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THE TOWN OF SANTA MARINELLA

Santa Marinella is a town of 16,727 inhabitants in the province of Rome.

It 'an elegant seaside resort, 7 m asl, 11819ab, famous for its fish that is caught daily by local fishermen, from clams to seafood, from mullet to shrimp. And 'situated in the stretch of coast from Santa Severa in Civitavecchia, the coast is rocky and sandy stretches little has been made bringing the sand from the sea each year trying to take away as much as possible. Precisely for this reason it was built during the mid-1900s, the great cliff, now home to many sea urchins. Modern seaside resort, is located where once the port was operating Etruscan and Roman Punicum, one of the three ports of the nearby Etruscan town of Cerveteri.

Unfortunately there are few traces of the ancient city scattered here and there along the vast territory. The original core of the city extends throughout the length of the sea and along the ancient Via Aurelia. The town is well connected to Rome and Civitavecchia by bus by train, the railway station is in fact quite central position, between the streets and shops and the sea. And just behind the railway line extending to new residential areas.

It is thought that instead of the small town of Santa Marinella arose in ancient times a city or at least an Etruscan stronghold of very remote date. Strange is that the Roman writers do not speak of this city. This silence was explained by the fact that the town could be lapsed even before the Romans conquered these shores, or that the Romans, in 'act of conquest,' were destroyed.

The maritime territory of Caere, after the Roman conquest, was crossed by the Via Aurelia. Itineraries and ancient maps marked as the most important stages: Lorium (in Castel di Guido), Baebiana (at Palidoro) For Turres (Statue), Alsium Castle (Palo), Pyrgi (Castello di Santa Severa) and Castrum Novum (Torre Chiaruccia ).

The coastline, full of coastal lakes with the sea and estuaries could provide berths for easy browsing oldest performed with vessels of small draft, but only after the next change of coasts, lakes and underground construction of larger vessels, we have, in the age of Trajan, the construction of the port of Centumcellae (Civitavecchia).However, the Itinerarium Maritimum Imperatoris Antonini, a pilot book of the age of Caracolla, in this coastal stretch provides a list of Positions on, ie, possible mooring: Pyrgi (28 miles from Porto, equal to Km 53.200); Panario (Pyrgi distance from 3 miles, equal to 4.400 km) site could be identified with the creek on the small promontory which juts out after peck at Km 57.600 dell'Aurelia, and where is located a Roman villa imperial Castrum novum (Panapio away from 7 miles, equal to 10.300 km), Torre Chiaruccia identifiable.

In the northernmost part of the coast there, just back from the sea, small and fortified settlements, identified in the Castrated Ponton and Castellina, facing north-east and north of Cape Linaro.Several large areas cemetery suggest a population concentrated in villages and spread of small extensions in the vicinity of the Tolfa mountains on the border with Tarquinia, perhaps to control internal traffic connected with the basin Metal tolfetano.The shrines, especially marked in this area have their own architectural decorations dating back to the moment of impact with the Greeks of mouth. A Pyrgi, Punta della Vipera and at the mouth of the stream of Cormorant, built the temples are associated with shipping and commercial activities. A dominant role of a political-military, it is recognized sanctuary Pyrgi, direct expression of the state of Caere, between 500 and 470 A.c. With the Roman conquest, half of the territory of Caere was confiscated and became state-owned agro public. The organization provides military-style fortified settlements on the coast, quickly reached the foundation of the Via Aurelia.Only after the war against Hannibal, the area chosen as a recreation area of the senatorial class city, began to be repopulated. Some reports of farms dating from the second and first century. A.c., with structures to be allocated to agricultural activities, allow the detection of a widespread rural population and the development of contemporary seaside villas that connected with the land of the hinterland, and often with large water tanks for fish farming, also had to perform a productive function.

ROMAN BRIDGES
In the area of Santa Marinella are preserved and still visible, some bridges of the Via Aurelia, the road linking Rome, Etruria and Liguria coast. It was probably founded after the colonies of sea Alsium, Pyrgi, and what Castrum Novum, which occurred between 273 and 247 a.C. E 'likely that the construction began in 241 a.C., when it was censor C. Aurelius Cotta. The remains of bridges, built in the late republican age, preserve traces of successive restoration and renovation. At Km 60.400 of the Via Aurelia is the "Bridge Largo Empire. " At Km 60.700, in a garden of palm trees, you can see the "Bridge of Via Roma. At Km 62.300 is the "Bridge of Vignacce.




VILLA ROMANA of Grottacce
At Km 58.200 of the Via Aurelia, on the small promontory on the sea, lie the remains of an imperial villa of otium which was originally to occupy a space of about an acre and a half. The seaside villa is identified by many scholars as the site of the ancient topography of the ancient port of Panapione.
The residential area, located on the upper floors, is destroyed by erosion of the sea and agents atmosferici. La large fish pond in front of the villa, divided by a series of indoor rearing tanks of fish and shellfish, which is connected to the sea through channels, is now submerged. The walls of the villa and cement materials recovered during the excavations and in the water in front, they assume that the first buildings date back to the middle of the century. a.C. and has been busy up to the sixth century. d.C.

