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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.
Page revised in January 2012.

To the Italian visitors of my web site

Vasi's Digression - Genzano

Above Aricia lies (..) to the left of the Appian Way, the Artemisium, which they call Nemus. The temple of the Aricians, they say, is a copy of that of the Tauropolos. And in fact a barbaric, and Scythian, element predominates in the sacred usages, for the people set up as priest merely a run-away slave who has slain with his own hand the man previously consecrated to that office; accordingly the priest is always armed with a sword, looking around for the attacks, and ready to defend himself. The temple is in a sacred grove, and in front of it is a lake which resembles an open sea, and round about it in a circle lies an unbroken and very high mountain-brow, which encloses both the temple and the water in a place that is hollow and deep. Strabo - Geography - Book V - Translation by Horace Leonard Jones. Strabo was a Greek historian and geographer from Amasya who lived at the time of Emperor Augustus.

Lake of Nemi
Lake Nemi and the town by the same name seen from behind the Capuchin monastery of Genzano (you may wish to compare Lake Nemi with nearby Lake Albano)

The dark and deep waters of the lake were called Specus Dianae (Diana's Mirror) by Marcus Servius Honoratus in a commentary to Virgil's Aeneid, because of the sanctuary to the goddess whom the Romans associated with Greek Artemis.
In the XVth century parts of two Roman ships were found and their presence in the closed volcanic lake was attributed to the holding of naumachie (shows during which naval battles were re-enacted). In 1928 the ships were excavated and restored: experts came to the conclusion that at the time of Emperor Caligula they were used during religious ceremonies in honour of Diana. Unfortunately in 1944 war events led to the loss of the ships.

Medieval tower
(left) Medieval tower; (centre) coat of arms of the Cesarini inside Palazzo Cesarini; (right) coat of arms of Genzano above the entrance to SS. Trinità, a church built at the beginning of the XIXth century

The origin of Genzano is medieval; the town developed around a fortified site which included the church of S. Maria della Cima and which belonged to Abbazia delle Tre Fontane. According to Flavio Biondo, an Italian Renaissance humanist, the name of the town derives from Cynthia, an epithet of Artemis/Diana making reference to Mt. Cynthus at Delos, where the goddess was born (today this explanation is thought to be far-fetched).
In 1420 at the time of Pope Martin V Genzano became a fiefdom of the Colonna, the pope's family. With some intervals Genzano remained a possession of the Colonna until 1563 when it was sold to the Massimi who in the following year sold it to the Cesarini, a family having close ties with the Colonna (including a column in their coat of arms). The coat of arms of Genzano shows a column (a reference to the Colonna/Cesarini) supporting a half-moon (a reference to Diana).

XVIIth century and today's alleys
(left) 1664 engraving by G. Tomasini celebrating a visit to Genzano by Pope Alexander VII: S. Francesco is depicted in the left side of the engraving and Palazzo Cesarini in the upper part; (right) alley leading to S. Francesco

Genzano was renowned in the past for its tree-lined alleys called olmate (after olmo, elm), which were damaged during WWII. They were probably designed by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi, at the time a very young architect, in conjunction with the construction in 1637-43 of S. Francesco, a Capuchin church, on the edge of the ridge surrounding Lake Nemi; the olmate linked the church to Via Appia and to Palazzo Cesarini.

S. Francesco
(left) S. Francesco; (right) interior (in recent years the church was assigned to the large Romanian Christian Orthodox community of Genzano; this explains the presence of an iconostasis, a decorated screen separating the altar from the nave)

It was customary for Capuchin churches to have a spartan aspect and to be built in a remote and possibly elevated location; they were often preceded by an alley with the Stations of the Cross or with a large cross (see Chiesa dei Cappuccini in Rome which was built in the same period as S. Francesco).

XVIIth century and today's alleys
The other two remaining long alleys (in December 2011)

In the second half of the XVIIth century the Cesarini promoted the development of Genzano, which until then was limited to the area between Palazzo Cesarini and S. Maria della Cima. This led to the loss of the olmate which in the 1664 engraving are shown on the right side.

