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Aquino () is a town and ''
The town was founded by the Volsci, who successfully defended it against Samnite invasions.
After the Roman conquest in the 4th century BC, ''Aquinum'' became an important commercial and production centre situated on the ancient Via Latina. In 211 BC it was given the title of ''urbs'', previously the prerogative of Rome alone. In 125 BC the nearby town of Fregellae was destroyed and Aquinum grew to become the most important nucleus between Rome and Capua.
Aquinum was a '' municipium'' in the time of
Aquino, Sora, and Pontecorvo
- Catholic Encyclopedia article
Demographic data on Aquino
Cities and towns in Lazio Roman sites in Lazio Roman towns and cities in Italy Thomas Aquinas {{Latium-geo-stub
comune
A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio
Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
region of Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, northwest of Cassino
Cassino () is a ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone at the southern end of the region of Lazio. It's the last city of the Valle Latina, Latin Valley.
It is located at the foot of Monte Cairo near the confluence of the Gari (river), Gari and ...
.
The name comes from the Latin Aquinum, probably from ''aqua'', meaning "water" as witnessed by the abundance of water that still crosses the territory today, including many small springs.
History
The town was founded by the Volsci, who successfully defended it against Samnite invasions.
After the Roman conquest in the 4th century BC, ''Aquinum'' became an important commercial and production centre situated on the ancient Via Latina. In 211 BC it was given the title of ''urbs'', previously the prerogative of Rome alone. In 125 BC the nearby town of Fregellae was destroyed and Aquinum grew to become the most important nucleus between Rome and Capua.
Aquinum was a '' municipium'' in the time of Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...
, and made a colonia during the Triumvirate.
Aquinum is thought to be the birthplace of the poet Juvenal
Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ; 55–128), was a Roman poet. He is the author of the '' Satires'', a collection of satirical poems. The details of Juvenal's life are unclear, but references in his works to people f ...
, and also of emperor Pescennius Niger.
The diocese of Aquinum was established .
The patron saint of Aquino is St. Constantius of Aquino (''San Costanzo''), a 6th-century bishop. After the death of bishop Jovinus, , the seat remained vacant.
The county of Aquino within the Norman kingdom of Sicily was established in the 12th century.
St. Thomas Aquinas, OP was born in 1225 in the castle of Roccasecca, north of Aquino, to a collateral branch of the family of the counts of Aquino.
Main sights
One of the gates through which the Via Latina passed, now called Porta San Lorenzo, is still well preserved, and there are remains within the walls (portions of which, built of large blocks of limestone, still remain) of two (so called) temples, a basilica and an amphitheatre. Outside, on the south is a well-preserved 1st century BC triumphal arch with composite capitals, known as ''Arco di Marcantonio'', and close to it the basilica of ''Santa Maria Libera'', a 9th-century building in the Romanesque style erected over the remains of an ancient temple of Hercules Liberator, now roofless. Several Roman inscriptions are built into it, and many others that have been found indicate the ancient importance of the place, which, though it does not appear in early history, is vouched for by Cicero andStrabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...
.According to H. Nissen, ''Ital. Landeskunde'' (Berlin, 1902), ii. 665, a road ran from here to Minturnae; but no traces of it are to be seen.
References
External links
Aquino, Sora, and Pontecorvo
- Catholic Encyclopedia article
Demographic data on Aquino
Cities and towns in Lazio Roman sites in Lazio Roman towns and cities in Italy Thomas Aquinas {{Latium-geo-stub