Vejano is a ''
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 ...
'' (municipality) in the
Province of Viterbo
Viterbo ( it, provincia di Viterbo) is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Viterbo.
Geography
Viterbo is the most northerly of the provinces of Lazio. It is bordered to the south by the Metropolitan City of Rome ...
, formerly known as
Tuscia Tuscia is a historical region of Italy that comprised the territories under Etruscan influence and the name adopted for Etruria after the Roman conquest. While it later came to coincide with today's province of Viterbo, it was originally much lar ...
, in the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
region of
Latium
Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire.
Definition
Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil ( Old Latium) on w ...
, located about northwest 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 ...
and about south of
Viterbo
Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo.
It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history ...
on the
Mignone river. It is an agricultural village at an altitude of about 400 meters, situated between the hills of
Tolfa Tolfa is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Rome, in the Lazio region of central Italy; it lies to the ENE of Civitavecchia by road.
It is the main center in the Monti della Tolfa, an extinct volcanic group between Civitavecchia an ...
and
Cimini. The main monument of the village is La Rocca, an imposing castle, excavated in
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 ...
rock, with a triangular shape and fortified walls.
Originally called Viano, it changed its name to Vejano in 1872.
The name possibly comes from
Veio
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 ...
, the Etruscan city just to the north of Rome that was defeated by the Romans in 396 BC. It is believed to have been inhabited by Etruscans, although there is no clear evidence of this fact. In the
Augustan era, Vejano became an important centre as it was situated along the route of the
Via Clodia
The Via Clodia was an ancient high-road of Italy. Situated between the Via Cassia and the Via Aurelia, it is different from them notably in that the latter was designed primarily for military long-haul, irrespective of settlements they met, ...
.
[
From 1493 to 1664 Viano was the property of the Santacroce family. It then passed into the hands of the ]Altieri family
The House of Altieri was an ancient noble family of Rome, present in the history of the city since the Middle Ages, yet now extinct. In addition to the title of Prince granted by the Pontiffs, branches of the Altieri were also part of the aristoc ...
. The castle is now owned by Princes of Naples Rampolla, relatives of Cardinal Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro
Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro (17 August 1843 – 16 December 1913) was an Italian Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, and the last man to have his candidacy for papal election vetoed through ''jus exclusivae'' by a Catholic monarch.
Early l ...
, Secretary of State of 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 ...
. Other properties were sold by the Altieris at the beginning of the 20th Century, to a university and to private citizens.[
]
Twin towns
Vejano is twinned with:
* Santorso
Santorso is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy. It is north of SP350 highway.
Santorso is home to several patrician villas: the oldest is the Villa Facci which dates to the 15th century. The church of S. Maria Immacolata was ...
, Italy
References
Cities and towns in Lazio
{{Latium-geo-stub