Anzio (, also , ) is a town and ''

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 ...

'' on the coast of the

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

region of Italy, about south 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 ...

. Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a

fishing port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the

Pontine Islands The Pontine Islands (, also ; it, Isole Ponziane ) are an archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Lazio region, Italy. The islands were collectively named after the largest island in the group, Ponza. The other islands in the archipe ...

Ponza Ponza (Italian: ''isola di Ponza'' ) is the largest island of the Italian Pontine Islands archipelago, located south of Cape Circeo in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is also the name of the commune of the island, a part of the province of Latina in th ...

, Palmarola, and

Ventotene Ventotene (; locally ; la, Pandataria or , from grc, Πανδατερία, Pandatería, or ) is one of the Pontine Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Gaeta right at the border between Lazio and Campania, Italy. The municipality ...

. The town bears great historical significance as the site of

Operation Shingle The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The op ...

, a crucial landing by the Allies during the Italian Campaign of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

History

Legacy of Antium

MNR 307 - Mosaico parietale da Anzio 1010467

The symbol of Anzio is the goddess

Fortuna Fortuna ( la, Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Roman religion who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular through the Middle Ages until at ...

, in reference to her veneration in the ancient

Antium Antium was an ancient coastal town in Latium, south of Rome. An oppidum was founded by people of Latial culture (11th century BC or the beginning of the 1st millennium BC), then it was the main stronghold of the Volsci people until it was conqu ...

, whose territory Anzio occupies a very important part; so that it retains the heritage of the ancient town in archaeological terms: the settlement of Antium, over the centuries, was certainly present in the area of modern Anzio (the Capo d'Anzio). In the Roman era the territory of Antium almost entirely corresponded to modern Anzio and nearby Nettuno.P. Brandizzi Vittucci, ''Antium: Anzio e Nettuno in epoca romana'', Roma, Bardi Editore, 2000. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

Antium was deserted in favour of Nettuno, which maintained the legacy of the ancient settlement.

Modern Era

At the end of the 17th century Innocent XII and Clement XI restored the harbour, not on the old site of the Roman one of

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unti ...

, but to the east of it, with the opening to the east, a mistake which leads to its being frequently silted up; it has a depth of about . The sea is encroaching slightly at Anzio, but some kilometres farther north-west the old Roman coast-line now lies slightly inland (see

Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest List of rivers of Italy, river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where ...

). A village arose and developed after the construction of the new harbour - completed in 1700 - with the Roman aristocracy discovering the area. In 1857 Pope Pius IX founded the modern municipality (''comune'') of Anzio, with the boundaries of Nettuno being redrawn to accommodate the new town; however, the official name of the new municipality was Porto d'Anzio until 1885. Anzio known a remarkable development as a seaside resort at the end of the 19th century.

World War II

Anzio, Italy - NARA - 68155237 (cropped)

From 1940 to 1945 Anzio was united with Nettuno in a single municipality (''comune''): Nettunia. Anzio and Nettuno are also notable as sites of an Allied forces landing and the ensuing Battle of Anzio during

The Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...

Anzio War Cemetery __NOTOC__ The Commonwealth of Nations Anzio War Cemetery is to be found about a kilometer from Anzio town in the Lazio region of Italy. It is located south of Rome. It should not be confused with the Sicily–Rome American Cemetery and Memor ...

and Beach Head War Cemetery are located here. In February 1944 American soldiers (the U.S. Fifth Army) were surrounded by

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

in the caves of Pozzoli for a week, suffering heavy casualties. A film based on the events called ''Anzio'' (1968, directed by

Edward Dmytryk Edward Dmytryk (September 4, 1908 – July 1, 1999) was an American film director. He was known for his 1940s noir films and received an Oscar nomination for Best Director for '' Crossfire'' (1947). In 1947, he was named as one of the Hollywoo ...

) was made, starring

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

and based on a book by

Wynford Vaughan-Thomas Lewis John Wynford Vaughan-Thomas (né Thomas) (15 August 1908 – 4 February 1987) was a Welsh newspaper journalist and radio and television broadcaster. In later life he took the name Vaughan-Thomas after his father. Early life and educat ...

