Capena
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Capena (until 1933 called Leprignano) is a town and ''
comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' in the
Metropolitan City of Rome Metropolitan City of Rome Capital ( it, Città metropolitana di Roma Capitale) is an area of local government at the level of metropolitan city in the Lazio region of the Republic of Italy. It comprises the territory of the city of Rome and 120 o ...
,
Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
region (central
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
). The town has borrowed its modern name from a pre-Roman and Roman settlement that was to its north.


Geography

Capena is located north of Rome (as the crow flies), above the valley of the
Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...
. The old quarter stands on a hill overlooking the valley of the Fosso di Morlupo to the west, while the modern district extends into the eastern plain. The neighbouring towns are
Castelnuovo di Porto Castelnuovo di Porto is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Lazio, located about north of Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King R ...
,
Civitella San Paolo Civitella San Paolo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region of Lazio, located about north of Rome. Physical geography Territory The municipal territory of Civitella San Paolo borders the municipa ...
,
Fiano Romano Fiano Romano is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy, approximately north of that city. Fiano Romano borders the following municipalities: Capena, Civitella San Paolo, Montelibretti, Montopoli di Sabina, ...
,
Monterotondo Monterotondo is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, central Italy. History According to some historians, Monterotondo is the heir of the ancient Sabine town of Eretum, although the modern settlement appeared in the 10th-11th ce ...
,
Morlupo Morlupo ( Romanesco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about north of Rome. Morlupo borders the following municipalities: Capena, Castelnuovo di Porto, Magliano Romano, Rignano ...
and
Rignano Flaminio Rignano Flaminio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, about north of Rome. It is across the Via Flaminia. Rignano Flaminio borders the municipalities of Calcata, Capena, Civitella San Pao ...
.


History


Ancient era

The original Capena occupied the plateau of a nowadays uninhabited hill called La Civitucola, which is about northeast of a post station on the ancient ''
Via Flaminia The Via Flaminia or Flaminian Way was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to ''Ariminum'' (Rimini) on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had ...
''. Its territory was known in ancient times as the ''Ager Capenas'', which was a Faliscan area adjacent (and culturally allied) to
Etruria Etruria () was a region of Central Italy, located in an area that covered part of what are now most of Tuscany, northern Lazio, and northern and western Umbria. Etruscan Etruria The ancient people of Etruria are identified as Etruscan civiliza ...
. It is frequently mentioned alongside of
Veii Veii (also Veius; it, Veio) was an important ancient Etruscan city situated on the southern limits of Etruria and north-northwest of Rome, Italy. It now lies in Isola Farnese, in the comune of Rome. Many other sites associated with and in the ...
,
Falerii Falerii (now Fabrica di Roma) was a city in southern Etruria, 50 km (31 mi) northeast of Rome, 34 km (21 mi) from Veii (a major Etruscan city-state near the River Tiber) and about 1.5 km (0.9 mi) west of the ancient Via Flaminia. It was the main c ...
and
Lucus Feroniae Lucus Feroniae was an ancient sanctuary or, literally sacred grove (''"lucus"''), dedicated to the Sabine goddess Feronia, protector of freedmen, ex-slaves. It was located near to the ancient town of Feronia in Etruria on the ancient Via Tib ...
. Ancient Capena seems to have been ruthlessly sacked by the Romans sometime around 390 BC, following a long campaign of resistance by the Capenates to the ever-growing influence of Rome in the area. In later
republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
times the city itself is hardly mentioned, but under the
empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
a is frequently mentioned in inscriptions. Of these several were found upon the Civitucola hill. The settlement continued to exist until the collapse of the
Western Roman Empire The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period fr ...
, after which all traces of it were lost. It was not until the pioneering work of Pierluigi Galletti in the mid-18th century that Capena's former location was identified. Even then, it took more than a hundred years for other historians to reach a consensus that Galletti had been correct. Recent archaeological studies have revealed that ancient Capena may have retained a vibrant urban life and some degree of regional significance for longer than had previously been believed.


Medieval and modern ages

The site of present-day Capena has been inhabited intermittently since prehistoric times and archaeological finds dating from the seventh century BC indicate that the inhabitants used a distinctive alphabet (now called the Capena-Leprignano alphabet by philologists) for inscriptions written in the Faliscan language. Continuous habitation began in the 11th century AD, when the
Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...
monastery of Saint Paul – now usually referred to as the Palazzo dei Monaci (Palace of the Monks) – was established on the
tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock cont ...
outcrop known as ‘la Rocca’ (the Rock). The main frontage of the ''palazzo'' faces the Piazza del Popolo, the largest public space in Capena. Originally simply called the ‘Piazza’, the square was laid out in the 16th century, when its extant clock tower was erected on the north side. The surviving monastery complex dates primarily from the
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
era, with extensive modifications in 1851. Despite occasional popular uprisings, the entire village remained under monastic jurisdiction until the fall of the
Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...
in 1870, when Leprignano (now Capena) broke away and became an independent municipality. The ''palazzo'' continued to be occupied by monks until the end of the 19th century. The former monastery was subsequently used for municipal purposes and as a school until 1930, and was later subdivided and sold to individuals. Capena's population has grown rapidly in recent years, as a result of new residential developments on its outskirts. However, the ''centro storico'' (the old quarter in the west of the built-up area) has remained little changed in many decades, as can be observed from a comparison between contemporary images and the scenes filmed around the Fontana di Porta Nuova in the 1952 movie ''
Totò a colori ''Toto in Color'' (Italian: ''Totò a colori'') is a 1952 Italian comedy film, and was the first Italian color film shot with the Ferraniacolor system. The film was directed by Steno and starred the comic actor Totò. Plot Antonio Scannagatti is ...
''. and more widely around Capena in the following year's musical film ''Saluti e Baci''.


