again in 484 BC hostilities with the Volsci and Aequi were renewed. The Romans led by the consul Lucius Aemilius Mamercus defeated the enemy, and the Roman cavalry slaughtered many in the rout which followed. In 483 BC Livy says that the Volsci renewed hostilities, but gives little detail except to say that the Romans paid little attention to

5635-530: The army and pitched camp near Mount Marcius, but their camp was attacked by the Volsci. To deal with their many enemies the Romans now appointed Marcus Furius Camillus dictator. According to Plutarch, Camillus raised a new army, which included men normally considered too old for military service, eluded the Volsci by marching around Mount Marcius and arrived in the enemy's rear where he made his presence known by lighting fires. The besieged Romans prepared to sally out. Rather than risk being attacked from two sides,

5750-441: The army standard flung into the enemy's lines. The Volsci were routed and slaughtered in great number during their flight until a rainstorm brought an end to the fighting. The Latins and Hernici now abandoned the Volsci who took refuge inside Satricum. Camillus first began a regular investment, but when sorties disrupted the construction of his siege works, he changed tactics and carried the city by storm. Leaving Valerius in command of

5865-431: The army, Camillus returned to Rome to urge the senate to continue the war and attack Antium, the Volscian capital. However upon news that the Etruscans were attacking the border strongholds of Nepete and Sutrium , it was instead decided that Camillus and Valerius should take on the Etruscans with a new army raised at Rome. Consular tribunes Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus and Lucius Horatius Pulvillus were sent to carry on

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5980-447: The assistance of the Latins, returned 6,000 prisoners to the Latin towns and in return the Latins sent a crown of gold to the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus in Rome. A great crowd formed, including the freed Latin prisoners, who thanked their captors. Great bonds of friendship were said to have arisen between the Romans and the Latins as a result of this event. Some time later in 495 BC,

6095-415: The captives, that they might punish them in accordance with their own laws". Their request was denied. They received a rebuke and an order to leave the city. In 382 BC two of the military tribunes with consular power for that year, Spurius and Lucius Papirius, marched on Velitrae. They won a battle near the town in which "auxiliaries from Praeneste almost outnumbered the colonists". The enemy took refuge in

6210-423: The city aqueduct , which was built in the 17th century by the engineer Giovanni Fontana. The aqueduct was destroyed during a war in late 1744 and repaired by the engineer Girolamo Romani in 1842–1845. Notable fountains are: Notable buildings are: When Velletri was a Volscian town it was surrounded by massive walls. However, they were razed to the ground in 338 BC as a punishment after the final Roman conquest of

6325-500: The city and the tribunes "abstained from attacking the place; they were not certain of succeeding, nor did they think it right to aim at the extermination of the colony". In 380 BC the Romans stormed Velitrae and then moved on to fight other enemies. In 370 BC the colonists of Velitrae made several incursions into Roman territory and also besieged Tusculum . The Romans drove them form Tusculum and besieged Velitrae. The siege lasted until 367 BC when Marcus Furius Camillus , after defeating

6440-506: The city resisted until the arrival of reinforcements from Rome. In exchange for this help, the city had to undergo the appointment of a mayor appointed by Rome. This kind of vassalage lasted until 1374 when, following an agreement, the Podestà would be elected every six months. The first four times the choice would be directly ratified by the Romans. In 1353 the Trivium Tower was opened. It was

6555-488: The city, ending the siege. Rome honoured the service of these women by the erection of a temple dedicated to Fortuna (a female deity). Coriolanus' fate after this point is unclear, but it seems he took no further part in the war. The Volscian army subsequently returned to Roman territory to attack the city. They were joined by the Aequi . However a dispute broke out as the Aequi would not accept Aufidius as their leader, and

6670-500: The city. The walls were not rebuilt until the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages , Velletri was surrounded by mighty castle walls which originally had six gates: Porta Fura, Porta del Pontone, Porta Santa Martina (o Portella), Porta Lucia, Porta Romana, and Porta Napoletana . In the 16th century, the city strengthened the walls by closing certain gates and keeping only three of them: Porta Lucia, Porta Napoletana, and Porta Romana . They were: The War Memorial, designed by Emanuele Cannigia

6785-725: The conflict which followed the Anglo-American landing at Anzio (22 January 1944) during the Second World War . While the Gustav Line at Cassino and the Hitler Line at Pontecorvo were falling to the enemy the Germans created a third fortified line, the Caesar Line, which stretched between Torvaianica , Lanuvio , Velletri, Artena , and Valmontone . The First Division paratroopers of