VILLA of ULPIANO
The area, dominated by the Castello Odescalchi, The Romans built a great imperial villa purchased in the early third century. d.C., the jurist Ulpian. The archaeological discoveries made at random from 1838 revealed galleries, with waterfront balconies, rooms with mosaic floors and interesting groups of decorative statues, copies of original famous in antiquity. Today at the port of St. Marinella, near the Castle, are visible only in a few short sections of fence and brick walls, constituting part of the walls of the villa terrace.
The numerous sculptures decorate the gardens and had a porch, or viewpoint of the sea.




CASTRUM NOVUM
Roman maritime colony, raised in 264 a.C., was founded to defend the territory of Cerveteri north coast, perhaps repopulated under Caesar, as is mentioned in his inscriptions as Colonia Iulia Castronovana.
Located on the beach at Km 64.000 of the Via Aurelia, between Tower and Casale Chiaruccia Alibrandi, it is estimated that its extension should be about twelve hectares.
The excavations, which began in the eighteenth century. led to the discovery of imperial structures such as a theater, the Curia, an archive, housing, a suburban street with tombs, altar sacred to Apollo and a public aqueduct. Scrap of concrete and masonry structures in opus reticulatum and brick, and floor drains, are visible along the coast. Among the architectural and sculptural fragments found include a Herm of veiled Aspasia, a small statue of Bacchus, statues of emperors (Clodius Albinus, Lucius Verus) and, following the discovery in 1778, an interesting chest containing 122 coins' gold, dating from the I and II sec. d.C.
Materials from the Iron Age (ninth century a.C.) Etruscan and archaic document that the site was visited prior to the Roman era in which the landing point of Castrum Novum was already active in the Etruscan period.

CASTELLINA of MARANGONE
At km 67 of Via Aurelia, about a mile from the sea, on a hill called " La Castellina" to the left of the stream Marangone, there was an Etruscan town, 130 meters above sea level.
On top of the hill are the remains of an Etruscan settlement, surrounded by a wall that had to reach a perimeter of about 700 meters. Research on the territory led to the discovery of a section of internal road network and remnants of buildings adjacent to it.

NOTES on construction NOUVEAU
Between the end of 1800 and the first two decades of 900, developed and spread throughout Europe the figurative and architectural style called "Modernism"or "New Art".
There is no question of any one style because it diversified and enriched the nation according to their culture. Dominant motif of Art Nouveau is the pillar or pilaster element tower which characterizes a strong and definite impression of Basile and his school, which rifaranno most of the architects who worked in that period. The Liberty style, developed during the "Belle Epoque", between 1880 and the first world war.
One of the finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture in Santa Marinella Villa Bettina followed by other villas like Villa Emma, Cerrano house.

THE MUSEUM OF SANTA MARINELLA
The Civic Museum of Santa Marinella is situated in the village of Castle of Santa Severa, premises known as "The Powder Keg, " "The Fire" and "The House of Donkeys. " It is divided into two sections, teaching and exhibition, and has a laboratory of archeology.
The Education Department provides the major places of historical and archaeological interest of the township, also visible through scale model showing the Etruscan sanctuary, the city of Pyrgi and the Castle of Santa Severa. Part of the artwork is dedicated to the sea and includes models of warships and transports Etruscan, Greek and Roman, the reconstruction of a Roman amphora side of the ship, and a collection of old naval carpentry tools. The exhibition hall is equipped with audio-video equipment as well as a store and is designed to host conferences in other cultural activities.
The exhibition section was created with the aim of creating a center for conservation and documentation of archaeological finds in the depths of the ancient shoreline Cerite.
The Laboratory of Archaeology, with its wealth of teaching tools to illustrate aspects of ancient life and archaeological research, can participate in throughout the year, to experimental programs of introduction to archeology.

TIP OF THE VIPERA
The peculiarity of the coast is definitely the original archaeological site called Tip of the Vipera. It is the presence of an ancient Roman structure used as a very extensive murenario, its walls still emerging from the water, especially at low tide, archaeological monument is very extensive and consists of a set of rectangular areas inscribed in a perimeter, which is also rectangular largest size in the center of which stands a circular swimming pool. The ancient murenario, as you might imagine, gives the environment on which it stands and its circumstances, a fascinating and suggestive, and its tanks, still maintaining their original function, they offer fun and entertainment to those who want to try fishing in with the screen, because these environments, linked together by canals dug between the walls, creating a continuous movement of water acceptable to the marine fauna.

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS
August 15 - Festival of the Sea
The feast of Our Lady held the day of August, at Santa Severa, with a procession of boats on the sea. The religious festivities continue with the mass. It all ends with a fireworks display.

March 19 - Feast of the Patron
The center is lit with lights and animated by stalls and various performances. The event is also coupled with the horse race.