Itri

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Comune di Itri
Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Lazio
Province	Latina (LT)
Mayor	Giovanni Agresti
Elevation	170 m
Area	101 km²
Population
- Total (as of December 31, 2004)	9,198
- Density	86/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	41°17′N, 13°32′E
Gentilic	Itrani
Dialing code	0771
Postal code	04020
Patron	Madonna della Civita
- Day	July 21
Website: www.itri.it

For the Turkish composer from the 17th century, see Buhurizade Itri.

Itri is a small city in the central Italian region of Latium and the Province of Latina.

Itri is an agricultural centre divided in two parts by a small river, the Pontone. It lies in a valley between the Monti Aurunci and the sea, not far from the Gulf of Gaeta. The more ancient part, with the Castle, was partly destroyed during World War II.

The Itrani speak a particular variant of the Neapolitan dialect, the Itrano.

Contents 1 History 2 Main sights 3 Patron saint 4 External links

[edit] History

The first direct documetnary record of Itri appeared in 914, but settlements in the neighbourhood existed from prehistoric times. The name derives from the Latin word iter, meaning "route" or "way", appropriate since the city lies where the old Roman Via Appia, built in 312 BC, crosses the Monti Aurunci by way of a narrow pass, the Gola de San Andrea, called by Charles Dickens a “noble mountain pass.” Other scholars say it stemmed from the cult of the Eastern God Mithra, as there is a large subterranean temple dedicated to him a few hundred meters south of the town. Still another theory is that it derives from the Greek for snake "hydra," pronounced in some dialects as "itra." In Roman times Itri would have been no more than a post station, a role that it continued to perform until well into the nineteenth century; in Borbone times Itri was the 12th of 18 posting stations going south from Rome to Naples.

In the Middle Ages the population grew, and three lines of walls were built to protect the people living around the castle. Itri was part of the duchy of Gaeta and was a possession of the Dell'Aquila family, dukes of Fondi. In modern times Itri was part of the Kingdom of Naples. In 1503 Consalvo of Cordova defeated the French army under the command of the Duke of Nemours there.

The famous Michele Pezza, popularly known as Fra Diavolo, was born in Itri in about 1770-1771. Pezza fought as a guerrilla leader against French invaders in 1798-1799 and again in 1806, until captured and executed.

During World War II, Allied bombing destroyed 75% of the city edifices.

[edit] Main sights

• The notable Castle, which commands all the neighbouring valley. It has a square tower merloned wall, attributed to Duke Docibilis I of Gaeta (882), to which his grandson Marinus II added a polygonal tower. A third tower, nicknamed del Coccodrillo ("Crocodile") is site in a lower position, directly over Via Appia. A third line of wall is from the mid-13th century.
• The church of San Michele Arcangelo (11th century), in Arabic-Norman style.
• The 12th century bell tower of the destroyed church of St. Maria Maggiore, with Byzantine art-style decorations.

The Sanctuary of the Madonna della Civita is located 3 km from the city on a mountain once devoted to the Roman God Mercury with a splendid panorama. It houses a holy image of the Virgin, which, according to the legend, was painted by St. Luke. It was crowned here by Pope Pius VII, and again by Pius IX in 1877. King Ferdinand II of Naples visited the place in 1849.

[edit] Patron saint

The Madonna della Civita ("Madonna of the Old City") is patron of the city, whose festival is celebrated on July 21.

[edit] External links

• Comune di Itri Official site (in Italian)
• Comuni-Italian Information on Italian Cities and Towns