Comino Valley

View in the Valle di Comino.

The Comino Valley, or Valle di Comino, is a valley located in the province of Frosinone, in central Italy. It runs from San Biagio Saracinisco to Vicalvi and is adjacent to the Abruzzi mountains. It grossly corresponds to the River Melfa's upper valley, which runs through it before joining the Liri River.

Its economy is based on the production of wine, olive oil, cheese and wheat, and on animal husbandry (sheep and bovinae).

History

According to tradition, the name of the valley can be traced to ancient Cominium, destroyed in 293 BC. In Livy's History of Rome, there are early references to Cominium as the site of a battle between the Samnites and the Romans. Some suggest that the town of San Donato is the ancient Cominium, others believe the battle site was at Vicalvi.

The area was however already settled in prehistoric times; later it was inhabited by Osco-Sabellian tribes. Its main center was Atina, mantioned in Virgil's Aeneid. In the Middle Ages, numerous castles were built in the valley, which was part of the Lombard Duchy of Spoleto, the Principality of Capua and the county of Aquino, until it became part of the Norman unified Kingdom of Naples. For a period it was also contented between the monasteries of Monte Cassino and San Vincenzo al Volturno. Later it was a fief of families such as the Aquino, Cantelmo, Borgia and Gallio.

References

• Livy's The History of Rome [1]
• Valle di Comino website
• Paolo Tullio's North of Naples, South of Rome (ISBN 0312243170)