Sacrofano is a '' comune'' (municipality) 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 ...

in the Italian region Latium, located about north of Rome. Located near the Monti Sabatini, at the feet of an extinct volcano, it is included in the Regional Park of Veii. Sacrofano borders the following municipalities:

Campagnano di Roma Campagnano di Roma is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about northwest of Rome. It was first mentioned in 1076, having been carved out of the great estate assembled on the Roman p ...

, Castelnuovo di Porto, Formello,

Magliano Romano Magliano Romano is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about north of Rome. Magliano Romano borders the following municipalities: Calcata, Campagnano di Roma, Castelnuovo di Port ...

, Riano, Rome. ItaliaLazioSacrofanoTorreBorgo

History

They were originally part of the territory of the Etruscan city of Veii. Later it was home to numerous Roman villas, which were abandoned in the 5th-6th centuries. A ''fundus Scrofanum'' is mentioned for the first time in 780. A castle was built here probably in the 10th-11th century; in the 13th century it was a possession of the

Prefetti di Vico The Prefetti di Vico were an Italian noble family, of German origin, who established themselves in Rome from the 10th century. They obtained the title of ''praefect urbis'' ( prefect of the city) by the Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman ...

, and later of the Savelli and the Orsini, who acquired it under the reign of Pope Gregory XI (1370–1377). Apart a short conquest by

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (; ca-valencia, Cèsar Borja ; es, link=no, César Borja ; 13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was an Italian ex- cardinal and '' condottiero'' (mercenary leader) of Aragonese (Spanish) origin, whose fight for power was a major ...

(1503–1516), they kept Sacrofano for nearly three centuries: in 1560 it was included in the Duchy of Bracciano. In 1662 the Orsini ceded it to the

Chigi family The House of Chigi () is an Italian princely family of Sienese origin descended from the counts of Ardenghesca, which possessed castles in the Maremma, southern Tuscany. Later, the family settled in Rome. The earliest authentic mention of th ...

Main sights

*The ''Rocca'' (castle) *The church of ''San Giovanni Battista'', dating from the 12th century but restored in the 15th century. It has a tuff bell tower from the 14th century. The church has an irregular plan, with a single nave. The 1515 altar, in polychrome marbles, houses the relic of

St. Justin Martyr Justin Martyr ( el, Ἰουστῖνος ὁ μάρτυς, Ioustinos ho martys; c. AD 100 – c. AD 165), also known as Justin the Philosopher, was an early Christian apologist and philosopher. Most of his works are lost, but two apologies and ...

Transportation

Sacrofano has a station on the Roma-Civitacastellana-Viterbo regional railway. It can be reached by car from Rome in c. 20 minutes through the

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 ...

and the Via Sacrofanese.

References

Cities and towns in Lazio {{Latium-geo-stub