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ROMA, COMARCA DI. 



ROME. 



311 



seen beyond the broad crater of Vallericcia the hill of Monte Giove, 

 famous as the site of Corioli ; and on another hill to the south-east the 

 Tillage of Civila Larinia, the site of the ancient Lanttrium. East of 

 L'Ariccia is the Tillage of -Vemi and the beautiful lake of the same name, 

 the ancient Lacta Xemorentit, which occupies an extinct crater, and is 

 5 miles in circumference. Near the south shore of the lake is Qenzano, 

 a town of 4*00 inhabitants, celebrated for its flower-mosaics on the 

 octave of the feast of Corpus Christi. The Appian Way between 

 L'Ariccia and Genzano is carried across the crater of Vallericcia by a 

 magnificent causeway. 



The Campagna to the south-east of Ottia, which forms the subject 

 of a separate article [OSTIA], is covered near the sea with pine planta- 

 tions and with the great Laurentine forest, which skirts the Mediter- 

 ranean for above 50 miles, with a breadth of about 3 miles from the 

 coast, and abounds with buffaloes, wild boars, and wolves. This region, 

 once dotted with cities, is now all but deserted on account of the 

 malaria. Two miles from Ostia is Ccutd Fuiano, a castellated mansion 

 of the Chigi family, built on the site of Pliny's Laurentine Villa. 

 Farther south, among gigantic groves of stone-pine, ilex, laurel, and 

 wild olive, a Torre di Paterno, a solitary brick-tower, built about half 

 a mile from the sea, among the ruins of an imperial villa. About a mile 

 inland from Torre di Paterno U the site of Laturfntum. The ancient 

 Laurentiue Way still leads from this region to Rome, but the polygonal 

 blocks with which it i* paved have in places been displaced by the roots 

 of the trees which have encroached upon it, and rendered it impassable 

 for carriages. Pratica, a small hamlet on a strip of table-land, separated 

 from the plain by deep glens, except at one point, marks the site of 

 the ancient Lannium. The Borghese family have a large mansion here, 

 the tower of which commands a fine prospect of the coast, the plain 

 of the Campagna, the Alban Hills, the Ciminian Wood, and the Homes 

 and palaces of Rome. Pratica is 18 miles south-south-east from Rome. 

 A few miles south-east of Pratica is the small hamlet and castle of 

 Ardta, which marks the site of the ancient Ardea, the city of Turnus. 

 A great castellated mansion of the Ceaarini occupies the site of the 

 citadel At the extreme south point of the coast are the towns of Porto 

 iCAnzo, on the site of the ancient Airncu, which is noticed in a separate 

 article : and A'tttuno, about a mile south of the preceding, wliich is the 

 largest town now on the coast of Latinm, although the population hardly 

 exceeds 1000. The whole coast hereabout* is covered with ruins of 

 Roman villas. The town contains remains of a temple of Neptune, 

 and also an old fortress, now tenanted by the coast-guard. All this 

 part of the coast belongs to the princely house of Borghese. The 

 malaria and swarms of mosquito* render it uninhabitable in the 

 summer and autumn. 