6900-442: The consul Verginius to deal with the Volsci. Verginius advanced with the Roman army and ravaged the Volscian territory in order to provoke the Volsci into battle. The two armies made camp near each other, then formed battle lines on the plain which lay between the camps. The Volscians, who were considerably superior in number, charged the Roman line. The Roman consul ordered his troops to stand firm, and to neither advance nor return

7015-698: The definitive end of the free municipality. In the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748), the troops of the Spanish-Nepolitan Bourbons won the Battle of Velletri , fought against Austrian Habsburgs in Velletri and its surroundings. After the French Revolution, Velletri rebelled and it was proclaimed a Republic. Later it changed sides and 900 of its citizens resisted in Castel Gandolfo

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7130-517: The education of young girls) and the istituto di Suore Orsoline (institute of the Orsoline Nuns) were founded in 1690 and 1695 respectively. They merged in 1713 and continued to exist until 1870. The Maestre Pie Venerini teachers opened their house in 1744. An Institute of the Brothers of Christian Schools was founded in 1836 and disbanded in 1850 due to lack of facilities. A primary school conjoined with

7245-401: The enemy camp. Next priests, in their regalia, were sent by the Romans, but achieved nothing more than had the ambassadors. Then Coriolanus' mother Veturia and his wife Volumnia and his two sons, together with the matrons of Rome, went out to the Volscian camp and implored Coriolanus to cease his attack on Rome. Coriolanus was overcome by their pleas, and moved the Volscian camp back from

7360-423: The enemy think the Romans were about to make a counter-attack. This kept the enemy on edge during the night, and allowed the Romans a good sleep. The Romans thus refreshed, at daylight the consul led the Romans against the Volsci. The Volsci took a position on higher ground. The consul hesitated to attack uphill, but the Roman troops convinced him to give the order for attack. The Romans left their spears fixed in

7475-441: The enemy's battle cries. Indeed, the Romans were directed to leave their spears fixed in the ground, but to draw their swords and lay into the Volscian troops when they met the Roman line. The Volsci, wearied from their charge, were overcome by the Roman resistance and fell back in disorder. The Roman army pursued and took the Volscian camp, and from there went on to capture the Volscian town of Velitrae where they slaughtered many of

7590-399: The enemy, instead retreating to their camp, and only turning against the Volscian forces when they were attacked themselves. His officers dissuaded Appius from taking immediate action against the soldiers, but the army was attacked again and fell into disarray as it left the camp. After reaching the safety of Roman territory, Appius gathered the remnants of his army, and ordered that all of

7705-432: The enemy. The Volsci fled the field and their camp was taken. Cornelius bestowed all the plunder, except the prisoners, on the soldiers. Returning to Rome, Aulus Cornelius celebrated his triumph over the Volsci. Satricum was colonized with 2000 Roman citizens, each to receive two and a half jugera of land. According to Diodorus, in the Varronian year 386 BC, the Romans sent 500 colonists to Sardinia . This could also be

7820-410: The fighting happened. The victory that year against the Volsci opened the Pomptine region for further Roman inroads. Forsythe (2005) takes a more sceptical view. He believes only the existence of three golden bowls dedicated by Camillus to Juno to be historical. From these ancient writers have invented a series of lightning victories against the traditional enemies of Rome at the time of Camillus—viz.,

7935-447: The fine was paid". The town was repopulated with colonists who were settled on the lands of the senators. Livy recorded that in 332 BC new Roman citizens were assessed in the census of that year and registered into two new Roman tribes (local administrative districts where Roman citizens were registered). These two new Roman tribes were the Maecia and Scaptia. According to Cornell and Oakley, Velitrae and Lanuvium were incorporated into

8050-415: The fire or by desperate attacks on the Roman army. According to Diodorus Siculus, Camillus marched out at night. At dawn he attacked the Volsci in the rear while they were attacking the camp. Those in the camp sallied forth. Attacked from two sides the Volscians were slaughtered. According to Livy, who does not mention the consular tribunes' initial difficulties, the news of Camillus' appointment to command

