Lazio, also known as Latium

Lazio, also known as Latium, is a region in west central Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea. There are many beautiful provinces, or cities, in the region. Some include Rome, Latina, Frosinone, Viterbo, and Rieti. In Lazio there is also an important river, the Tiber, which runs right through Rome. The capital of Italy is Rome, which is also an important industrial city in the region, Lazio, and the capital of Lazio as well. Another important city is Civitavecchia, the Vatican City, the center of the Roman Catholic Church. There are also main agricultural areas in Lazio that are in the Campagna di Roma and the Pontine Marshes, where sheep and cattle are raised and vegetables, fruit, grain, and cotton are grown.

Facts & History

Lazio has a surface area of 17.203 square kilometers and a population of 5,140,000. The ancient history of Lazio is close to that of Rome. Before the foundation of the city, it was inhabited by many people such as the Etruscans, Latins, Equi and Volscians. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Lazio was dependent on the Papacy, which stayed strong until the unification of Italy in 1870. The history of this region is important to the many different arts and cultures that Lazio, Rome mainly, contains due to artistic heritage. Lazio has amazing remains from past civilizations and modern.

Throughout Lazio you will find art dating back as far as the roman periods, often preserved in perfect condition. Lazio has been greatly influenced religiously due to religious events and histories of great religious families, who have left the territory with numerous articles and monuments with great architecture. Such things as churches, abbeys, castles, and villas, are a result of religious dedications. Lazio has had artists from all over the world worked in its environment, leaving behind important paintings and sculptures and even buildings. Mainly Lazio through its history has been enriched with beautiful specimens. It is also covered with lovely landscapes ranging from the Appennine Mountains to the beautiful Tiber and its coasted with the Tyrrhenian Sea. Therefore its history starts with Rome, but extends greatly and vastly.

Religious Aspects in the Region

In Lazio there are many religious buildings, paintings, and other such things. One of many religious sites is The Sacred Valley, which is about an hour from Rome. The Sacred Valley is where Saint Francis of Assisi came to fast and pray and to talk to Brother Wind. Within the mountains of the area is the famous Fonte Colombo, which is one of four ancient hermitages, where many monks come to pray and live lives dedicated to God. Saint Francis was born in Lazio near Fonte Colombo but preached all over Italy, yet he still came back to this place probably because of its great beauty and peacefulness.

Great Ruins in Lazio

One of the beautifully preserved ruins in Lazio are the ruins of Ostia, which are about twenty miles from Rome in the meadows between the Tiber River and the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was founded first to guard the area against seaborne invasions, and then later it became a major port for cargo boats. Soon it became a flourishing city grossly populated and well maintained, because most buildings and houses are still intact today. Through its Ten thousand acres you can make a wonderful picture of how life was in those times. Once inside, you might see such things as the Baths of Neptune. Here, in a beautifully preserved mosaic you can see one of the Roman sea gods riding a chariot drawn by four horses. Among Ostia’s ruins there is also an amphitheater, which is wonderfully preserved. It has steep stone bleachers that form a semicircle around the stage.

It can hold about 3, 500 spectators. Although it is still intact much of the scenery has long been destroyed. Behind this theater is where the Forum is located, which housed 64 companies near the sea. Most of the people that came here usually wanted to get imports or send exports. When people made deals with a company they would offer a sacrifice at the temple of Ceres, which stood in the center of the forum. Within the heart of Ostia is the apartment buildings and also ground floor shops. Most Ostian apartment buildings had inner courtyards and balconies that overlooked a communal a swimming pool. Some properties were rented out by landlords, but the better ones were like condos, with all the tenants sharing facilities and expenses. One important facility shared by all was the community room. Each building had at least one for its tenants. In Ostia you could even find old Roman fireman barracks.

The Papal villas in Lazio

The Papal villas in Lazio are a combination of peace and quiet with architectural harmony. It is all very accordingly though considering Rome was the center of the world for a very long time mainly for Catholicism. Two of the most beautiful examples are the Lante della Rovere Villa at Bagnaia and the Farnese Palace in Caprarola. Although both are very beautiful you can not choose a winner because they each express different forms of their beauty. The Farnese Palace in Caprarola is definitely more of a homey kind of rural setting, where as Villa Lante is an incredible elaborate garden setting, that was a very beautiful art form among the upper classes in the Renaissance.

Caprarola is more or less shaped like a pentagon. The original structure had been designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger as a fortress, very sturdy and ready to withstand marauding forces but no longer appropriate for a Renaissance court’s needs. The idea for the new design started when Alessandro II Farnese asked the great architect Vignola to transform the existing estate into a more amenable country residence for the Farnese family. Some of the best known artists worked on its decoration, including the very Zuccaris, who painted the famous series heralding the feats of the Farnese family. Positioned at the top of a hill, the villa dominates the town at its base. And there’s no doubt where the town leaves off and the villa begins. To reach the entrance you have to climb two sets of circular stairs until you reach the face of the building.