On the right bank of the north arm of the Tiber, which is called 

 the Fiumicino, are the extensive remain* of the Portu* Trajanus, 

 now Porto, which was founded by Claudius and enlarged by Trajan, 

 so a* to be the naval arsenal of Rome. The docks formed by Trajan 

 are a mile and a half in circuit, and there are still remains of large 

 magaxinei ; and numerous slip* for ship-building purpose*. Porto 

 was a place of importance under the empire. It gave title to a bishop 

 from the 3rd century. It was token by the Saracens in the 9th 

 century and soon after abandoned. At the mouth of the Fiumicino 

 is the marine village of Finmicino, in which is a lofty square tower 

 surmounted by a beacon to point out the entrance to the river. The 

 current of the Tiber through the Fiumicino is deep and rapid, and 

 the navigation except by (team tedious. Steamers ply to Rome, and 

 steam-togs tow vowels of 200 to 300 tons up to the Rip* Grande. The 

 southern arm of the Tiber, which pane* (Mia on the site of OSTIUJC, 

 the port of ancient Rome, is called Bocca di Fumara. The delta 

 between the two arms (if it be a delta) is called I*oU Sacra, or Holy 

 Island, probably from it* being included in the gift of Constantino to 

 the Holy See, or it may be from the church and tomb of St. Hippolitus, 

 bishop of Porto; the tower of the church is still standing. The 

 Fiumicino, it a minted by some, originated in a cat made by Trajan 

 to his new harbour. 



Northward from the Tiber at a short distance is a large shore-lake 

 or marsh called Maccarese, a little north of which the Arront, the 

 outlet of Lake Bracciano, enter* the sea. The Polidoro is another 

 small stream that falls into the Mediterranean on this coast. A little 

 way north of the month of the Polidoro is Monterone, on the road 

 between Rome and Civita Vecchia, where there are tumuli containing 

 Etroacan tomb*. But the most interesting place in this region is 

 Co-Trim, a village of about 800 inhabitant*, situated on a atrip of 

 table-lind with perpendicular side* 50 feet high on all sides except 

 the wert, which is cut through artificially. This is the site of the 

 ancient Caere, the Agylla of Herodotus, and the city of Mezentius. The 

 Tillage occupies the ground on which the citadel of Cuere stood. The 

 four gate* of the town may still be traced and the roads leading to 

 them. The necropolis of Care is a hill separated from the town by 

 a small stream ; a great number of Etruscan tombs have been explored 

 in this hilt Many of them are said to be above 3000 years old. 

 The articles found in them are preserved in the antiquarian col- 

 lection* of Rome. Farther inland on the Arrone is Oalera, which 

 reprennt* the ancient Galena, It has been long denerted in conse- 

 quence of a malaria, and is now in ruins. The lake of Sraceiano, 

 which in about 1 i miles N.W. from Rome, i nearly circular in form, 

 anil 22 mile* round. It is surrounded by hills on all sides except the 



south, where it borders on the wide unhealthy Campagna. On the 

 south-west shore is the town of Bracciano, which has a large paper 

 factory, a splendid baronial castle built by the Orsini (the finest feudal 

 castle in Italy), and about 2000 inhabitants. The caatle of Bracciano 

 now belongs to the Torlonia family. The Lake of Bracciano is the 

 ancient Lacus Sabatinus. Its shores seem to have ouce formed the 

 crater of a volcano, being formed chiefly of lava and scoriae. Between 

 the lake and Baccano are three other craters and two small lakes. 

 The village of Saccano is situated within the lip of a crater on the 

 high road from Viterbo to Rome. A little south of Baccano the 

 traveller gets his first view of Rome. The stream that rises in the 

 crater of Baccano has by some been considered to be the Cremera 

 which flowed past Veii. The site of the citadel of Veil is marked by 

 the tower and hamlet of Isola. Farnae, which lies a little east of tho 

 road between Baccano and La Storta, the first post-station out of Rome. 

 The walls and gates of Veii may still be traced. Several valuable 

 relics of antiquity have been found in the tombs of Veii. A Roman 

 municipium was built in imperial times on the site of Veii. It was 

 about two miles in circuit, and far within the limits of the old 

 Etruscan city. The hamlet of Isola is gone to decay in consequence 

 of malaria. 



