Nettuno
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the Italian town near Rome. "Nettuno" is also Italian for Neptune.
| Comune di Nettuno | |
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 Municipal coat of arms |
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| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Lazio |
| Province | Rome |
| Elevation | 11 m (36 ft) |
| Area | 71.46 km² (28 sq mi) |
| Population (as of 2007) | |
| - Total | 43,072 |
| - Density | 603/km² (1,562/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | Nettunesi |
| Dialing code | 06 |
| Postal code | 00048 |
| Frazioni | Cadolino, Canala, Cioccati, Padiglione, Piscina Cardillo, Pocacqua, Sandalo Di Levante, Tre Cancelli, Zucchetti |
| Patron | Madonna delle Grazie |
| Website: www.comune.nettuno.roma.it | |
Nettuno is a town and comune of the province of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy, 60 kilometers south of Rome. It is named in honour of the Roman god Neptune. A resort city and agricultural center on the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Mediterranean Sea it has a population of approximately 43,000.
It has a touristic harbour hosting about 860 boats and a shopping center, selling everything for fishing and sailing. There is also an extensive yacht club.
Nettuno is the city of the D.O.C. wine Cacchione.
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[edit] History and culture
The town was founded by the Saracens in the 9th century. It is a popular tourist destination today, where there are a well-preserved old quarter, the Borgo Medievale, with mediaeval streets and small squares, and the Sangallo Fort built in the 16th century.
It is an important center of pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Maria Goretti. In the shrine there is a crypt where lie the mortal remains of the saint. The church keeps also a priceless polychromed wooden statue of Our Lady of Grace, which is honoured by the town with a procession every year the first Saturday of May.
Nettuno has one of the most important Italian baseball teams, Danesi Nettuno often winner of the Championship. This game was taught to the local people during the Second World War by U.S. soldiers, who landed along the coasts for the Operation Shingle. The town has an American Cemetery and Memorial, where over 7,000 U.S. soldiers are buried.
The privately-owned Villa Costaguti-Borghese at Nettuno, built 1648, has extensive gardens in a landscape park designed about 1840, now protected as a nature reserve. The Borghese Gladiator was discovered at Nettuno.
A key feature of Nettuno is the "fort" - a medieval wall which goes around an entire neighborhood of stone-paved streets.
In the late 1980's, Nettuno figured prominently as a transit point for Jewish immigrants on their way to Israel or the United States. Since the Soviet Union and Israel did not have diplomatic relations, Italy agreed to serve as a staging ground for Jewish refugees to Israel from the Soviet Union. Upon entering Italy, refugees would file a petition with the Israeli consulate and await approval. Many Jews took advantage of this opportunity to petition the U.S. consulate for asylum to let them enter the United States on religious persecution grounds. Though the majority of Russian Jews settled in Rome and Ladispoli (a small city near Rome), a significant number of them, particularly those from the Ukrainian city of Odessa, chose Nettuno as their temporary home, perhaps due to its magnificent beaches and lively night scene. Other, much more insignificant Italian cities such as Santa Marinella also served as temporary homes, though they offered little beyond "Wheels of Immigration" - a pretzel-like snack as comfort to their visitors.
[edit] Famed Residents
- birthplace of Italian soccer legend Bruno Conti.
[edit] Other
In the domain of army, Nettuno has one of the biggest Poligono for the Italian Force, whose territory extends to the Province of Latina, and one of the most important Italian Police Schools, where especially police dogs are trained.
Nettuno is one stop south of Anzio on the local train from Rome.
[edit] Twin towns
[edit] External links
- Nettuno official website (Italian)
- Riserva Naturale Villa Borghese, Nettuno
- Airport Transfers from and to Rome