8165-429: The first half of the 5th century BC. Famously the Roman nobleman Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus is supposed to have gone over to the Volsci after being spurned by his countrymen. This annual warfare would have been dominated by raids and counter-raids rather than the pitched battles described by the ancient sources. According to Livy, in around 496 BC before the Romans defeated the Latins at the Battle of Lake Regillus ,

8280-422: The following night, hoping to benefit from the dissent amongst the Romans. Instead the Roman army took up arms and repulsed the attack. The next day the Volsci attacked the Roman fortifications again, filling the trenches and attacking the rampart. The consul held back the Roman troops at first, allowing the Volsci to destroy a large part of the fortifications surrounding the camp. Then he gave the order to attack and

8395-474: The formerly Volscian towns of Satricum , Longula , Pollusca and Corioli . Then the Volscian army took Lavinium , then Corbio , Vitellia , Trebia , Lavici and Pedum . From there the Volsci marched on Rome and besieged it. The Volscians initially camped at the Cluilian trench , five miles outside Rome, and ravaged the countryside. Coriolanus directed the Volsci to target plebeian properties and to spare

8510-408: The ground to lessen the burden. In the major battle which followed, the Romans were victorious. Quinctius then led the Romans to besiege Antium, and the town surrendered shortly afterward. A Latin colony was planted in the town in the following year, representing a major defeat for the Volsci. Quinctius celebrated a triumph for his victory. During the second half the 5th century BC the Romans and

8625-676: The growth of the town even after the transition to the Kingdom of Italy . In 1913, the Tramvie dei Castelli Romani tram line reached Velletri, connecting it directly to Rome and the rest of the Castelli Romani area until 1953. In 1927, the fascist regime instituted the National Grape and Wine Festival, which is still celebrated today in October. in the last days of May 1944 Velletri was at the center of

8740-399: The guilty to be punished". Ancus Marcius "concluded a treaty of peace and friendship". In 494 BC, a war between Rome and the Volsci broke out. The Roman consul Aulus Verginius Tricostus Caeliomontanus was sent to fight the Volsci. He defeated them and " pursued their enemies beyond it to Velitrae, where vanquished and victors burst into the city in one body. More blood was shed there, in

8855-414: The issue, as their own strength was more than sufficient, and they were distracted by internal matters. In 475 BC the Volsci together with the Aequi invaded the Latin territory. The Latins , joined by the Hernici but without the assistance of any Roman troops or Roman commander, repelled the enemy and captured a significant amount of booty. The Roman consul Gaius Nautius Rutilus was then sent against

8970-513: The legendary Roman warrior, earned his cognomen after capturing the Volscian town of Corioli in 493 BC. The reputed rise and fall of this Roman hero is chronicled in Plutarch 's Parallel Lives , which served as the basis for the Shakespeare play, Coriolanus . However, if Livy 's account of the war between Rome and Clusium is accurate, it would seem that the relationship between Rome and

9085-418: The most dangerous enemies of ancient Rome , and frequently allied with the Aequi , whereas their neighbors, the Hernici , were allied with Rome after 486 BC. According to the semi-legendary history of early Rome, its seventh and last king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus , was the first to go to war against the Volsci, commencing two centuries of conflict between the two states. Gaius Marcius Coriolanus ,

9200-399: The name of Camillus and placed in the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus before the feet of the statue of Juno . The many similarities between accounts of the campaigns of 389 and 386 BC (for which see below) - in both Camillus is placed in command, defeats the Volsci and comes to the aid of Sutrium - has caused several modern authors to consider these to be doublets of each other. This was

9315-594: The next day by Valmontone and on 3 June by Lanuvio and Castelli Romani. Velletri and its most important monuments were virtually destroyed; the Tower of the Trivium at the Palazzo Comunale and Palazzo Ginnetti were never rebuilt. Despite the evacuation order of German military authorities, there were civilian casualties. The rebuilding of Velletri continued despite a devolution in 1967 granted independent municipal status to Lariano . The Suburbicarian See of Velletri-Segni

9430-455: The north of Antium). The Romans took Longula, and then pursuing the Volsci further north, also took the town of Pollusca and followed the Volsci to the town of Corioli . The Roman army laid siege to Corioli. However, whilst the Romans were focused on the siege, another Volscian force arrived from Antium and attacked the Romans, and at the same time the soldiers of Corioli launched a sally. A young noble Roman, Gaius Marcius held watch at

