Everything about Valentano totally explained
Valentano is a town and
comune of the
province of Viterbo, in the
Lazio region of central
Italy. It is 33 km from the provincial capital,
Viterbo.
The placename is of uncertain origin. Some identify the town with an
Etruscan Verentum, others trace the name to
ontano, Italian for
alder, since alders cover the slopes of a nearby valley:
Valle Ontano becoming
Valentano.
History
Antiquity and High Middle Ages
The town is named for the first time in a manuscript of
813 in the
Farfa Register; starting in
844 a "Balentanu" appears in other documents of the abbey of San Salvatore on
Mt. Amiata. The land was definitely inhabited in prehistoric times, and important finds in the
Lake Mezzano and near Mt. Becco, Mt. Saliette, the Poggi del Mulino and Mt. Starnina seem to confirm the theories of historians, who identify the lake with the Lake of Statonia (
Lacus Statoniensis) described by
Seneca in his
Naturales Quaestiones and by
Pliny the Elder (
ii.209
,
xiv.67 and
xxxvi.168).
The Farnese
In the Renaissance period, the town fell under the dominion of the
Farnese family: it's to them that Valentano owes its fortress (
Rocca) and many of its churches.
In 1649, when the town of
Castro, capital of the
Duchy of Castro, was destroyed, Valentano became the natural center of the Castrense region and the custodian of its archives.
Modern times
In June of
1944, an artillery shell exploded in the "Portonaccio" gate, killing seven civilians who had taken shelter in it. The gate itself is a witness to the tragedy, since one of its stones is missing, but in
2004 a plaque was placed in the Via Trento e Trieste to commemorate all local victims of
World War II.
Main sights
- Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall)
- Porta Magenta, designed by Vignola
- Vitozzi Palace
- Cruciani Palace, birthplace of Paolo Ruffini
- San Martino lookout
- Museum of the Prehistory of Tuscia and of the Rocca Farnese
- Churches:
- Collegiate church of San Giovanni Evangelista
- Santa Maria
- Santa Croce
- Madonna del Monte
- Sanctuary of the Madonna della Salute
- Chiesa dell'Annunziata at Villa Fontane
- Sancta Maria ad Templum
- Chiesa dell'Eschio '
- Church of the Madonna della Pietà (also Madonna dell' Ospedale)
Natives of Valentano
Gaetano Amoroso
Ranuccio Farnese, Roman Catholic cardinal
Alessandro Guarnelli
Lino Lottatori
Alessandro Mazzinelli
Antonio Ongaro, 16th century poet
Paolo Ruffini, 18th century mathematician
Giordano Starnini
Celebrations and festivals
Good Friday: Procession of the Body of Christ ("Cristo Morto")
3d Sunday in May: Cedar Fair, instituted by the Farnese in 1461
August 14‑15 Agosto: Feast of the Assumption, with a Plowing Competition.
throughout the summer: various events, including the Palio of the Duchy of Castro, a historical pageant.Further Information
Get more info on 'Valentano'.
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