Sora () 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 ...
'' of
Lazio
it, Laziale
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, Italy, in the
province of Frosinone
The Province of Frosinone ( it, Provincia di Frosinone) is a province in the Lazio region of Italy, with 91 '' comuni'' (singular: ''comune''; see Comuni of the Province of Frosinone). Its capital is the city of Frosinone. It has an area o ...
. It is built in a
plain
In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...
on the
banks of the
Liri
The Liri (Latin Liris or Lyris, previously, Clanis; Greek: ) is one of the principal rivers of central Italy, flowing into the Tyrrhenian Sea a little below Minturno under the name Garigliano.
Source and route
The Liri's source is in the ...
. This part of the
valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...
is the seat of some important manufacturing, especially of paper mills. The area around Sora is famous for the costumes of its peasants.
History
Sora, an ancient
Volsci
The Volsci (, , ) were an Italic tribe, well known in the history of the first century of the Roman Republic. At the time they inhabited the partly hilly, partly marshy district of the south of Latium, bounded by the Aurunci and Samnites on the ...
an town, was thrice captured by the
Romans, in 345, 314, and 305 BCE, before they managed, in 303, by means of a colony 4,000 strong, to confirm its annexation as a
Latin colony
A Roman (plural ) was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of a Roman city. It is also the origin of the modern term ''colony''.
Characteri ...
. In 209, it was one of the colonies that refused further contributions to the war against
Hannibal
Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Pu ...
. By the ''
lex Julia
A ''lex Julia'' (plural: ''leges Juliae'') was an ancient Roman law that was introduced by any member of the gens Julia. Most often, "Julian laws", ''lex Julia'' or ''leges Juliae'' refer to moral legislation introduced by Augustus in 23 BC, o ...
'', it became a
municipium
In ancient Rome, the Latin term (pl. ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ("duty holders"), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the priv ...
, but under
Augustus
Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
, it was colonized by soldiers of the
legio IV Sorana, which had been mainly enrolled there. It belonged technically to ''
Latium adiectum
Latium adiectum () or Latium Novum was a region of Roman Italy between Monte Circeo and the river Garigliano, south of and immediately adjacent to Old Latium, hence its name of ''attached Latium''.
Sources
As a geographical term, it was used at l ...
''.
Located in the ''Ducatus Romanus'' under the authority of the pope during the early
Dark Ages, it was captured by the
Lombards
The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774.
The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...
of
Gisulf I of Benevento in 705.
The castle of ''Sorella'', built on the rocky height above the town, was in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
a stronghold of some note. In 1229, during the
War of the Keys, it submitted to the
Papacy
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
and was then sacked by the
Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II (German: ''Friedrich''; Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jer ...
, its inhabitants hanged. In 1443, King
Alfonso of Naples made Sora the seat of an independent
Duchy
A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a medieval country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition.
There once existed an important difference between ...
; it was afterwards seized by
Pope Pius II
Pope Pius II ( la, Pius PP. II, it, Pio II), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini ( la, Aeneas Silvius Bartholomeus, links=no; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 Augu ...
, but being restored to the Cantelmi by
Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...
, it ultimately passed to the duke
Giovanni Della Rovere. Against
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 i ...
, the city was heroically defended by
Francesco Maria I Della Rovere. It was purchased by
Pope Gregory XIII for 11,000 ducats and bestowed under the suzerainty of Gregory's son,
Giacomo Boncompagni (who was the first
duke of Sora of the family).
Geography
The distance from Sora to centre of
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 ...
is 115 km; heading in the opposite direction, the downtown area of
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 adm ...
is 138 km from Sora.
The municipality, located next to
Abruzzo
, population_note =
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, borders with
Arpino,
Balsorano (
AQ),
Broccostella,
Campoli Appennino,
Castelliri,
Isola del Liri,
Monte San Giovanni Campano
Monte San Giovanni Campano is a '' comune'' (municipality) of about 12,800 inhabitants in the province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about southeast of Rome and about east of Frosinone. Monte San Giovanni Campano is in the ...
