Formello is a ''

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 ...

'' (municipality) in the

Metropolitan City of Rome Capital Metropolitan City of Rome Capital () is an area of local government at the level of metropolitan city in the Lazio region of Italy. It comprises the territory of the city of Rome and 120 other ''comuni'' (: ''comune'') in the hinterland of the c ...

. It is located southwest of the Monti Sabatini, within the Regional Park of

Veii Veii (also Veius; ) 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 city-st ...

. The communal territory sits on large deposits of

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 co ...

, which is intensively mined in the area.

History

The area has been settled since prehistoric times. As an Italian

, it includes some of the archaeological sites associated with the powerful former Etruscan city of

, which rivaled Rome for a time, north of the village of Isola Farnese, south of Formello. Settlement in the region declined after Veii's destruction in 396 BC. In this area, about 780 AD, with peaceful conditions reestablished,

Pope Adrian I Pope Adrian I (; 700 – 25 December 795) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 772 until his death on 25 December 795. Descended from a family of the military aristocracy of Rome known as ''domini de via Lata'', h ...

assembled a great estate of which this territory formed part, his '' Domusculta Capracorum'', in contrast with the power of the Abbey of Farfa, but it was destroyed by Saracen attacks in the ninth century. The domus' territories included a ''fundus Formellum'', where a settlement developed that was first mentioned in 1027. In the 11th century it was a possession of the Roman Basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura, and was probably fortified in the same period. In 1279 it became a fief of the

Orsini family The House of Orsini is an Nobility of Italy, Italian noble family that was one of the most influential princely families in Middle Ages, medieval Italy and Renaissance Rome. Members of the Orsini family include five popes: Pope Stephen II, Step ...

, who sold it to the Chigi in 1661.

Main sights

*''Church of San Lorenzo,'' also known as ''Chiesa di San Lorenzo Martire'' (10th-11th centuries). It received a bell tower in the fifteenth century, and was renovated in 1574 with the addition of the two aisles. The left one houses frescoes by Donato Palmieri. This is located adjacent to Palazzo Chigi. *''Palazzo Chigi'' (c. 11th century). It was built by 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: * Aaro ...

, probably over the pre-existing ''

castrum ''Castra'' () is a Latin language, Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'Fortification, fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified milita ...

'' mentioned in the 11th century. It houses the Archaeological Museum of the Countryside of Veii. *''Church of San Michele Arcangelo'', also known as ''Chiesa San Michele Arcangelo'' (c. 12th century). Romanesque church with a high bell tower and a single

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. This church is only open for special occasions. *The ruins of Villa Chigi-Versaglia, built by cardinal Flavio Chigi in the 17th century.

Sport

Formello is home to the training grounds and base of Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

side S.S. Lazio: ( Centro sportivo di Formello)

Photo gallery

Image:ItaliaLazioFormelloCentro.jpg, Formello Storic Center Image:ItaliaLazioFormelloSLorenzoInterno.jpg, San Lorenzo Church (internal) Image:ItaliaLazioFormelloSLorenzoInternoAffresco.jpg, Painting by Domenico Palmieri (1570 approx.) Image:ItaliaLazioFormelloSMicheleArcangeloCampanile1.jpg, San Michele Arcangelo Church Image:ItaliaLazioFormelloSMicheleArcangeloCampanile2.jpg, San Michele Arcangelo Church Image:ItaliaLazioFormelloVillaChigiVersagliaTorreColombaia.jpg, "Torre Colombaia", remaining building of villa Chigi-Versaglia Image:ItaliaLazioFormelloPalazzoChigi.jpg, Façade of Palazzo Chigi.

References

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