Trevignano Romano is a small town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in the

Metropolitan City of Rome Metropolitan City of Rome Capital () is an area of local government at the level of metropolitan city in the Lazio region of Italy. It comprises the territory of the city of Rome and 120 other ''comuni'' (: ''comune'') in the hinterland of the c ...

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 ...

, central

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. With a population of about 5,000, it is located on the volcanic

Lake Bracciano Lake Bracciano () is a lake of volcanic origin in the Italian region of Lazio, northwest of Rome. It is the second largest lake in the region (second only to Lake Bolsena) and one of the major lakes of Italy. It has a circular perimeter of appr ...

. It is about away from

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, ...

History

The presence of people in the area dates back to the

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

, as shown by the La Marmotta settlement in the nearby

Anguillara Sabazia Anguillara Sabazia is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy, around northwest of Rome. It nestles on a small cape on the coast of Lake Bracciano; its medieval center and its beach make it a popular destinatio ...

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization ( ) was an ancient civilization created by the Etruscans, a people who inhabited Etruria in List of ancient peoples of Italy, ancient Italy, with a common language and culture, and formed a federation of city-states. Af ...

were settled in the area for a long while: tombs from the 8th - 6th centuries BC have been found in the hills north of Trevignano; well-preserved artifacts from two of these tombs are on display at the local Roman Etruscan Museum. In 387 BC when

Veii Veii (also Veius; ) was an important ancient Etruscan city situated on the southern limits of Etruria and north-northwest of Rome, Italy. It now lies in Isola Farnese, in the comune of Rome. Many other sites associated with and in the city-st ...

fell, the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

conquered the whole area and eventually built many villas on the lakeshore, some now below water. The magnificent imperial thermal spa and villa in Vicarello and the Aqueduct of Trajan were built later. During the

Medieval Age In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

, Trevignano was owned by the

Prefetti di Vico The Prefetti di Vico nel Lazio, Vico was the name of an Italian nobility, Italian noble family, of Germans, German origin, who established themselves in history of Rome, Rome from the 10th century. History They obtained the title of ''praefec ...

and the

Orsini Orsini is a surname of Italian origin, originally derived from Latin ''ursinus'' ("bearlike") and originating as an epithet or sobriquet describing the name-bearer's purported strength. Notable people with the surname include the following: * Aaro ...

and defended by a fortress, build on the top of the city and destroyed during the war between the Borgia and the Orsini Family. Later the city became property of some important Roman families:

Odescalchi The House of Erba-Odescalchi () and the House of Odescalchi are branches of an Italian noble family formed by the union of the Erba and Odescalchi families. The Odescalchi family was, since the election of Benedetto Odescalchi as Pope Innocent ...

, Del Grillo, Cybo Malaspina, Conti,

Torlonia 200px, Coat of arms of the House of Torlonia, part of the History_of_Auvergne.html" ;"title="Italian nobility of French descent, hailing from the region of History of Auvergne">Auvergne The House of Torlonia, the Princes of Civitella-Cesi, is th ...

, Ginori Conti and Del Drago. The castle was erected around 1200 by order of

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...

, and later reinforced by the

. It once had three layers of massive walls, but the siege of

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was a Cardinal (Catholic Church)#Cardinal_deacons, cardinal deacon and later an Italians, Italian ''condottieri, condottiero''. He was the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI of the Aragonese ...

in 1497 and subsequent earthquakes have reduced the structures to a state of poor repair.

Tourism

Trevignano Romano has considerably fewer inhabitants than the other two major towns overlooking Lake Bracciano, which are Anguillara Sabazia and Bracciano. Trevignano Romano does not have a train station either. These two characteristics have made the town much less a destination for internal emigration from the city of Rome and more of a tourist destination. The village faces south, enjoying a mild climate year-round. Trevignano Romano's lakefront promenade, about a mile long and filled with gardens and bistros, is one of the most pleasant places to spend a few hours around Lake Bracciano. A visit to the historic center should include the free-access Roman Etruscan Museum in Vittorio Emanuele III Square. Those who enjoy walking can climb to the top of the stone hill overlooking the historic center, where the remains of the Orsini Fortress, dating back to at least the 13th century, are located. From here there is a splendid view of Lake Bracciano. Trevignano Romano has been awarded the Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club, relating to its historical-environmental heritage and tourist facilities. For five consecutive years, Trevignano Romano has also been awarded the Blue Flag, an international recognition that sanctions the quality and cleanliness of the water and shoreline.

The case of Gisella Cardia

On April 10, 2023, the

visionary A visionary, defined broadly, is one who can envision the future. For some groups, visioning can involve the supernatural. Though visionaries may face accusations of hallucinating, people may succeed in reaching a visionary state via medita ...

declared that she had seen the Madonna appear before her, however the news does not confirm this.

References

External links

Official website

A Local's Guide to Visiting Trevignano Romano
Cities and towns in Lazio Castles in Italy {{Lazio-geo-stub