San Felice Circeo

Comune in Lazio, Italy

Coat of arms

Location of San Felice Circeo

41°17′N 13°08′E / 41.283°N 13.133°E / 41.283; 13.133CountryItalyRegionLazioProvinceLatina (LT)FrazioniBorgo Montenero, Colonia Elena, La Cona, Mezzomonte, Pantano Marino, San VitoGovernment

• MayorMonia Di Cosimo (Civic list)Area

^[1]

• Total32.63 km² (12.60 sq mi)Elevation

98 m (322 ft)Population

(31 May 2015)^[2]

• Total10,018 • Density310/km² (800/sq mi)DemonymSanfelicianiTime zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal code

04017

Dialing code0773ISTAT code059025 Patron saintSan Felice MartireSaint dayJuly 29WebsiteOfficial website

San Felice Circeo is a town and comune in the province of Latina, in the Lazio region of central Italy. It was an ancient city called Circeii. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").^[3]

It is included in the Circeo National Park. Sites include the Grotta Guattari, one of the oldest Neanderthal sites in Italy, in which remains of nine Neanderthals were discovered.^[4]

Capo Circeo Lighthouse is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the old town.

History

In the treaty signed between Carthage and Rome in 509 BC, the Carthaginians agreed not to harm Circeii.^[5]

In 209 BC, during the Second Punic War, Circeii was one of twelve Latin colonies to refuse any more military contributions towards Rome^[6] and in 204 it was severely punished as a result,^[7] by furnishing double the greatest number of foot soldiers they had ever provided and 120 horsemen, all chosen from the wealthiest of the inhabitants, and to be sent out of Italy. Also an annual tax was imposed.

The Roman Triumvir Lepidus was exiled here after his fall in 36 BC by his former colleague, and future Emperor, Octavian.^[8]

In September 1975 the so called Circeo massacre took place in San Felice Circeo, the murder and rape of two young women which received a lot of media attention in Italy.

References

^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
^ "Lazio" (in Italian). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
^ "Archaeologists discover remains of nine Neanderthals near Rome". The Washington Post. 8 May 2021.
^ Richard Miles, Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Mediterranean Civilization (London: Penguin Books, 2011), p. 94.
^ Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 27.9
^ Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 29.15
^ Jochen Bleicken, Augustus: The Biography Translated by Anthea Bell (London: Penguin Books, 2015), p. 198