If ancient and medieval archeology are the focus of our traveler, then this urban itinerary through the town of Lanuvio is the place for them. According to the myths, the ancient town of Lanuvium was founded around the XII century b.C. with theories on its birth being based on two different figures: a Greek-Argonaut theory that attributes it to Diomede, son of Tideo and another that sees the Trojan Fabio Pittore, who landed in Italy after the Trojan War, as the protagonist.

Lanuvio was well known in ancient times for the presence of a big Shrine built in the first half of the VII century b.C. dedicated to Giunone Sospita; the shrine was regarded as the most famous in the region for the worship of the goddess. The shrine’s archeological site can be found in Villa Sforza Cesarini park – an interesting Liberty style villa from the first half of the XX century now home of the Municipal Library – and is the reason for the presence of three cylindrical blocks made out of peperino which present scale incisions, most likely linked to the cult of the snake, widespread in ancient times and worshiped by the people of Lanuvium as mentioned by Eliano and Properzio. This cult included a ritual celebrated during Spring, where a group of young blindfolded virgins would offer flat bread to a giant snake that lived in a cave in order to insure its blessing for fertile soil: according to this hypothesis, the not so distant Pantanacci archeological site – currently found between the towns of Lanuvio and Genzano di Roma – is none other than the famous cave where the sacred snake resided. In support of this theory is the fact that hundreds of ex voto were found in the Pantanacci cave as an offer to the cave deity from its believers: they range from crockery to anatomical votive offerings, among which a previously unknown type of oral cavity, unique in the national landscape and displayed in the dedicated room at the Museo Diffuso, definitely stands out.

In the afternoon, our traveler can explore the streets of Lanuvio’s medieval hamlet, to discover the aforementioned Museum Diffuso. The end of the old Lanuvium was marked by the decree of Tessalonica (380 b.C.) which declared Christianity as the Empire’s official religion, thus prohibiting the worship of pagan deities and shutting down their temples, including the one dedicated to Giunone Sospita. This is how we move onto the medieval history of Civita Lavinia, founded mid-X century a.C. by Benedictine monks, who built five towers, all still standing in their entirety. Among these towers stands out the picturesque Torre Maschia, part of the city walls in Via della Libertà and made up of a thick cylindrical body with an external crenelated walkway. Also known as the Tower of Porta Romana, it’s adorned with the emblem of Pope Vittore III, who was probably responsible for rebuilding the town. The tower belonged to the heirs of Collonna of Palestrina until the XV century; it was then passed onto the Cesarini family and it was used as a prison in the XVII century. Today, visitors can see the narrow prison cell and, right under it,  the remains of a roman water tank that’s missing the traditional coverage in cocciopesto (lime mortar with crushed pottery/bricks) and which appears because of it, all the more evocative.