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Ardea, Lazio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ardea
Comune di Ardea
The church of St. Peter
The church of St. Peter
Location of Ardea
Map
Ardea is located in Italy
Ardea
Ardea
Location of Ardea in Italy
Ardea is located in Lazio
Ardea
Ardea
Ardea (Lazio)
Coordinates:41°37′N12°33′E/ 41.617°N 12.550°E/41.617; 12.550
CountryItaly
RegionLazio
Metropolitan cityRome(RM)
FrazioniBanditella, Nuova Florida, Castagnetta, Castagnola, Centro Regina, Nuova California, Colle Romito, Lido dei Pini, Marina di Ardea, Rio Verde, Tor San Lorenzo, Tor San Lorenzo Lido, Montagnano.
Government
• MayorMaurizio Cremonini (Fdl)
Area
• Total50 km2(20 sq mi)
Elevation
37 m (121 ft)
Population
(31 December 2017)[2]
• Total49,663
• Density990/km2(2,600/sq mi)
DemonymArdeatini
Time zoneUTC+1(CET)
• Summer (DST)UTC+2(CEST)
Postal code
00040
Dialing code06
Patron saintSt. Peterthe Apostle
Saint dayJune 29
WebsiteOfficial website

Ardeais an ancient town andcomune(municipality) in theMetropolitan City of Rome Capital,35 kilometres (22 miles) south ofRomeand about 4 kilometres (2 miles) from today'sMediterraneancoast.

The economy is mostly based on agriculture, although, starting from the 1970s, industry has played an increasingly important role.

City gate

History

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Ardea is one of the most ancient towns inwestern Europe,founded during the8th century BC.According to tradition it was the capital of theRutuli,and it is described as such in theAeneid.

In 509 BCLucius Tarquinius Superbus,theking of Rome,sought unsuccessfully to take the town by storm, and then commenced a siege of the town.[3]However, the siege was interrupted by therevolutionwhich resulted in the overthrow of the king and the establishment of theRoman republic.One of the leaders of the revolution,Lucius Junius Brutus,came to the camp of the Roman army at Ardea and won the army's support for the revolution.

In 443 BC theVolscianslaid siege to Ardea. The siege was soon broken by Roman troops under the leadership ofMarcus Geganius Macerinus.

After the Roman conquest, Ardea was most often mentioned in connection with theVia Ardeatina,one of theconsular roads,to which it gave its name.

During theSecond Punic War,it was one of the few cities that refused military support to Rome, and, after the Roman victory, was deprived of its autonomy. In the3rd2ndcenturies BC it decayed until, in theImperial Age,it was scarcely populated at all. The1st centuryagricultural writerColumellapossessed estates there.[4]

A view of the ancientagger

After the fall of theWestern Roman Empire,Ardea was abandoned. It returned to grow only after the9th centuryAD. Its castle in 1118 housedPope Gelasius IIand was later contended among various feudal barons of the area. In 1419Pope Martin Vassigned it to his kinsmen, theColonna family,who sold it in 1564 to the Cesarini.

In 1816 it became afrazioneofGenzano.Starting from 1932, the surrounding area was drained and Ardea began to flourish again, becoming afrazioneofPomeziastarting from its foundation around 1948 and an independent municipality in 1970.

Main sights

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Remains of the ancient city include the old defensiveagger,dating to the7th century BCand later (4th century BC) updated to larger walls. Archaeological excavations have brought to light four temples, of unknown dedication. Part of the pavement of abasilica(c. 100 BC) have also been found in the area of the ancient Forum. Other sights include:

International relations

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Ardea istwinnedwith:

References

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  1. ^"Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011".Italian National Institute of Statistics.Retrieved16 March2019.
  2. ^"Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018".Italian National Institute of Statistics.Retrieved16 March2019.
  3. ^"Lucius Tarquinius Superbus".Unrv. 2007-02-01.Retrieved2013-03-25.
  4. ^Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (1745).L. Junius Moderatus Columella of Husbandry, in Twelve Books: and his book, concerning Trees. Translated into English, with illustrations from Pliny, Cato, Varro, Palladius and other ancient and modern authors.London: A. Millar. p. 130.
  5. ^il michele."Stefanina Aldobrandini Ricevimenti".Aldobrandini.it. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-03-28.Retrieved2013-03-25.
  6. ^"Home – Raccolta Manzù".Museomanzu.beniculturali.it. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-03-06.Retrieved2013-03-25.
  7. ^"Italy – Lazio: Towns Twinning".En uni-italiani.it. 1998-04-26.Retrieved2013-03-25.

Sources

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