Sacrofano 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 Metropolitan City of Rome 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

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 north 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 ...

. Located near the

Monti Sabatini The Monti Sabatini is a geologic region in Lazio, central Italy, a remnant of intense volcanism which started ca. 600,000 years ago, mainly with pyroclastic and maar forming eruptions which continued until 100,000 years ago. The mou ...

, at the feet of an extinct volcano, it is included in the Regional Park 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 ...

. Sacrofano borders the following municipalities: Campagnano di Roma,

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 Ro ...

Formello Formello is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome. It is located southwest of the Monti Sabatini, within the Regional Park of Veii. The communal territory is mostly composed by tuff, and is intensively cultivated. History The are ...

, Magliano Romano, Riano,

History

They were originally part of the territory of the

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities ** Etrusca ...

city of

. Later it was home to numerous

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

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, and later of the Savelli and the

Orsini Orsini is a surname of Italian origin, originally derived from Latin ''ursinus'' ("bearlike") and originating as an epithet or sobriquet describing the name-bearer's purported strength. Notable people with the surname include the following: *Angel ...

, who acquired it under the reign of

Pope Gregory XI Pope Gregory XI ( la, Gregorius, born Pierre Roger de Beaufort; c. 1329 – 27 March 1378) was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1370 to his death in March 1378. He was the seventh and last Avignon pope and the most recent French pop ...

(1370–1377). Apart a short conquest by Cesare Borgia (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.

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 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 ...

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.

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 and the Via Sacrofanese.

References

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