Main sights

*former Palazzo dei Monaci (Palace of the Monks) *medieval Clock Tower, remodelled in the 18th century *Church of San Leone, which dates from the Lombard era *
Lucus Feroniae Lucus Feroniae was an ancient sanctuary or, literally sacred grove (''"lucus"''), dedicated to the Sabine goddess Feronia, protector of freedmen, ex-slaves. It was located near to the ancient town of Feronia in Etruria on the ancient Via Tib ...
archaeological site


Transport

The closest practicable motorway and rail links with Rome lie around to the east, respectively, on opposites sides of the Tiber. Via Provinciale Capena Bivio (SP17a) connects the E35 Class-A road with Capena.


Culture


Art

The Lazio region has proclaimed Capena a ''città d'arte'' in recognition of its history and its many archaeological finds (most of which are now scattered to museums near and far). The town is home to a small community of artists, notably Rosina Wachtmeister, who has frequently depicted the old quarter – and particularly its cats – in her work. Wachtmeister's daughter Gabila is also a resident artist and her grandson Battista is a ceramicist who has recently led a project to install mosaic benches and sculptures at various locations around the old quarter. The Art Forum
Würth The Würth Group (german: Würth-Gruppe, ) is a worldwide wholesaler of fasteners, screws and screw accessories, dowels, chemicals, electronic and electromechanical components, furniture and construction fittings, tools, machines, installation mat ...
Capena opened in 2006, on the Via della Buona Fortuna, which runs parallel with the E35 near the eastern end of the Via Provinciale Capena Bivio.


Cuisine

Capena has a large number of restaurants for a town of its size, both in the centre and on the outskirts. Pizza is the most commonly served dish but a few of the establishments specialise in the cuisines of other parts of Italy, such as Sardinia. Various local specialities are traditionally prepared for some of the feasts listed in the Events section below, including ''serpentone'', ''pangiallo'', ''lepericchio'' and ''sposatella''. The locally produced bianco Capena (''
denominazione di origine controllata The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”), * ''Indicazione geografica tipic ...
'') is a "slightly bitter wine that is straw yellow with a lightly fruity aroma." It is made with grapes from the
Malvasia del Lazio Malvasia (, also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world. I ...
,
Trebbiano Toscano Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it h ...
,
Bellone Bellone is a white Italian wine grape variety that wine historians believed was cultivated in Roman times. By 1990, nearly of the variety was still being cultivated and eligible to be blended in the wines of several Latium ''Denominazione di ori ...
and Bombino vines.


Events

All the main recurring events in Capena are ostensibly Roman Catholic religious celebrations. They include the following: The feast of
Saint Anthony the Abbot Anthony the Great ( grc-gre, Ἀντώνιος ''Antṓnios''; ar, القديس أنطونيوس الكبير; la, Antonius; ; c. 12 January 251 – 17 January 356), was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is d ...
, on the Sunday after 17 January, which consists of a procession in the saint's honour, the blessing of animals and much smoking by residents of all ages, formerly of dried rosemary in pipes but nowadays of cigarettes, although attempts have been made to discourage this practice. On the eve of this festival local children carry the altar of Saint Anthony from house to house, singing a traditional refrain and collecting donations. The Procession of the Dead Christ, on
Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
, with participants wearing traditional black surplices and hoods and carrying the symbols of the Passion on silver plates in a procession. The feast of Saint
Mark the Evangelist Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Acco ...
, on 25 April, at which the children of Capena traditionally receive their first communion. At the end of the religious ceremony, the participants proceed from the parish church to the little church dedicated to San Marco some distance from the village. The priest blesses the fields in the sacristy of the chapel, and also some special sweets made for the occasion known as ''lepericchio'' and ''sposatella''. The festival of
Our Lady of the Assumption The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution ''Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by Go ...
(Santa Maria Assunta), which takes place on 13–15 August and is Capena's main annual event. The celebration takes a different form in Capena from that observed in most parts of Italy as it is based on a symbolic re-enactment of the story that Mary lost her Son and searched for him for three days before the pair were emotionally reunited. The feast of
Saint Michael the Archangel Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), a ...
, on 29 September, which had its origins in the celebration of farming and agricultural trade, and as a market for livestock. Harvest festival, on the first Sunday of October, which in Capena primarily celebrates the grape harvest (''vendemmia'') and is accompanied by parades, floats, sideshows, carnival rides and vinous carousing.
Luke the Evangelist Luke the Evangelist (Latin: '' Lucas''; grc, Λουκᾶς, '' Loukâs''; he, לוקאס, ''Lūqās''; arc, /ܠܘܩܐ לוקא, ''Lūqā’; Ge'ez: ሉቃስ'') is one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of t ...
, Capena's patron saint, is honoured on 18 October with the administration of the sacrament of confirmation and a solemn procession with the participation of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament. The feast of Saint Luke has been held here since the early 18th century.


Sports

Capena has a football team, the Polisportiva Comunale Capena, which who plays in the second categoria level.


See also

*
Etruria Etruria () was a region of Central Italy, located in an area that covered part of what are now most of Tuscany, northern Lazio, and northern and western Umbria. Etruscan Etruria The ancient people of Etruria are identified as Etruscan civiliza ...
*
Porta Capena Porta Capena was a gate in the Servian Wall in Rome, Italy. The gate was located in the area of Piazza di Porta Capena, where the Caelian, Palatine and Aventine hills meet. Probably its exact position was between the entrance of Via di Valle de ...


References


External links


Ancient history of Capena

Art Forum Würth Capena
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Lazio Falisci Italic archaeological sites