Castelletto (district)

Castelletto District
Marino Comune
A glimpse of Via Sant'Antonio. On the left, the church of Sant'Antonio da Padova.
A glimpse of Via Sant'Antonio. On the left, the church of Sant'Antonio da Padova.
Interactive map of Castelletto District
CountryItaly
RegionLazio
ProvinceRome
ComuneMarino
Postal code
00047

Castelletto is a district of the city of Marino, in the province of Rome, within the Castelli Romani area. It is considered the oldest district of Marino, as it likely occupies the site of the ancient Roman municipium of Castrimoenium.

History

The Marino territory was likely controlled first by the Crescenzi,[1] then by the Counts of Tusculum,[2] and finally, at the decline of their power at the dawn of the 12th century, by the Frangipane.[3] The first documentary evidence of the existence of Marino, namely of a "castro qui vocatur Mareni" (a fortified settlement called Mareni), dates back to 1114. At the time, the settlement, fortified (castrum), must have coincided with the current Castelletto: the fortified character of the place also explains the district's toponomy, handed down through the centuries. The expansion of the settlement beyond the original early medieval core of Castelletto, and the formation of the Santa Lucia and Coste neighborhoods, can be dated to the beginning of the 13th century, concurrently with the construction of the church of Santa Lucia (attributed to the devotion of Jacoba of Settesoli, c. 1190–1239) and the so-called Rocca Frangipane, to which the round towers of Piazza Giacomo Matteotti can be traced.[1]

Upon the extinction of the Frangipane, the fiefdom passed to the Orsini in 1266.[4][5] Under their rule, Marino experienced several significant military events: a (failed) siege in 1247 by the Ghibelline Henry of Castile; another siege (also unsuccessful) by the "tribune of the people" Cola di Rienzo in 1347; a third siege (this time successful) by the papal mercenaries of Alberico da Barbiano and Giacomo Orsini in 1378, during the first phase of the Western Schism, on the sidelines of the Battle of Marino.[5] The Orsini, and in particular Giordano Orsini in the second half of the 14th century, therefore devoted special attention to the restoration of the walls of Marino. During this phase, Porta Giordana was opened, a fortified access to the town facing northeast, and the area of the so-called "Camere Nove" (New Rooms) was added to Castelletto, between Via Paolo Mercuri and Via Giuseppe Garibaldi.[5]

Due to political uncertainty in the Papal States due to the Western Schism, Marino at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries was subject to numerous alternating events: the castle changed hands, often through the use of arms, in 1385, 1399, 1404, 1405, 1408, and 1415, until in 1417, after the resolution of the Schism at the Council of Constance and the election of Pope Martin V, the pope's family, the Colonna, purchased the castle from its last owner, Cristoforo Caetani, Count of Fondi.[6]

In the first half of the 16th century, Ascanio I Colonna commissioned a major urban development project in Marino, likely on the occasion of the visit to Rome by Emperor Charles V of Habsburg (Ascanio's father-in-law) in 1532.[6] As part of this project, Castelletto was gutted with the opening of Via Roma, a new straight road connecting the under-construction Palazzo Colonna, designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger,[7] on the model of the Farnese complex of Caprarola, and Via Romana. Probably Via Paolo Mercuri was also opened, or at least straightened, during this phase, within the framework of creating a road network centered on the new Colonna palace.[8]

Beyond Porta Romana, close to the northern section of the walls of Marino, the Giardini Colonna complex was also established, attached to the hunting lodge (a complex that was later expanded at the end of the 16th century). Beyond the gardens, the suburb known as “delle Grazie”—named after the church of the same name—began to develop; today it is called the Borgo Garibaldi neighborhood but is known in the Marino dialect as "For de Porta" (Outside the Gate), precisely because it was external to the ancient wall circuit which was by then abandoned. After the Basilica of San Barnaba opened for worship (1662), the ancient church of San Giovanni Battista, the first parish church of Marino, was abandoned and incorporated among the houses. The district began to lose its socio-political centrality in favor of the new 17th-century urbanization of Corso Trieste and the area once known as "For de Mura" (Outside the Walls).[9]

One of the two bakeries in Castelletto operated under community ownership from 1816. This bakery was called "di Sant'Antonio", a place name that still remains in the neighborhood’s current toponymy. The community-run—and thus public—monopoly on bread production in Marino allowed for the maintenance of reasonable prices for this vital foodstuff even after the “liberalization” of the wheat and bread trade decreed by Pius VII in 1801:[10] in other places, however, this freedom generated an uncontrolled increase in the price of grain and consequently of bread, leading to social tensions (in the Castelli Romani, the bread riots of 1837 in Albano, Ariccia, Frascati, and Nemi).[10]

During World War II, Marino was hit hard by Anglo-American aerial bombardments following the landings at Anzio (22 January 1944), along with the rest of the Castelli Romani. In addition to the first major bombardment on 2 February 1944, which razed Palazzo Colonna and many neighboring buildings to the ground, causing the highest number of civilian casualties, Castelletto was hit by aerial fragments and land artillery on 27 May (7 deaths in Via Roma) and 30 May (with more casualties in Vicolo dell'Archetto).[11]

Monuments and places of interest

Religious architecture

Former church of San Giovanni Battista

The church of San Giovanni Battista was probably the oldest Christian place of worship in Marino. Founded around the 12th century,[12] it became inadequate with the expansion of the town, and in the first half of the 17th century, its parish was merged with that of the other parish church of Marino, the 13th-century church of Santa Lucia (now the site of the Umberto Mastroianni Civic Museum) and moved to the current Basilica of San Barnaba (built in 1640–1662). In 1669, the Diocese authorized the reduction of the church to secular use:[12] it became a hospital under the Abbey of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata,[13] and was finally incorporated among the houses of Piazza San Giovanni.