,
Pescosolido, and
Veroli
Veroli ( la, Verulae) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, central Italy, in the Latin Valley.
History
Veroli (''Verulae'') became a Roman municipium in 90 BC. It became the seat of a bishopric in 743 AD, and was occupied ...
.
Main sights
The original
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...
, consecrated by
Pope Adrian IV
Pope Adrian IV ( la, Adrianus IV; born Nicholas Breakspear (or Brekespear); 1 September 1159, also Hadrian IV), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 4 December 1154 to his death in 1159. He is the only Englishman t ...
in 1155, was destroyed by the earthquake of 1634.
Above the town on a precipitous rock, elevation , that guards the Liri's valley and the entrance to the
Abruzzi
, population_note =
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are remains of polygonal walls; here, possibly, was the citadel of the original
Volsci
The Volsci (, , ) were an Italic tribe, well known in the history of the first century of the Roman Republic. At the time they inhabited the partly hilly, partly marshy district of the south of Latium, bounded by the Aurunci and Samnites on the ...
an town. Also, remains of medieval fortifications are there.
Among the churches in town are the
Sanctuary of the Madonna della Figura and
San Silvestro Papa.
Notable people
*
Suranus
Saint Suranus (died ) was an abbot in Umbria, Italy who was martyred by Lombards.
His feast day is 24 January.
Life
Suranus was abbot of a monastery at Sora near Caserta, Italy.
He was martyred by marauding Lombards around 580 AD when the ...
*
Caesar Baronius
Cesare Baronio (as an author also known as Caesar Baronius; 30 August 1538 – 30 June 1607) was an Italian cardinal and historian of the Catholic Church. His best-known works are his ''Annales Ecclesiastici'' ("Ecclesiastical Annals"), w ...
*
Luca Brandolini
*
Ludovico Camangi
Ludovico Camangi (14 February 1903, Sora, Lazio – 2 September 1976) was an Italian politician. He represented the Italian Republican Party in the Constituent Assembly of Italy from 1946 to 1948 and in the Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of dep ...
*
Vittorio Cristini
*
Alfredo De Gasperis
*
Vittorio De Sica
Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the Italian neorealism, neorealist movement.
Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Shoeshine (film), Sciuscià ...
*
Enzo Di Pede
Enzo Di Pede (born January 3, 1957) is a retired Italian-born goalkeeper who played in the North American Soccer League and the original Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL).
Career
In 1976, he played in the National Soccer League with Toronto ...
*
Tony Evangelista
*
Alessio Giustini
*
Filippo Iannone
Filippo Iannone (born 13 December 1957) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts since April 2018. He has been a bishop since 2001 and an archbishop since 2012. He is a m ...
*
Lucius Mummius
*
Stefano Pescosolido
Stefano Pescosolido (; born 13 June 1971) is a former tennis player from Italy, who turned professional in 1989. Pescosolido was born in Sora.
He represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was def ...
*
Giulio Polerio
*
Quintus Valerius Soranus Quintus Valerius Soranus (born between ''circa'' 140 – 130 BC, died 82 BC) was a Latin poet, grammarian, and tribune of the people in the Late Roman Republic. He was executed in 82 BC while Sulla was dictator, ostensibly for violating a religious ...
*
Anna Tatangelo
Anna Tatangelo (born 9 January 1987) is an Italian pop singer and television personality. At the age of 15, she became the youngest person to win the Newcomer's Award at the prestigious Sanremo Music Festival singing contest.
Her repertoire con ...
*
Zappacosta
*
Davide Zappacosta
Davide Zappacosta (born 11 June 1992) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a full-back for club Atalanta.
Club career Early career
Born in Sora, Lazio, Zappacosta joined hometown's Sora's youth setup in 1998, aged six, as a fo ...
Twin towns
*
Vaughan, Canada
*
Athis-Mons, France
References
*
External links
Official website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sora
Cities and towns in Lazio
Roman sites in Lazio
Sorella