Palestrina

(PBÆNESTINENSIS)

a historical city

When U.S. airmen flew over in World War II and bombed part of the town, they never imagined their actions would launch Palestrina as an important tourist attraction. After the debris was cleared, a pagan temple (once one of the greatest in the world) emerged: the Fortuna Primigenia, rebuilt in the days of the empire but dating from centuries before. In Palestrina you'll also find a Duomo dating from 1100, with a mostly intact bell tower.

Palestrina predates the founding of Rome by several hundred years. It resisted conquest by the early Romans and later took the wrong side in the civil war between Marius and Sulla. When Sulla won, he razed every stone in the city except the Temple of Fortune and then built a military barracks on the site. Later, as a favourite vacation spot for the emperors and their entourages, it sheltered some of the most luxurious villas of the Roman Empire. Its most famous child was Pier Luigi da Palestrina, recognized as the father of polyphonic harmony.


 

The original city, like the present day one, was situated on the slopes of the Monte Ginestro, the last foothills of the central Apennines. From this position Palestrina could control the roads of travel and communication between north and south, thus resulting in the city's wealth and power. To understand Palestrina's history and culture, one must simply look at the local monuments and archaeological ruins. They indicate Palestrina's existence as early as the 9th century BC., and in 338 the city participated in the Latin war against Rome (which divested Palestrina of part of its history, but led to the recognition of its autonomy). Monuments from the middle ages give evidence that Palestrina was ruled by the Colonna family who were at war with the Pope; and Palestrina's Temple of Fortune was discovered only after bombardments in the city centre during the Second World War. Over the years Palestrina has been a cultural centre for artists and writers. In 1525 Giovanni Pierluigi, the prince of polyphonic music, was born in Palestrina. In 1895/97 the Mann brothers, Thomas and Heinrich, visited Palestrina and subsequently wrote about the lives and practices of the city's inhabitants. The following sights and monuments are located in Palestrina are of particular importance and interest
  • The National Archaeological Museum is housed in the Barberini Palace (dating from the 16th century) where the Mosaic of the Nile is conserved along with the Capitoline Triad
  • The Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia
  • The Church of Santa Rosalia
  • The historic centre where the following monuments are located - The Episcopal Seminary, the Roman Treasury, the Piazza Regina Magharita, the Porta del Sole  and the Porta Can Martino
  • The Prince's Gardens, the Strada del Sole (the Roman Basolata) and the Propileo (the monument entrance to the original city)
  • The Catherdral of Sant' Agapito Martire which was constructed on a pagan, Roman age edifice. Inside there are paintings by Sermoneta
  • The original residence of  Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (dating from the 16th century) and home of a vast collection of sacred music
  • The valley of Cannuceta, a biotype of protected environment and location of natural water sources channelled by Roman and Renaissance aqueducts. In addition to these principle attractions there are many other charing places to see such as the Convent of San Francesca, the Borgo steps, the ancient Via Prenestina and the Fonte Ceciliana.

The Cathedral of Sant' Agapito

The cathedral was dedicated to Sant' Agapito, a young Praenestino of the Anicia family and a follower of Christianity during the reign of Aureliano. The original nucleus of the church, consisting of squared tuff boulders date back to the 4th century BC, was constructed over ruins of a pagan edifice. It was located where the present day nave is situated. The 12th century Cardinal Conone commissioned the cathedral to be enlarged according to Roman style. Over the course of time, many other modifications were made, giving the cathedral its present appearance. Inside the cathedral there are paintings by Sermoneta, Siciolante and Bruschi, as well a a reproduction of the Pietà di Palestrina by Michelangelo

 

 

Start on Via degli Arcioni, and walk up the incline to the town centre. The much-changed Duomo with fragments of a Roman road at the top end of the right aisle and a copy of Michelangelo's Pietà di Palestrina - the original, is now in Florence. And the stepped streets of the place are appealing enough for some casual strolling. But  climb to the top of the town for the main attraction - the Palazzo Colonna-Barberini , which houses the Museo Nazionale Archeologico Prenestino (daily 9am-1hr before sunset; €3 (pensioners get in free - you'll need identification). Originally built in the eleventh century and greatly modified by Taddeo Barberini in 1640, this occupies the uppermost level of the Temple of Fortune, now largely modernized inside and containing a slightly faded display of artefacts. Among a number of Roman pieces, there's a torso of a statue of Fortune in slate-grey marble, a recently found sculpture, Il Triade Capitolina , other bits from the temple, and funerary cistae much like those displayed at the Villa Giulia in Rome.

At the top, the museum's prize exhibit is the marvellous first-century BC Mosaic of the Nile , which depicts the flooding of the river with a number of Egyptian scenes of life along the waterway from the source to the delta. Look closely and you'll notice a wealth of detail: there's a banquet going on under the vines on the left, soldiers and priests are grouped in front of the Serepaeum on the right, while the source of the river among the mountains is pictured at the top of the mosaic, where hunters and wild animals, labelled with Greek lettering, congregate. Outside the museum, your ticket admits you to the top terrace of the temple, the ruins of which command fine views over the surrounding countryside.

 

 

More on Palestrina - a useful link, including pictures

 

Home