9545-522: The north. The climate is very rainy, with an annual average of 1,400 to 1,500 mm (55 to 59 in) precipitation, making it the rainiest city of Lazio and one of the most rainy cities in Italy. Humid currents from the southwest facing the Mont Artemisio condense all the rain on Velletri, leaving clouds restricted to the northern side of the Colli Albani . It snows rarely. The Latin term for " swamp "

9660-407: The patricians'. The consuls, now Spurius Nautius Rutilus and Sextus Furius , readied the defences of the city. But the plebeians implored them to sue for peace. The senate was convened, and it was agreed to send supplicants to the enemy. Initially ambassadors were sent, but Coriolanus sent back a negative response. The ambassadors were sent to the Volsci a second time, but were refused entry to

9775-403: The people, and placated them initially with decrees relieving some of the more severe hardships of debt, and also with promises of further consideration of the problems of debt after the war. The people, placated, gathered to swear the military oath and soon afterwards Servilius led the Roman army from the city and pitched camp a short distance from the enemy. The Volsci attacked the Roman camp

9890-448: The populace. At the same time the Volsci, hoping to take advantage of the internal conflict at Rome, laid waste to Roman territory. The war against them was allotted to Claudius. Stung by his defeat at the hands of the tribunes, the consul was determined to subject his army to the harshest discipline. But his disrespect for the plebeians was so notorious that his soldiers were openly insubordinate and disobedient. They refused to attack

10005-476: The promiscuous slaughter of all sorts of people, than had been in the battle itself. A very few were granted quarter, having come without arms and given themselves up." The Volsci "were deprived of the Veliternian land; colonists were sent from [Rome] to Velitrae and a colony was planted". In 492 BC, while the Volsci were affected by an epidemic, "the Romans increased the number of colonists at Velitrae and sent out

10120-538: The rebels. Velitrae was punished harshly. Her walls were demolished. Her senators were exiled beyond the River Tiber (that, is, they were interned in a foreign land; the Tiber was the border between Latium and Etruria ). It was decreed that if a Veliternian senator crossed this river, "his redemption should be set at a thousand pounds of bronze, and that he who had captured him might not release his prisoner from bondage until

10235-518: The recently restored Gardens of St. Mary, in the suburbs towards Nettuno , which has an ice skating rink, fountains and a bar, and the Muratori Park. The official language of Velletri is obviously Italian, while the Veliterno dialect (called Velletrano) is more commonly spoken. It is distinguished from neighboring dialects of the Castelli Romani area and the Roman dialect because it is more akin to

10350-469: The recorded fighting between Romans and Volsci during the 380s and 370s BC. Livy is our only source for the next few years. According to him, in 388 the Roman tribunes of the plebs proposed to divide up the Pontine territory, but met little support from the plebs. In 387 BC Lucius Sicinius , tribune of the plebs, again raised the question of the Pomptine territory. However, when news reached Rome that Etruria

10465-407: The remaining Volscian troops, except for a small number who were offered quarter and surrendered. The territory surrounding Velitrae was seized, and a Roman colony planted in the town. In 493 BC the Roman army, led by the consul Postumus Cominius Auruncus fought and defeated a force of the Volsci from the coastal town of Antium . The Roman army pursued the Volsci to the town of Longula (to

10580-714: The republican period. It is unique because it had pointed arches, and a mosaic . The area currently is private property. Another Roman cistern was discovered in 1982 along the ancient route of the Appian Way in Capanna Murata. The main urban green area is the Giardino Comunale (Municipal Garden) in via Orti Ginnetti. It previously was the Villa Ginnetti and the Ginnetti Allotments (Orti). There are other green areas:

10695-1013: The restoration of the Civic Archaeological Museum and of the Diocesan Museum. On 14 June 2001, Mario Pepe of the Chamber of Deputies presented a bill on the establishment of the province of the Castelli Romani with Velletri as its capital . In the proposal the following municipalities would be part of the new province: Albano Laziale , Anzio , Ardea , Ariccia , Artena , Carpineto Romano , Castel Gandolfo , Cave, Colleferro , Colonna, Gavignano , Genazzano , Genzano di Roma , Grottaferrata , Lanuvio , Lariano , Marino, Monte Compatri , Montelanico , Monte Porzio Catone , Nemi , Nettuno , Olevano Romano , Palestrina , Pomezia , Rocca di Papa , Rocca Priora , San Cesareo , San Vito Romano , Valmontone , Velletri, and Zagarolo . Velletri

