Rocca di Papa

Rocca di Papa
Country	Italy
region	Lazio
Metropolitan city	Rome  (RM)
Coordinates	41 ° 46 '  N , 12 ° 42'  E Coordinates: 41 ° 45 '43 "  N , 12 ° 42' 30"  E
height	680  m slm
surface	40 km²
Residents	17,341 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density	434 inhabitants / km²
Post Code	00040
prefix	06
ISTAT number	058086
Popular name	Rocchigiani
Patron saint	San Carlo Borromeo
Website	Rocca di Papa
Panorama from Rocca di Papa

Rocca di Papa is a town with 17,341 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019) in the metropolitan city of Rome in the Italian region of Lazio .

Surname

The name Rocca di Papa means something like "Castle of the Pope" and indicates the close historical connection to the Holy See . The residents and neighbors of the city usually only call them Rocca or ʹa Rocca in the dialect .

geography

Location of Rocca di Papa in the province of Rome

Rocca di Papa is 25 km southeast of Rome , 7 km southeast of Frascati and 14 km northwest of Velletri . It belongs to the Castelli Romani .

The old town is grouped around the eponymous castle ruin, which is located on a secondary peak of Monte Cavo , the second highest point in the Albanian Mountains . Many alleys are so steep that they cannot be driven by cars and are accessed via stairs. From Rocca di Papa you not only have a wide view, the place is also clearly visible from Rome in good weather. The municipality extends over an altitude of 390 to 956 m slm in the Maschio delle Faete.

The Vivaro district on the eastern slope of the Monti delle Faete belongs to the municipality.

Rocca di Papa is a member of the Comunità Montana dei Castelli Romani e Prenestini . It is also the administrative center of the Castelli Romani Natural Park.

The neighboring municipalities are Albano Laziale , Castel Gandolfo , Grottaferrata , Marino , Monte Compatri , Rocca Priora , Artena , Lariano , Velletri , Nemi and Ariccia in a clockwise direction .

geology

Monte Cavo as seen from Rocca di Papa (1910)

Rocca di Papa is located in a formerly volcanically active area, the so-called Vulcano Laziale , whose activity began around 600,000 years ago. The city itself sits on top of the caldera of the volcano, which began in a phase about 270,000 years ago. This caldera also includes the highest elevations of the Albanian Mountains, the Monte Cavo (950 m slm) and the Maschio delle Faete (956 m slm). The bottom of this volcanic crater is called Campi di Annibale, because Hannibal and his troops are said to have camped here . The Vulcano Laziale became extinct about 20,000 years ago. Thanks to the mineral-rich volcanic soils, the region of the Alban Mountains is particularly fertile and suitable for viticulture.

The community is located in earthquake zone 2 (medium risk).

traffic

Rocca di Papa is located on strada stadale SS 218 , which connects strada stadale SS 217 Via dei Laghi with strada stadale SS 215 Via Tuscolana . The next motorway exit is Monte Porzio Catone on the A1 motorway dir. 12 km away.

The nearest train station on the FR4 Rome-Albano regional line is in Marino , 5 km away. Until it was closed, Rocca di Papa had an end point on the Castelli Romani tram . The stop was connected to the old town by a funicular , which was discontinued in 1963. A new construction of the cable car is currently being planned.

Brief portrait

Johann Joachim Faber (1778–1846), Rocca di Papa (drawing)

The ruins of the fortress, which was destroyed in 1577, tower above the roofs. A steep and winding road leads up to it, the hairpin bends are connected by stairs and narrow paths. The heart of the city is the Piazza della Repubblica .

Below the fortress, which was conquered in 1328 by Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian , who moved with his army across the Alps to Rome for the imperial coronation, lies the Bavarian quarter (Quartiere Bavarese). Ludwig had a garrison moved here because the location on a ridge seemed strategically advantageous to him. The Bavarian presence has left its mark: The colors of Roccas are also white and blue.

In the 19th century, Rocca di Papa, which was already settled in antiquity, was one of the places in the Campagna Romana visited by numerous artists ; the town was often the subject of artistic representations.

Worth seeing are next to the Fortezza (the ruins), among others, the Chiesa del Crocifisso (Crucifixion Church), who in 1664 masterminded by the Baroque architects Antonio Del Grande built Duomo dell'Assunta , the Fontana della Barcaccia , the quarters dei Bavaresi (the Bavaria district ) and the Via Sacra .

Mainly wine, which enjoys a good reputation, is grown, as well as fruit and vegetables.

Population development

year	1881	1901	1921	1936	1951	1971	1991	2001	2011
Residents	3,063	4.023	4,420	5,280	6.351	7,877	11,142	13,014	15,600

Source ISTAT

politics

Mayor Emanuele Crestini died on June 20, 2019 as a result of a gas explosion in front of the town hall ten days earlier. The Vice Mayor Veronica Giannone has been in charge of official business since then.

Twin cities

• Diamante (Calabria) since 2010
• Landsberg am Lech since 1989

The writer Luise Rinser , who was born in Landsberg-Pitzling and lived for decades in Rocca di Papa, where she received honorary citizenship in 1986, initiated the establishment of this town twinning.

coat of arms

The coat of arms shows a silver tower with the letters R and P for Rocca di Papa on a red shield. The city colors are blue and white.

Web links

Commons : Rocca di Papa  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Rocca di Papa on www.comuni-italiani.it (Italian)
• Side of the Natural Park of the Castelli Romani (Italian)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.
2. ↑ Castelli Romani Natural Park
3. ↑ The emergence of Vulcano Laziale  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. pdf  
4. ↑ Castelli Romani Nature Park  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ^ Italian civil defense
6. ↑ Planning of the cable car in Rocca di Papa ( memento of the original from April 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
7. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT . Population statistics from the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica, as of December 31, 2011.
8. ↑ Homepage of the city ( Memento of the original dated May 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
9. ↑ Homepage of the city ( Memento of the original from February 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
10. ↑ Statute of the municipality  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 144 kB)