The Villa Lante in Bagnaia is almost the total opposite, a major difference is the giardino all’italiana of The Villa Lante in Bagnaia. The main two structures, Palazzo Gambara and Palazzo Montalto, are little more than pavilions. It all started when Pope Pius V gave it to Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Gambara. He asked il Vignola, who was already working on Caprarola, to finish the Villa. Its beauty starts with the Fountain of the Deluge, which is a huge cave where the water flow begins and from there it splashes down to the Dolphin Fountain, and eventually goes down the center fountain. In the end Vignola displays beauty in both of his works on each Villa.

Rome

Rome is not just the capital of Italy it is the spiritual capital of the Roman Catholic Church. The history of Rome dates as far back as the 8th century BC. It is located in Central Italy on the Tiber River. It is also the capital of the Lazio. An important feature of this capital city is the famed Seven Hills of Rome. The hills, which were discovered by Romulus and Remus as legend reads, were called Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quarinal, and Viminal. Located within these seven hills are numerous sites to visit and countless memories of years past. Rome is so very beautiful because of its modern attractions and ancient attractions, this adds a wonderful mix of beauty into the city.

Brief story of Romulus and Remus

Romulus and Remus are two twins whose mother leaves them in the wild to die. In the wild the children are seen by a mother wolf that takes care of them. The twins grow up and in the empty land of Rome, which they discover and soon after rule the land.

Viterbo

Viterbo is the region’s historic center. Viterbo used to be a very popular pace for Popes to live, besides Rome’s disgust with the city it is loved by mostly everyone because of its very impressive palaces and churches. Viterbo is also known for its very nice piazzas, villas, streets with shops, and even museums. The famous museums of Viterbo contain artifacts from the Etruscans, who were said to be the first people to inhabit Southern Italy. All these things make Viterbo a marvelous city with much to offer.

Lazio as a whole

We start off with the wonders of the Eternal City, Rome the great and irresistible, the capital of the Christian world and the seat of the Papacy. It is known for its uncanny architecture and artistic masterpieces. Al though Rome is not the only fascination of Lazio it is one of them. Through out Lazio you will find wonderful displays of its nature and environment, ranging from its beaches, mountains, forests, hills, and plains. This region is so rich in art and monuments that it is marveled. There are museums that bear evidence of ancient and mysterious Etruscan people. These people later ruled central Italy before the rise of Rome, this all started in the little region of Lazio. Even outside of just Rome there are countless evidences. Such as the Villa Adriana in Tivoli, the Villa d’Este, the Palazzo Barberini in Palestrina, and the Cathedral in Anagni just to name a few.

Introduction

Lazio, also known as Latium, is a region in west central Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea. There are many beautiful provinces, or cities, in the region. Some include Rome, Latina, Frosinone, Viterbo, and Rieti. In Lazio there is also an important river, the Tiber, which runs right through Rome. The capital of Italy is Rome, which is also an important industrial city in the region, Lazio, and the capital of Lazio as well. Another important city is Civitavecchia, the Vatican City, the center of the Roman Catholic Church. There are also main agricultural areas in Lazio that are in the Campagna di Roma and the Pontine Marshes, where sheep and cattle are raised and vegetables, fruit, grain, and cotton are grown.

Facts & History

Lazio has a surface area of 17.203 square kilometers and a population of 5,140,000. The ancient history of Lazio is close to that of Rome. Before the foundation of the city, it was inhabited by many people such as the Etruscans, Latins, Equi and Volscians. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Lazio was dependent on the Papacy, which stayed strong until the unification of Italy in 1870. The history of this region is important to the many different arts and cultures that Lazio, Rome mainly, contains due to artistic heritage. Lazio has amazing remains from past civilizations and modern.

Throughout Lazio you will find art dating back as far as the roman periods, often preserved in perfect condition. Lazio has been greatly influenced religiously due to religious events and histories of great religious families, who have left the territory with numerous articles and monuments with great architecture. Such things as churches, abbeys, castles, and villas, are a result of religious dedications. Lazio has had artists from all over the world worked in its environment, leaving behind important paintings and sculptures and even buildings. Mainly Lazio through its history has been enriched with beautiful specimens. It is also covered with lovely landscapes ranging from the Appennine Mountains to the beautiful Tiber and its coasted with the Tyrrhenian Sea. Therefore its history starts with Rome, but extends greatly and vastly.

Religious Aspects in the Region

In Lazio there are many religious buildings, paintings, and other such things. One of many religious sites is The Sacred Valley, which is about an hour from Rome. The Sacred Valley is where Saint Francis of Assisi came to fast and pray and to talk to Brother Wind. Within the mountains of the area is the famous Fonte Colombo, which is one of four ancient hermitages, where many monks come to pray and live lives dedicated to God. Saint Francis was born in Lazio near Fonte Colombo but preached all over Italy, yet he still came back to this place probably because of its great beauty and peacefulness.