10810-459: The role of Camillus has been exaggerated, the frequency in which he is recorded to have held office attest to his political importance in Rome during this era. Oakley (1997) considers the accounts of a Roman victory against the Volsci in 389 BC to be historical. All three surviving sources probably derived their accounts of this battle from a common tradition, the discrepancies being due to different authors omitting different details. This hypothesis

10925-518: The senate agreed to grant them peace on condition that their land be given to Rome. During the period of popular discontent in Rome which led to the First secessio plebis in 494 BC , each of the Volsci, Sabines and the Aequi took up arms at the same time. To meet the threat, a Roman dictator was appointed, Manius Valerius Maximus . Ten legions were raised, a greater number than had been raised previously at any one time, three of which were assigned to

11040-579: The siege by Joachim Murat . The Republic lasted until 1814. Garibaldi won a battle with the Bourbon Neapolitan force at Velletri, but the victory was short-lived as the Roman Republic was overwhelmed soon after this. A telegraph line reached Velletri in 1856. In 1866, Pope Pius IX opened the Roma-Velletri railway, the third rail of the Papal States and one of the first in Italy. This helped

11155-485: The soldiers who had lost their equipment or standards, and all of the officers who had deserted their posts should be flogged and beheaded. He then punished the remainder of the army with decimation , the earliest instance of this particular punishment occurring in Roman history. In 469 BC, at a time when riots seemed imminent in Rome due to popular unrest, the Volsci again invaded Roman territory and began burning Roman country estates. The consul Titus Numicius Priscus

11270-451: The south of Latium , bounded by the Aurunci and Samnites on the south, the Hernici on the east, and stretching roughly from Norba and Cora in the north to Antium in the south. Rivals of Rome for several hundred years, their territories were taken over by and assimilated into the growing republic by 304 BC. Rome's first emperor Augustus was of Volscian descent. Strabo says that

11385-622: The structure of the Church of the St. Francis in 1784, and are kept at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples . The site of the Villa degli Ottavi, sub-urban residence of the gens Octavia and Augustus , the only Roman villa it the Velletri area, was identified outside the village of San Cesareo. Carefully excavated, the site shows evidence of a 15.05 x 13.20 m three- nave Roman cistern of

11500-705: The time of Pope Pius VI and was accomplished during the regime of Benito Mussolini . According to the classification given by the Geological Survey of Italy, much of the territory consists of ground-type LPS, or paleosols , the rest is mainly composed of soils lp, lapilli, argillificate, Mafic, and leucite analcimizzata. The Seismic classification of Velletri's territory is Zone 2 (medium-high seismicity). The territory of Velletri collects water run off from many streams. These streams, most of them torrential in character or small in scale, are known as fossi . Main fossi include: Other water sources include

11615-451: The time of the Volscian attack. He quickly gathered a small force of Roman soldiers to fight against the Volscians who had sallied forth from Corioli. Not only did he repel the enemy, but he charged through the town gates and then began setting fire to some of the houses bordering the town wall. The citizens of Corioli cried out, and the whole Volscian force was dispirited and was defeated by

11730-588: The view taken by Beloch who held that the Gallic sack had a severe and long-lasting effect on Rome's fortunes. Accordingly, Camillus' stunning victories against the Etruscans and Volsci so soon after must be inventions designed to minimize the scale of the Roman defeat. Different later writers then treated these invented victories in different ways, assigning them to different years with different incidental detail, until in Livy's writings they emerge as separate, but ultimately both unhistorical, events. Cornell (1995) believes

11845-465: The walled city is a bit higher at San Lorenzo reaching 372 m (1,220 ft) above sea level . The remainder of the territory to the south and west is basically flat except for small hills that do not exceed 300 m (984 ft) above sea level. The climate of Velletri is mild, due to the Tyrrhenian Sea not being far, and to the protection offered by the Alban Hills and Mount Artemisio in

11960-541: Was Velia , corresponding to the Greek "ουελια" ( "Velia"). From this root came the place name Velestrom, the place next to a swamp or marsh, was probably used by Volsci to call old Velletri. The Romans named it after the same city Velitrae, hence the Greek Ουελιτραι ("Ouelitrai"), Ουελιτρα ("Ouelitra") or Βελιτρα ("Belitra"). In the Middle Ages, at least six naming variants (Velletrum, Veletrum, Veletra, Velitrum, Bellitro, Villitria) are attested by various official acts until

