Formia

Formia
Country	Italy
region	Lazio
province	Latina  (LT)
Coordinates	41 ° 15 ′  N , 13 ° 36 ′  E Coordinates: 41 ° 15 ′ 19 ″  N , 13 ° 36 ′ 20 ″  E
height	19  m slm
surface	73 km²
Residents	38,026 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density	521 inhabitants / km²
Factions	Marànola, Trivio, Castellonorato, Penitro
Post Code	04023
prefix	0771
ISTAT number	059008
Popular name	Formiani
Patron saint	Sant'Erasmo and San Giovanni
Website	Formia
View of Formia

Formia (in ancient times Formiae ) is an Italian port city and a seaside resort in the province of Latina in the Lazio region with 38,026 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019). It is located 134 km southeast of Rome , 84 km northwest of Naples and 74 km southeast of Latina .

geography

Formia is located on the Gulf of Gaeta, on the Tyrrhenian Sea . 6 km south of Gaeta , on the ancient Roman road Via Appia between Fondi and Minturno . In the north, the municipality has a share in the Monti Aurunci Natural Park . Formia is a member of the Comunità Montana dei Monti Aurunci .

The districts of Castellonorato, Gianola, Maranola, Penitro and Trivio are partly already in the Monti Aurunci.

The neighboring municipalities are Esperia ( FR ), Gaeta , Itri , Minturno , Spigno Saturnia .

history

Castellone

Formiae belonged to since 338 BC To the Roman Republic , initially as civitas sine suffragio (without voting rights). 188 BC Its inhabitants became full Roman citizens. During the imperial era it became a colony under Hadrian as Colonia Aelia Hadriana Augusta . In 859 Formiae was destroyed by the Saracens . The inhabitants withdrew to two hill settlements, which were united in 1863 under the name Formia.

Formiae, on the Via Appia , was a popular place for the villas of wealthy Romans. In the late republic, Marcus Tullius Cicero stayed repeatedly on his Formianum , near which he stayed during the proscriptions in 43 BC. Was murdered. Other villa owners there were Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and Manius Aemilius Lepidus .

The remains of several such villas can be seen near Formia. Along the Via Appia there are several monumental tombs, the largest of which has been arbitrarily named Tomba di Cicerone ("Tomb of Cicero").

politics

Michele Forte ( PdL ) was elected mayor in April 2008. His center-right alliance also has the majority in the municipal council with 18 out of 30 seats.

View over Formia and the Gulf of Gaeta

Economy and Transport

Formia has been accessed from the Via Appia , today Strada Statale 7 , since ancient times . From this the SS 82 della Valle del Liri branches off, which connects Formia with Avezzano and the Autostrada del Sole A1 , exit Ceprano .

With the train station Formia the place is connected to the railway line Roma-Formia-Napoli . The station was one of 103 stations that, because of their importance, were operated by Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), Centostazioni S. p. A., managed and maintained. This company was incorporated into the FS operating division Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) in 2018 .

The main economic factors are tourism and fishing .

Twin cities

• Fleury-les-Aubrais
• Gračanica (Doboj)
• Haninge

Personalities

• Amadeo Bordiga (born June 13, 1889 in Resina ( Province of Naples ), † July 23, 1970 in Formia). He was the founder of the Italian Communist Party (KPI).
• Erasmus of Antioch (* around 240 in Antioch , † 303 in Formia)
• Marcus Tullius Cicero (born January 3, 106 BC in Arpinum, † December 7, 43 BC near Formia)
• Vittorio Foa (1910–2008), Italian politician, † in Formia
• Antonio Sicurezza (1905–1979), Italian painter, † in Formia

sons and daughters of the town

• Dino Fava (* 1977), Italian football player

• Luigi Purificato (* 1940; † 2014 in Kornwestheim), holder of the Federal Cross of Merit for integration work in the city of Kornwestheim (Baden-Württemberg).

literature

• Lawrence Richardson Jr .:  Formiae (Formia) Latium, Italy . In: Richard Stillwell et al. a. (Ed.): The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 1976, ISBN 0-691-03542-3 .

Web links

Commons : Formia  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Formia on www.comuni-italiani.it (Italian)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.