Great Ruins in Lazio

One of the beautifully preserved ruins in Lazio are the ruins of Ostia, which are about twenty miles from Rome in the meadows between the Tiber River and the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was founded first to guard the area against seaborne invasions, and then later it became a major port for cargo boats. Soon it became a flourishing city grossly populated and well maintained, because most buildings and houses are still intact today. Through its Ten thousand acres you can make a wonderful picture of how life was in those times. Once inside, you might see such things as the Baths of Neptune. Here, in a beautifully preserved mosaic you can see one of the Roman sea gods riding a chariot drawn by four horses. Among Ostia’s ruins there is also an amphitheater, which is wonderfully preserved. It has steep stone bleachers that form a semicircle around the stage. It can hold about 3, 500 spectators.

Although it is still intact much of the scenery has long been destroyed. Behind this theater is where the Forum is located, which housed 64 companies near the sea. Most of the people that came here usually wanted to get imports or send exports. When people made deals with a company they would offer a sacrifice at the temple of Ceres, which stood in the center of the forum. Within the heart of Ostia is the apartment buildings and also ground floor shops. Most Ostian apartment buildings had inner courtyards and balconies that overlooked a communal a swimming pool. Some properties were rented out by landlords, but the better ones were like condos, with all the tenants sharing facilities and expenses. One important facility shared by all was the community room. Each building had at least one for its tenants. In Ostia you could even find old Roman fireman barracks.

The Papal villas in Lazio

The Papal villas in Lazio are a combination of peace and quiet with architectural harmony. It is all very accordingly though considering Rome was the center of the world for a very long time mainly for Catholicism. Two of the most beautiful examples are the Lante della Rovere Villa at Bagnaia and the Farnese Palace in Caprarola. Although both are very beautiful you can not choose a winner because they each express different forms of their beauty. The Farnese Palace in Caprarola is definitely more of a homey kind of rural setting, where as Villa Lante is an incredible elaborate garden setting, that was a very beautiful art form among the upper classes in the Renaissance.

Caprarola is more or less shaped like a pentagon. The original structure had been designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger as a fortress, very sturdy and ready to withstand marauding forces but no longer appropriate for a Renaissance court’s needs. The idea for the new design started when Alessandro II Farnese asked the great architect Vignola to transform the existing estate into a more amenable country residence for the Farnese family. Some of the best known artists worked on its decoration, including the very Zuccaris, who painted the famous series heralding the feats of the Farnese family. Positioned at the top of a hill, the villa dominates the town at its base. And there’s no doubt where the town leaves off and the villa begins. To reach the entrance you have to climb two sets of circular stairs until you reach the face of the building.

The Villa Lante in Bagnaia is almost the total opposite, a major difference is the giardino all’italiana of The Villa Lante in Bagnaia. The main two structures, Palazzo Gambara and Palazzo Montalto, are little more than pavilions. It all started when Pope Pius V gave it to Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Gambara. He asked il Vignola, who was already working on Caprarola, to finish the Villa. Its beauty starts with the Fountain of the Deluge, which is a huge cave where the water flow begins and from there it splashes down to the Dolphin Fountain, and eventually goes down the center fountain. In the end Vignola displays beauty in both of his works on each Villa.

Rome

Rome is not just the capital of Italy it is the spiritual capital of the Roman Catholic Church. The history of Rome dates as far back as the 8th century BC. It is located in Central Italy on the Tiber River. It is also the capital of the Lazio. An important feature of this capital city is the famed Seven Hills of Rome. The hills, which were discovered by Romulus and Remus as legend reads, were called Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quarinal, and Viminal. Located within these seven hills are numerous sites to visit and countless memories of years past. Rome is so very beautiful because of its modern attractions and ancient attractions, this adds a wonderful mix of beauty into the city.

Brief story of Romulus and Remus

Romulus and Remus are two twins whose mother leaves them in the wild to die. In the wild the children are seen by a mother wolf that takes care of them. The twins grow up and in the empty land of Rome, which they discover and soon after rule the land.

Viterbo

Viterbo is the region’s historic center. Viterbo used to be a very popular pace for Popes to live, besides Rome’s disgust with the city it is loved by mostly everyone because of its very impressive palaces and churches. Viterbo is also known for its very nice piazzas, villas, streets with shops, and even museums. The famous museums of Viterbo contain artifacts from the Etruscans, who were said to be the first people to inhabit Southern Italy. All these things make Viterbo a marvelous city with much to offer.

Lazio as a whole

We start off with the wonders of the Eternal City, Rome the great and irresistible, the capital of the Christian world and the seat of the Papacy. It is known for its uncanny architecture and artistic masterpieces. Al though Rome is not the only fascination of Lazio it is one of them. Through out Lazio you will find wonderful displays of its nature and environment, ranging from its beaches, mountains, forests, hills, and plains. This region is so rich in art and monuments that it is marveled. There are museums that bear evidence of ancient and mysterious Etruscan people. These people later ruled central Italy before the rise of Rome, this all started in the little region of Lazio. Even outside of just Rome there are countless evidences. Such as the Villa Adriana in Tivoli, the Villa d’Este, the Palazzo Barberini in Palestrina, and the Cathedral in Anagni just to name a few.