Genazzano 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, located on a
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 ...
spur at above sea level that, starting from the
Monti Prenestini
The Monti Prenestini is a mountain range in the Lazio sub- Apennines, in central Italy to the east of Rome. It is of limestone formation. It is bounded by the Monti Tiburtini to the north, by the Monti Ruffi to the east, and by the valley of t ...
, ends on the
Sacco River
The Sacco is a river of central Italy, a right tributary of the Liri. It flows between the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital and the province of Frosinone in Lazio.
Territory
The river originates from the Prenestini Mountains, formed by the ...
valley.
History
The name originates from its role as vacation resort for the ancient Roman
gens Genucia. In the fifth century, during the reign of Pope
Sixtus III
Pope Sixtus III was the bishop of Rome from 31 July 432 to his death on 18 August 440. His ascension to the papacy is associated with a period of increased construction in the city of Rome. His feast day is celebrated by Catholics on 28 March.
...
, the town of Genazzano contributed a large portion of its revenue for the Roman basilica of
Santa Maria Maggiore. In the 11th century AD it was a fief of the
Colonna family who, from their baronial Palace (castle), controlled the road from
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. In the late fifteenth century, it became fief of the
Borgia Family
The House of Borgia ( , ; Spanish language, Spanish and an, Borja ; ca-valencia, Borja ) was an Italian-Aragonese Spanish noble family, which rose to prominence during the Italian Renaissance. They were from Valencia, the surname being a Topony ...
.
Landmarks
![OurLadyGenazzano02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/OurLadyGenazzano02.jpg)
The church of the ''Madonna del buon consiglio'', built in appreciation for the town's contribution to Santa Maria Maggiore, and entrusted in 1356 to the
Augustinian Order
Augustinians are members of Christian religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written in about 400 AD by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...
, holds the original fresco of ''
Our Lady of Good Counsel
Our Lady of Good Counsel ( la, Mater boni consilii) is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, after a painting said to be miraculous, now found in the thirteenth century Augustinian church at Genazzano, near Rome, Italy. Measuring the imag ...
'' ( la, Mater boni consilii) a title given to the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...
, after the miraculous fresco. Measuring , the image is executed on a thin layer of porcelain no thicker than an egg shell. Over the centuries, devotions to Our Lady of the Good Counsel grew among saints and Popes. More than any other pope,
Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...
was deeply attached to this devotion.
[Ann Ball, 2003 Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices page 515] The small ''
Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel'' (the White Scapular) was presented by the
Hermits of St. Augustine
The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were fo ...
to
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
, who, in December 1893, approved it and endowed it with indulgences. On 22 April 1903, that same Pope included the invocation "Mater boni consilii" in the
Litany of Loreto
The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Marian litany originally approved in 1587 by Pope Sixtus V. It is also known as the Litany of Loreto (Latin: ''Litaniæ lauretanæ''), after its first-known place of origin, the Shrine of Our Lady of Lo ...
.
At the southern end of the village, there is a
Nymphaeum built at the dawn of the 16th century and attributed to
Donato Bramante
Donato Bramante ( , , ; 1444 – 11 April 1514), born as Donato di Pascuccio d'Antonio and also known as Bramante Lazzari, was an Italian architect and painter. He introduced Renaissance architecture to Milan and the High Renaissance styl ...
.
Genazzano DOC
On the southern slopes of
Monti Prenestini
The Monti Prenestini is a mountain range in the Lazio sub- Apennines, in central Italy to the east of Rome. It is of limestone formation. It is bounded by the Monti Tiburtini to the north, by the Monti Ruffi to the east, and by the valley of t ...
overlooking the
Valle del Sacco
Valle Latina (''Latin Valley'') is an Italian geographical and historical region that extends from the south of Rome to Cassino, corresponding to the eastern area of ancient Roman Latium.
The valley's principal cities are Frosinone, Cassino, So ...
is the Genazzano ''
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 tipi ...
'' (DOC) region that produces both red and white wines. The DOC red blend is composed of 70–90%
Sangiovese
Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grape ...
, 10–30%
Cesanese Comune
Cesanese Comune (more commonly known as just Cesanese) is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Lazio region. The grape has three ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) regions dedicated to it- Cesanese di Affi ...
and up to 20% of other local red
grape varieties
This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...
like
Abbuoto
Abbuoto is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Lazio region of central Italy. Historically the grape was believed to be responsible for the Ancient Roman wine '' Caecubum'' that was praised by writers such as Pliny the ...
. The DOC white wine is composed of 50–70%
Malvasia di Candia
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 ...
, 10–30% each of
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 bianco
Bombino bianco is a white Italian wine grape variety planted primarily along Italy's Adriatic coast line, most notably in Apulia. The vine is prone to high yields and often produces neutral flavor wines.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine ...
and up to 40% of other local white grape varieties. Grapes destined for DOC wine production must be
harvested to a
yield no greater than 14
tonnes
The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton (United States c ...
/
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...
with the finished wines needing to attain a minimum
alcohol level
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...
of at least 10.5% for the white wines and 11% for the reds.
[P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pp. 166-167 Firefly Books 2004 ]
Famous people
*Genazzano is the birthplace of:
**
Pope Martin V (Oddone Colonna);
**
Vincenzo Vannutelli
Vincenzo Vannutelli (5 December 1836 – 9 July 1930) was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He spent his career in the foreign service of the Holy See and was made a cardinal in 1890.
At his death he was the oldest member o ...
, cardinal;
**
Serafino Vannutelli
Serafino Vannutelli (26 November 1834 – 19 August 1915) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church, a cardinal and official of the Roman Curia where he held several of the highest administrative posts. Made a cardinal in 1887, he was named ...
, cardinal;
**
Scipione Vannutelli, etcher and painter;
*Death place of
**Blessed
Stephen Bellesini
Stephen Bellesini was a friar in the Order of the Hermits of St Augustine (OSA), who was born in Trento, Italy, on November 25, 1774, and died in Genazzano, Italy, on February 2, 1840.
Life
Of the Italian aristocracy, Luigi Giuseppe Bellesini j ...
See also
*
Genazzano FCJ College
(Faithful)
, established = 1889
, type = Independent, day and boarding
, years = ELC–12
, gender = Girls
, denomination = Catholic ( FCJ Sisters)
, slogan ...
Notes
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Lazio
Castles in Italy