Falacrine ( or ; ) was a village of Ancient Rome that was the birthplace of the emperor

Vespasian Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...

(9–79 AD).

Location

The location of Falacrine has been the subject of debate. The village is described as lying just beyond Reate (modern

Rieti Rieti (; , Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 47,700. It is the administrative seat of the province of Rieti and see of the diocese of Rieti, as well as the modern capital of the Sabina region. T ...

), in the

Sabine The Sabines (, , , ; ) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains (see Sabina) of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divided int ...

hill country northeast of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. According to local tradition before the 16th century, it was between Greccio and Contigliano. However, local historian Mariano Vittori believed that Falacrine lay near Cittareale, in the

province of Rieti The province of Rieti () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lazio region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rieti. Established in 1927, it has an area of with a total population of 157,887 people as of 2017. There are 73 ''comuni'' (: '' ...

. Latini found ruins in Collicelle, a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' of Cittareale that he thought were Falacrine. However, in

Amatrice Amatrice (; Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Rieti, in the Italian region of Lazio, and the center of the food-agricultural area of Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. The town was devastated by a p ...

it's believed that Falacrine lies in the ''frazione'' of Torrita, above the valley of the same name. Others have suggested that it lies in

Antrodoco Antrodoco ( Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Rieti, in the Lazio region of central Italy. The name derives from the Latin Interocrea (between the mountains). Geography Antrodoco is located along the Velino river, in the c ...

Paganico Sabino Paganico Sabino is a (municipality) in the Province of Rieti in the Italian region of Latium, located about northeast of Rome and about southeast of Rieti. Paganico Sabino borders the following municipalities: Ascrea, Collegiove, Marcetelli, ...

. In 2009, archaeologists unearthed a large first-century villa near Cittareale that they identified as Falacrine.

References

Atti Del Congresso Internazionale Di Studi Vespasianei
(Italian language article on the location of Falacrine) {{coord, 42, 35, 37, N, 13, 10, 14, E, region:IT-RI_type:city_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Roman towns and cities in Italy it:Falacrine