12075-469: Was averted. The Romans took steps to protect their position. Additional Roman colonists were sent to the town of Velitrae , and a new Roman colony was established at Norba . In 491 BC Coriolanus, who had been prominent in the siege of the Volscian town of Corioli in 493 BC, was exiled from Rome because he had advocated the reversal of the pro-plebeian political reforms arising from the First secessio plebis in 494 BC . Coriolanus fled to Rome's enemies,

12190-541: Was chosen as the provincial capital because of its central position, which confirmed "the role and the strategic importance of Velletri". The budget allocated to the province, once established, was 460 million lire. On 23 September 2007, Pope Benedict XVI , who as Cardinal Bishop had the title of Velletri-Segni, visited Velletri celebrating a Mass in Piazza San Clemente. There are numerous public fountains in Velletri, some of them monumental. They are all served by

12305-735: Was created. New schools and cultural centers were built. The new seat of the Tribunal, the Cadets Battalion NCO of the Carabinieri , the Regiment of Cadets Brigadier Marshals, and new prison were established. In 2000, the new library called Biblioteca Comunale Augusto Tersenghi was inaugurated. here were also the opening of the Teatro di Terra (1995), the reopening of the Ugo Tognazzi Theater and

12420-435: Was enough to cause the Volsci to barricade themselves in their camp at ad Maecium near Lanuvium . Camillus set fire to the barricades, throwing the Volscian army into such confusion so that when the Romans assaulted the camp, they had little problem routing the Volsci. Camillus then ravaged their territory until the Volsci were forced to surrender. The ancient sources then tell how Camillus won great victories first against

12535-498: Was given responsibility for leading an army against the Volsci. The Volscian forces left the Roman territory, but Numicius pursued them, defeated the Volscian army in an initial engagement, then when the Volscian forces took shelter in Antium , Numicius captured the neighbouring port town of Caenon; that small town was definitively destroyed. Hostilities continued in the following year. The consul Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus led

12650-501: Was imprisoned in (Castel Sant'Angelo), forcing Velletri to pay 15,000 crowns in municipal lands, 12,600 crowns in installments, and provide more than 6,000 rubbia lime and 15,000 tiles to repair the damage done to Marino. Mercenaries of the Colonnas took up lots in Velletri. In 1589, Pope Sixtus V dissolved the civilian government, but Pope Gregory XIV ordered the reunification of the two powers (papal and civilian) in 1591, thus sealing

12765-466: Was in arms the subject was dropped. The Antiates invaded the Pomptine territory the following year and it was reported in Rome that the Latins had sent warriors to assist them. The Romans had elected Camillus as one of the year's six consular tribunes in anticipation of an Etruscan war. He now took charge of affairs almost as if he had been elected dictator. He chose one of the other consular tribunes, Publius Valerius Potitus Poplicola , as his colleague in

12880-509: Was inaugurated on June 2, 1927, in before King Victor Emmanuel III . It is located in a corner of Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi. The Oreste Nardini Civic Archeological Museum of Velletri, has noteworthy works from protohistoric to the medieval period. The existence of a Roman amphitheatre in Velitrae is attested to by a curve in area adjacent to the Town Hall and an inscription found in the 1565. The bronze sheets of Velletri were found within

12995-490: Was still an independent City-state . The city government was administered by the Priora , which had replaced the novemviri . In November 1526, a contingent from Velletri sent by Pope Clement VII contributed to the rainge the castle of Marino , a fiefdom of the Colonna family , who at the time were enemies of the Pope and allies of Spain . Following this, Ascanio Colonna , the lord of Marino, sacked Rome of May 7, 1527. The Pope

13110-413: Was the first to go to war against the Volsci, commencing two centuries of a relationship of conflict between the two states. Tarquinius took the wealthy town of Suessa Pometia , the spoils of which he used to construct the great Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus . He celebrated a triumph for his victory. During the 5th century BC the Volsci and the Aequi , a related people, invaded Latium, as part of

13225-468: Was the site of two historic battles in 1744 and 1849. During the Second World War , it was at the centre of fierce fighting between the Germans and the allies in 1944 after the Anglo-American landing at Anzio . Today, Velletri is home to a circuit court and a prison, in addition to several colleges and high schools. It is the terminus of the Rome-Velletri railway , inaugurated by Pius IX in 1863, and

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