On 18 February 1944, the British light cruiser was struck by two torpedoes off the coast of Anzio and sunk with a loss of 417 crew. In the same region

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

Eric Fletcher Waters of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

lost his life in battle while serving as a member of the 8th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), part of the 167th (London) Infantry Brigade of the

56th (London) Infantry Division The 56th (London) Infantry Division was a Territorial Army infantry division of the British Army, which served under several different titles and designations. The division served in the trenches of the Western Front during the First World Wa ...

which fought at Anzio for nearly six weeks. His son, Roger Waters, became the bassist and main lyricist of

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...

band, Pink Floyd. In his honour and remembrance Roger Waters recorded the song "

The Fletcher Memorial Home "The Fletcher Memorial Home" is a song by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd. The song appears on their 1983 album, ''The Final Cut (album), The Final Cut''. It is the eighth track on the album and is arranged between "Get Your Filthy Hands Of ...

", which is the maiden name of Eric Waters' mother. (Also see " When the Tigers Broke Free".)

Post-war

On September 14, 1948, a waterspout came ashore in the town, which threw a mobile home and threw a car “violently” into a tree. This tornado never received an official rating from the

European Severe Storms Laboratory The European Severe Storms Laboratory (ESSL) is a scientific organisation that conducts research on severe convective storms, tornadoes, intense precipitation events, and avalanches across Europe and the Mediterranean. It operates the widely con ...

, however, the La Stampa newspaper wrote an article how it was “exceptionally violent”. According to La Stampa, a wooden and brick home was completely destroyed, ten homes had their roofs completely torn off, and about 50 large pine trees were completely uprooted. The tornado caused several million lire in damage.

Main sights

Along the coast are numerous remains of Roman villas. One, the ''Domus Neroniana'', has been identified as a residence of

; him and Caligula were born in Antium and, according to Giuseppe Lugli, right there ("one or more villas of the Julia gens"). There are also the ruins of the villa of

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

. In Anzio can be found the

, located close to the Communal Cemetery and Beachhead Museum. The Beach Head War Cemetery is located 5-kilometre north on the No207 Road. The Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial is in nearby Nettuno. About north of the town there is a WWF park with sulphur springs and a medieval tower, Tor Caldara. Near the ruins of the Villa of Nero, in scenic position near the beach, lies the military sanatorium of the

Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

, one of the most important works of

Florestano Di Fausto Florestano Di Fausto (16 July 1890 – 11 January 1965) was an Italian architect, engineer and politician who is best known for his building designs in the Italian overseas territories around the Mediterranean. He is considered the most important ...

, built in 1930–33. All along the coast a large number of beaches and sea resorts can be found, including hotels and the famous fish restaurants of the port of Anzio. The town once hosted a

Casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

called Paradiso sul mare, that is no longer active and now hosts cultural events. In the southern part of Anzio, close to the border with Nettuno, are many Italian art nouveau style houses.

Transportation

The town is connected to Rome by the Via Nettunense (SS207), the

Via Ardeatina The Via Ardeatina (Ardeatine Way) was an ancient road of Rome leading to the town of Ardea, after which it is named. Ardea lay 24 miles (39 kilometers) distant from Rome.L. Quilici and S. Quilici Gigli, R. Talbert, Sean Gillies, Tom Elliott, and ...

(SS601) and by the Roma-Nettuno railway that connects Anzio with Roma Termini in around 1 hour. The railway line also stops in the stations of Padiglione, Lido di Lavinio, Villa Claudia, Marechiaro, Anzio Colonia to the north of Anzio. Ferries and hydrofoils connect Anzio to

Notable people

These are some notable Anzio residents. * Roberta Mancino, skydiver * Caligula, Roman emperor, born in Antium *

, Roman emperor, born in Antium

Twin towns – sister cities

Anzio is twinned with: * Bad Pyrmont, Germany * Paphos, Cyprus *

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, United States * Caen, France

Notes

External links

Official website
.

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080611072101/http://battlefieldseurope.co.uk/ww2it.aspx Illustrated article on the Battle of Anzio at Battlefields Europe
Anzio in the history

{{authority control Coastal towns in Lazio Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy Anzio