Sabaudia is a coastal town on the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...

, in the

province of Latina The province of Latina () is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. Its provincial capital is the city of Latina. It is bordered by the provinces of Frosinone to the northeast and by the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital to the northwest. ...

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

, in central Italy. Sabaudia's centre is characterised by several examples of

Fascist architecture Fascist architecture encompasses various stylistic trends in architecture developed by architects of fascist states, primarily in the early 20th century. Fascist architectural styles gained popularity in the late 1920s with the ri ...

, as it was one of several towns built in the 1930s built on land reclaimed from swamps and wetlands under projects by Mussolini. Villa Volpi, a neoclassical seaside villa built in 1952 for Countess Nathalie Volpi of Misurata, is located on the sand dunes of Sabaudia.

History

In ancient Roman times, the extensive Villa of Domitian was built nearby and embellished by the emperor. Some of its remains have been excavated. Sabaudia is one of several towns built on the reclaimed marshland of the ancient

Pontine Marshes 250px, Lake Fogliano, a coastal lagoon in the Pontine Plain The Pontine Marshes ( , ; , formerly also ; [] by Titus Livius, [] and [] by Pliny the Elder''Natural History'' 3.59.) is an approximately quadrangular area of former marshland ...

(). This marsh was drained under orders from

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

. Vast tracts of malaria-infested swamp were drained by workers transported from poor areas of northern Italy, leaving the coastal area south of Rome with rich farmland. These towns were built so that the fascist regime could demonstrate the successful draining of the marshland, as well as to provide housing communities for the increasing urban populations of Italy's large cities. Architects Gino Cancellotti, Eugenio Montuori, Luigi Piccinato, and Alfredo Scalpelli were responsible for the town plan and many of the building. They had won a competition for the design of Sabaudia, sponsored by Mussolini. Work commenced on the town's construction on 5 August 1933 and was completed 253 days later. The town itself is based on a rectangular grid road layout and rationalist architecture. It was named after the then-reigning Savoy dynasty ().

Beaches

Sabaudia is well frequented by residents of Rome and Naples, as it is about halfway between the two cities. Sabaudia has 15 km of beach that were awarded the Blue Flag designation by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). The FEE grades a beach based on the quality of water, recycling and waste management practices, the presence of lifeguards, and the inclusion of pedestrian paths and green areas. Surrounded by the Circeo Forest, access is provided by a boardwalk along the entire coast.Beaches of Rome
Il Monte Circeo is a prominent landmark in the area.

Twin towns / sister cities

* Saint-Médard-en-Jalles, France *

El Vendrell El Vendrell () is a town located in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, in the wine-growing region of Penedès. It is wedged between the Mediterranean and the coastal range. El Vendrell is the capital of the Baix Penedès ''comarca'' and a t ...

, Spain

References

Sources

* *
The Beaches of Rome: Ultimate Guide
''dolcevespa.com.'' Retrieved 2019-07-08

External links

Sabaudia.net: Sabaudia website

The Beaches of Rome: Ultimate Guide
Cities and towns in Lazio Coastal towns in Lazio Italian fascist architecture Planned communities in Italy Populated places established in 1933 1933 establishments in Italy {{Latium-geo-stub