Palazzo Sforza Cesarini
Palazzo Sforza Cesarini

After having acquired Genzano the Cesarini set their residence in a sort of castle controlling the entrance to the town. Over time the building was enlarged until in 1713-30 Duke Gaetano Sforza Cesarini entirely reshaped the family palace with the assistance of the architects Ludovico and Domenico Gregorini. The façade shows the use of some optical "tricks" which give the building a taller and larger appearance: the vertical elements become progressively thinner moving upwards, while the horizontal distance between the windows becomes smaller moving from the centre to the sides.

Palazzo Sforza Cesarini
Palazzo Sforza Cesarini: (left) portal; (right) rear view

The portal and the balcony above it are not aligned with the façade, but are perpendicular to the olmata leading to the palace; they were embellished with ancient granite columns and cipollino marble slabs.
The rear side of the palace was redesigned in the XIXth century.

S. Maria della Cima, SS. Annunziata
(left) S. Maria della Cima; (right) SS. Annunziata

The old cathedral of Genzano is located at the top (It. cima) of the ridge surrounding the lake. A medieval church was most likely built upon a Roman temple overlooking the lake. The current building was given a different orientation (towards Via Appia) by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi who designed it in 1636.
SS. Annunziata is another historical church of Genzano which was part of an Augustinian monastery. Its façade was redesigned in 1786.

Main square on Via Appia
Modern main square on Via Appia and two of the three streets departing from it

The development of Genzano followed the pattern of the Tridente of Piazza del Popolo where three streets depart from the same point (an obelisk in Rome and S. Sebastiano, a church which was eventually pulled down to allow the enlargement of Via Appia, at Genzano). The most important street led to S. Maria della Cima and it was named after Livia Cesarini, the last of the family who married Federico Sforza. It was a hurried and secret marriage; in 1664 at the age of 18 Livia entered a nunnery, but a few years later she decided she did not want to spend her life as a nun. Notwithstanding the opposition of some relatives and with the help of Cardinal Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri, nephew of Pope Clement X, in 1673 Livia managed to leave the nunnery and to marry Federico Sforza who added the surname of his wife to his own.

Via Sforza
Via Sforza: (left) Palazzo Iacobini; (right) XVIIIth century building

The second street (the third leads to the olmata of S. Francesco) was named after the Sforza. It has some elegant XVIIIth century buildings including the house of Giovanni Iacobini who superintended the construction of Genzano Nuova, as the new development was called.

Twin fountains in the main street
Twin fountains in Via Livia

The development of Genzano Nuova was hampered by the lack of water. This was available from nearby springs in the territory of Nemi which at the time belonged to the Frangipane. Requests were made to Pope Clement XIII and Pope Clement XIV to exert their influence over the Frangipane to allow the construction of aqueducts. These were completed in 1774-78 and the help of the two popes was celebrated by Fontane Clementine, two identical fountains in Strada Livia.

Infiorata
Preparations for the Infiorata

I want to tell you about a feast that took place over the past few days in Genzano, a small village not far from Rome. It is called the Infiorata. Just imagine: all the streets are strewn and adorned with flowers – but don't think that the flowers are simply scattered around. Not at all! You wouldn’t even guess they are flowers: imagine some sort of carpets depicting a variety of things, and these all made of petals: baskets, vases, patterns and even a portrait of the Pope – simply extraordinary. The streets, the windows, the door frames were crowded with people. Letter by Nikolaj Gogol, a Russian novelist who spent many years in Rome. Translation by Alessandro Gallenzi.
On the first Sunday after Corpus Domini Strada Livia is covered with petals of flowers to form a sort of tapestry.

Fontana del Vino
Fontana del Vino

Today the starting point of the Tridente of Genzano is marked by a fountain with a tall column decorated with grape branches and thus called Fontana del Vino (Wine Fountain). It is a 1776 work by Virginio Bracci, son of Pietro Bracci, one of the most celebrated Roman sculptors of the first half of the XVIIIth century. Virginio Bracci designed Fontane Clementine too. For a fountain which actually pours wine see a page on Sagra dell'Uva at nearby Marino.

Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page:


Gensano castello amenissimo
Il nome di questo secondo castello, se provenga dal suddetto tempio di Diana, la quale fu detta ancora Cintia, cambiandosi poi da Cintiano in Gensano, non si sa indovinare, mentre alcuni popoli, che andavano a quel tempio, non trovando ivi luogo sufficiente, e compiacendosi dell'amenità del sito, quivi si fermavano, e poi forse vi abitarono. Egli è sommamente delizioso questo castello, oggi posseduto dalla nobilissima famiglia Cesarini; non solamente per il salutare clima, e per l'abbondanza di frutti e vini squisiti: ma ancora per l'amenità delle strade industriosamente formate come di verdeggianti e lunghi viali di giardini.
Vicino al luogo, ove si apre il profondo condotto del lago, che sgorga verso il basso della Riccia, era la famosa villa di Ottaviano Augusto, ora quasi sepolta; ma rimangono ancora alcuni maravigliosi avanzi di sassi quadrati, e di altre stupende reliquie di quella imperiale delizia. Poco lungi, ove ora è il convento de' frati Cappuccini, furono scoperti diversi acquedotti antichi creduti del tempo di Augusto e di Tiberio, e nel fondo di quel lago furono scoperte per opera del Card. Prospero Colonna, nel Pontificato di Martino V. due gran navi, e cavatane la poppa di una, si riconobbe l'ammirabile struttura di esse, e da alcune grosse lastre cavate dal fondo dell'acqua fu riconosciuto il nome di Tiberio, e che in quel lago si facessero de' combattimenti navali per delizia della nobiltà, e per esercizio della milizia Romana.

Next step in your tour of the Environs of Rome: Civita Lavinia


Pages on towns of Latium other than Rome In the Duchy of Castro: Farnese, Ischia di Castro, Valentano, Gradoli, Capodimonte, Marta In Maremma: Corneto (Tarquinia), Montalto, Canino A Pilgrim's Way: Via Francigena: Acquapendente, Bolsena, Montefiascone In and about Viterbo: Viterbo, Bagnoregio, S. Martino al Cimino, Tuscania, Bomarzo, S. Maria della Querce, Bagnaia, Orte, Vasanello, Vitorchiano From Civitavecchia to Civita Castellana: Civitavecchia, Tolfa, Allumiere, Oriolo Romano, Capranica, Sutri, Bassano, Monterosi, Nepi, Castel d'Elia, Civita Castellana From Bracciano to Viterbo: Manziana, Canale Monterano, Vejano, Barbarano, Blera, Vetralla Around Monte Cimino: Ronciglione, Caprarola, Carbognano, Fabrica, Corchiano, Vignanello, Vallerano, Soriano The Bracciano Lake: Bracciano, Trevignano, Anguillara At the foot of Monte Soratte: S. Oreste, Rignano, Faleria Land of the Romans' wives: Montopoli, Poggio Mirteto, Casperia, Cantalupo, Roccantica Sentinels on the Highway: Fiano Romano, Civitella S. Paolo, Nazzano, Torrita Tiberina, Filacciano, Ponzano Along Via Aurelia: Palidoro, Palo, S. Severa and S. Marinella A Walk to Malborghetto: Prima Porta, Malborghetto Branching off Via Cassia: S. Maria di Galeria, Formello, Isola Farnese To Nomentum and beyond: Mentana, Monterotondo, Palombara A Walk to Ponte di Nona: ancient monuments along Via Prenestina Via Appia Antica A short and delicious digression: Tivoli, Montecompatri, Monte Porzio Catone, Frascati, Grottaferrata, Marino, Castelgandolfo, Albano, Ariccia, Genzano, Velletri, Nemi, Rocca di Papa, Rocca Priora, Civita Lavinia (Lanuvio), Porto, Ostia Where the painters found their models: Anticoli Corrado, Castelmadama, Vicovaro, Arsoli Subiaco The Roman Campagna: Palestrina, Genazzano, Paliano, Anagni The Ernici Mountains: Ferentino, Alatri The Volsci Mountains: Valmontone, Colonna, Segni, Norma, Cori On the Latin Shores: Anzio, Nettuno, Torre Astura On the edge of the marsh: Sermoneta, Sezze, Priverno Circe's Cape: S. Felice, Terracina Veroli Branching off Via Flaminia: Riano, Castelnuovo di Porto, Morlupo, Leprignano (Capena)

Latium was enlarged in the 1920s with territories from the neighbouring regions: the map on the left shows the current borders of Latium; the map on the right has links to pages covering towns of historical Latium: in order to see them you must hover and click on the dots.

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