About the collection
Southern Lazio is a region whose character is not always immediately apparent. Its towns, landscapes and traditions are the result of centuries of change, often connected to events far beyond the region itself. This collection brings some of those stories together, offering the context that helps explain the places we see today.
Every place has a history, but not every history is easily found. Much of Southern Lazio’s past is recorded in local publications that rarely reach a wider audience, most of them available only in Italian. Historians and researchers helped put these accounts into context, while local people shared their knowledge of the places they call home. Through reading and conversation, I gradually came to appreciate how much there was to learn about the region.
The stories range from the ancient world and the rise of Christianity to the old frontier between Rome and Naples, brigandage and emigration, art and cinema, local traditions and the landscapes that continue to shape life here today.
Each can be read independently. Together, they offer a growing portrait of Southern Lazio, to enjoy before a journey or while getting to know the region.
Italy's forgotten heart
Italy’s forgotten heart is the opening story of the collection. It introduces a region that today lies largely outside the familiar routes of international tourism, although this was not always the case.
Long before tourism became an industry, the landscapes south of Rome attracted painters, writers and travellers from across Europe. They came in search of antiquity and the celebrated landscapes of Italy, but many became equally fascinated by the people and places they encountered along the way.
The chapter explores how a region once familiar to travellers gradually faded from view, and provides the historical and cultural context for many of the stories that follow.
Ciociaria: a remarkable cast
Art, literature, music, cinema and intellectual life reveal an extraordinary cast of people connected with Southern Lazio. Some were born here; others carried family roots or associations with the region into very different worlds.
Together, their stories reveal a cultural history far richer — and more widely connected — than these towns and villages might suggest.
From a cave to Montecassino
A young man leaves Rome and retreats to a cave above Subiaco. What begins as a search for solitude becomes a lesson in living with others, leading Benedict to found Montecassino and write a Rule that would travel across Europe.
His legacy survives in more than monasteries. It helped shape the towns, countryside and daily life of Southern Lazio, where the places connected with his journey can still be visited.
La Ferreira
At Rosanisco, below Atina, wine is made inside an ironworks built for the Bourbon kingdom. La Ferriera began with mines, waterpower and an ambitious attempt to bring modern industry to the Valle di Comino.
Its furnace operated for only a few years, but the buildings survived and eventually found an unexpected second life. It is a history shaped by industrial ambition, enterprising families and fine wine—turning La Ferriera into a rare account of enterprise, reinvention and confidence in what this valley could produce.
There is more to explore
Browse the complete collection of stories about the people, places and ideas connected with Southern Lazio.
EXPLORE THE COLLECTION →