Valmontone

Infobox CityIT
img_coa =
official_name = Valmontone
name = Valmontone
region = Lazio
province = Rome (ROMA)
elevation_m = 303
area_total_km2 = 40
population_as_of = Dec. 2004
population_total = 13453
population_density_km2 = 314
timezone = CET, UTC+1
coordinates =
frazioni = Centro Storico, Sant'Anna, San Giudico, Villaggio Rinascita, Colle San Giovanni
telephone = 06
postalcode = 00038
gentilic = valmontonesi
saint = San Luigi Gonzaga
day = June 21
mayor = Angelo Angelucci
website = [http://www.comunevalmontone.it www.comunevalmontone.it]
mapy = 13.0000
mapx = 41.4633

Valmontone is a "comune" (municipality) in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Lazio, located about 45 km southeast of Rome. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 13,453 and an area of 40 km².All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat.]

Valmontone borders the following municipalities: Artena, Cave, Colleferro, Genazzano, Labico, and Palestrina.

Geography

The historic part of the town is situated on a tuffaceous hill, 303 meters (994,09 feet) over the sea level, part of a morphological system of valleys and low relieves, known as Alta Valle del Sacco (High Valley of Sacco River).The underground is rich of water and this causes the presence of many natural springs: for this reason the landscape is covered by forests and farmlands.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 XVIII Century.Perhaps these are the remains of the ancient Labicum, which, according to the myth, was founded by Glauco, Minosse’s 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 XVI Century, when, in 1548, the fief passed under the Sforza: then, in 1632 and for a few years, under the Barberini, until Camillo Pamphilj bought Valmontone (1634).The Pamphilj family became Doria-Landi-Pamphilj in the XVIII Century.In 1843 Valmontone assumed the rank of “city” by decision of Pope Gregorio XVI.

During the Second World War, the Allies thought the Nazi forces were garrisoning the city, so they bombed Valmontone with airplanes, nearly destroying it completely: Valmontone lost 80% 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.

What-to-see

Although World War II caused major destruction, in Valmontone there are still some important buildings:

Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj: this is the baronial palace: in origin it was a fortified castle, until the Barberini decided to replace it with a bigger fortress, and began the construction.When Camillo Pamphilj bought the fief, he wanted to create a sort of “ideal city”, a Città Panfilia (Pamphiljan Town), which comprehends the palace, the near church and the other buildings (stables, warehouses, houses…).For this reason he called in Valmontone many important artists.On the Piano Nobile (the second floor) there are some important frescoes, divided by themes: the four rooms of Elements, the four dedicated to the Continents (Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia), the Sala del Principe and two chapels.The ceiling frescoes were made between 1657 and the 1661 by Pier Francesco Mola, Gaspard Dughet, Guglielmo Cortese, Francesco Cozza and Mattia Preti.

Valmontone Archeological Museum: the Museum is situated in the prestigious Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj. The ground floor houses a section which introduces the municipal area, the upper floor offers an introduction to the archeological sites and to related topics, trhough several media. Such topics include the coal miners's village in Colle Carbone, the "Colle dei Lepri" settlement, the "Mansio", the Thermal Baths and the "Colle Pelliccione" furnace.

Colleggiata: the Church of Santa Maria dell’Assunta was build on the ancient gothic church (XII Century), with the same name, under Camillo Pamphilj, in the XVII Century.The architect was Mattia de Rossi, who rose to prominence under the mentorship of Bernini: although this situation, for the Colleggiata de Rossi was inspired by Sant'Agnese in Agone, sited in Piazza Navona in Rome, which was edified by Borromini.The church has a facade composed by two bell towers and a curved colonnade with four ionic columns. The plan is elliptic, with four chapels along each side (in which there are many baroque pictures); in front of the main entrance, between two other chapels, there is the abside with the altar.

Fontana del Colle: this fountain was erected in baroque style, and it’s part of the original Prince Pamphilj project.It is composed by a pedestal with four round-shaped basins, one for each angle, decorated with lion’s heads. On the pedestal there is a column surmounted by the bronze statue of the Labicanus, a Roman warrior, symbol of Valmontone.This fountain was completely destroyed under the World War II bombardment, except one of the basins and the pedestal: the monument was rebuild on 1968.

Sant'Antonio: miraculously, this little church wasn’t bombed during the World War II, so we can admire the last medieval building of Valmontone. The real name of the church is Santa Maria delle Grazie and was erected in the IX Century: the construction is made with blocks of tuff, with two closed windows, one of them decorated with a little arch.The interior is decorated with baroque stuccoes, a Madonna with the Son and a Sant’Antonio Abate, both painted by anonymous.

Colle Sant'Angelo: on this hill there are the cemetery of Valmontone and the convent of Sant’Angelo: also this was nearly destroyed completely during the last war, and rebuild immediately. It was erected in the VIII Century by the Benedictine Order, and there are some remains of the old monastery in the cloister and in the refectory: two bells, one of them of 1523, the other of 1744, are visible in the cloister.

Santuario della Madonna del Gonfalone: this church was build on 1508, with a gothic plan, out of the old town's walls. In origin, the sanctuary had 15 altars.Destroyed in the last war, it was rebuild in the ‘50s and the only original part is the renaissance’s portal with the pediment. The interior maintains as original the apsidal zone, with the main altar, and a fresco (1514) of the Virgin who nurses Jesus.

Fortified wall's gates: before the last war in Valmontone there were three gates, but one of them, Porta Romana, in reinassance's style, was completely destroyed. The other two are Porta Napoletana and Porta Nuova: the first one was a medieval fortified gate, with two massive towers on sides, partially visible nowadays. The other one was erected on the Via Nuova by Camillo Pamphilj, in baroque style, as a gate on the road to the central town square on the hilltop.----Not far from Valmontone there is the big Valmontone Outlet, aka "Fashion District", a sort of commercial center, built like an American town, with square, building, a fake train-station, etc. In these "building" there are many shops, boutiques and restaurant.Near this complex, the biggest theme park in Europe is going to be constructed.

ister Cities

* Benifaió, Valencian Community - Spain (1987)
* Weiler-Simmerberg, Bavaria - Germany (2004-2005)

References

External links

* [http://www.comunevalmontone.it Homepage of the city]