ROME, ROMA, the capital of the States of the Church, and 

 formerly of the whole Western world, is situated in the Campagua, 

 on the banks of the Tiber, 15 miles from the sea-coast, in 41 54' 

 N. lat, 12 28' E. long., and had a population of 175,838 in 1852. 

 The site of Rome consists partly of several strips of low land on 

 both banks of the Tiber, the ordinary level of the river being there 

 about 35 feet above that of the sea, and partly of the table-land of 

 the Campagna, which rises on both sides from 150 to 200 feet above 

 the river. The projections of this table-land which advance towards 

 the river have been called hills ; and henca the name of the Seven 

 Hills. After the enlargement of the city walla by Aurelian, these 

 hills or projections were considerably more than seven. On the right 

 bank of the river, the Vatican and the Janiculum, which are within 

 the modern city, are a continuation of the ridge of Monte Mario, 

 which is outside of the walls to the north, and is 450 feet above tho 

 sea, and of Monte Verde to the south. On the left or eastern bank, 

 the table-land of the Campagna extends, within the walls of Rome, 

 in a semicircular shape, forming several projections to the west towards 

 the river. The low grounds between these projections and the river 

 constitute the Campus Martius, on which the greater part of the 

 modern city is built. Beginning from the north, the first projection 

 of high land* within the city is tho Monte Piucio (the ancient Collis 

 Hortulorum) ; farther east, and partly separated from it by a depres- 

 sion or ravine, is the Quiriual, and still farther south-east the Esquiline. 

 In a kind of recess between the Quirinal and the Esquiline is a smaller 

 projection, the Mon* Viminalis, which is hardly distinguishable from 

 the other two. It rise* above and north of the church of Suu Lorenzo 

 Panisperna. The Quirinal, Viminal, and Esquiliue are joined on the 

 east, within the wall* of Rome, by an extensive plateau, which is 

 about 150 feet above the ordinary level of the Tiber, and which slopes 

 gently toward* the country outside of the walla of Rome. The 

 highest point* of the EsquUine and the Quirinal are nearly 200 feet 

 above the Tiber. South of the Esquiline, and separated from it by a 

 depression or valley, is Mount Caslius, which is divided on the south 

 from the Aventine by the valley of the Aqua Crabra or Marrana. 

 Within the space that is inclosed between the table-land and the 

 Tiber, and in the middle of the ancient city, there are three small 

 insulated hills, the Palatine, the Aventine proper, and the Capitol, of 

 which the Aventine is the most southern and tho Capitol the most 

 northern. The Capitol rise* between the south-west extremity of the 

 Quirinal and the left bank of the Tiber, and nearly fills up the inter- 

 mediate space. The ancient city of Rome, before the time of Aurelian, 

 lay south and east of tho Capitol, and along the Palatine, Aventine, 

 Ciclian, Esquiline, and Quirinal hill* : the main bulk of modern 

 Rome lie* north of the Capitol. 



The Tiber, on approaching Rome from the north, makes a sweep 

 to the east towards the base of Monte Pincio, receding from Monte 

 Mario and the Vatican hill on it* right bank ; but on reaching Ripetta 

 within the city, the river make* a bend to the westward, and flows 

 along the north-eastern base of the Janiculum, after which it turns 

 again to the east a* far as the base of the CapitoL It then turns 

 again to the south-west, sweeping past the base of the Aventine, and 

 along the southern extremity of the Janiculum. It then assumes a 

 course south by east. The level space between the Vatican Mount, 

 the north end of the Janiculum, and the right bank of the river, is the 

 Vatican field, which is about a mile long from east to west. It 

 contains the Borgo, or suburb of Rome, inclosed by the popes, and 

 St. Peter's church, the Vatican palace, and their appurtenances. The 

 space between the long ridge of the Janiculum and the right bank 

 of the Tiber constitutes the district of Trastevere, which is another 

 suburb of Rome. The space on the left bank running north and 

 south, and between the great westward bend of the river and the 

 eastern hills, is the site of the modern city of Rome, properly speaking, 

 which extends also along the slope of the Pincian, Quiriual, part of 

 the Esquiline, and the Capitol, forming a kind of triangle, of which 

 the apex is to the north, at the Porta del Popolo, and the base extends 

 from Santa Maria Maggioro on the east, to the Tiberine Island on the 