The exact location of the church was reconstructed thanks to the studies of the architect Vincenzo Antonelli.[14][12] Traces of the church's central nave[12][13] are visible inside a private courtyard in Via Gioacchino Rossini, along with the walls of what must have been side naves or chapels.

Church of Sant'Antonio da Padova

This small Catholic place of worship was built in 1638 to serve as a local oratory,[15] and was likely entrusted to the Confraternita della Carità (Confraternity of Charity), one of the numerous confraternities active in Marino.[15]

Urban planning

Castelletto is characterized by an orthogonal street grid typical of Roman military settlements, the main argument for locating Castrimoenium on this site. The hypothetical forum of the ancient castrum should coincide with the current Piazza San Giovanni, the Cardo would follow the axis of Via Gioacchino Rossini–Via Sant'Antonio, and the decumanus would follow that of Via San Giovanni–Vicolo dell'Archetto.[9]

14th-century interventions did not alter the previous urban planning: Porta Giordana was simply opened, a second gate in addition to the older Porta Romana (the latter perhaps coinciding with the hypothetical porta Mediana of Castrimoenium, whose existence is attested by documentary sources), and an urban addition was made, traditionally called "Camere Nove" by the residents of Marino, organized along the spine of the current Via Giacomo Carissimi. The gate probably took its name from Giordano Orsini, lord of Marino until his expulsion by his son Giacomo, which occurred after the Battle of Marino in 1378, as part of the struggle between papalists and anti-papalists during the Western Schism (1378–1417).[9]

This orthogonal organization was disrupted by 16th-century urban developments. Via Roma was opened, known at the time as "Strada Nuova" (New Road), a triumphal access to the castle directly from Rome, closed by the scenic backdrop of the staircase of Palazzo Colonna. Via Paolo Mercuri was also probably opened during this phase, connecting the palace and Porta Giordana, which has as its architectural backdrop the portal of the eastern facade of Palazzo Colonna, originally conceived by the designer Antonio da Sangallo the Younger as the main one.[9] It is also considered possible that the palace designers intended to create a trident of streets centered on the palace,[4] of which only two were built (Via Roma and Via Paolo Mercuri; the western front of the palace remained unfinished).[9][16]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Moroni 1844, p. 48.
  2. ↑ Devoti 2002, p. 13.
  3. ↑ Tomassetti 1976, vol. IV p. 185.
  4. 1 2 Tomassetti 1976, vol. IV p. 186.
  5. 1 2 3 Devoti 2002, p. 21.
  6. 1 2 Armati 2004, pp. 38–44.
  7. ↑ Rufo 1991, pp. 137–138.
  8. ↑ Montagnani 2000, p. 41.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Rufo 1991, p. 127.
  10. 1 2 Tomassi 2006, pp. 22–24.
  11. ↑ Negroni 1945, pp. 29–30.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Ticconi 1999, pp. 181–182.
  13. 1 2 Il Marinese 1954, p. 37.
  14. ↑ Antonelli 1975, pp. 68–70.
  15. 1 2 Onorati 2015, p. 79.
  16. ↑ Tomassetti 1976, pp. 224–232.

Sources cited

  • Antonelli, Vincenzo (June 1975). "Individuata tra le case l'"antica chiesa" di S. Giovanni Battista a Marino" [The "Ancient Church" of S. Giovanni Battista in Marino Identified Among the Houses]. Castelli Romani. Vicende, uomini, folclore. XX (6): 68–70.
  • Armati, Carlo (2004). "Interventi urbanistici a Marino in occasione della visita di Carlo V" [Urban Interventions in Marino on the Occasion of Charles V's Visit]. Il Tesoro delle città. Strenna dell'Associazione Storia della Città: 38–44.
  • Devoti, Luigi (2002). Palazzo Matteotti a Marino [Palazzo Matteotti in Marino] (1st ed.). Marino: Banca di Roma.
  • "Il Marinese". Il Marinese (37): 37. 12 December 1954 [December 12, 1954].
  • Montagnani, Mara (March–April 2000). "Il Palazzo Colonna di Marino" [The Colonna Palace in Marino]. Castelli Romani (2): 41.
  • Moroni, Gaetano (1844). Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica [Dictionary of Historical-Ecclesiastical Erudition]. Vol. XLII (1st ed.). Venice: Tipografia Emiliana.
  • Negroni, Zaccaria (1945). Marino sotto le bombe [Marino Under the Bombs]. pp. 29–30.
  • Onorati, Ugo (2015). La chiesa di Sant'Antonio di Padova a Marino [The Church of Sant'Antonio di Padova in Marino]. Marino: Archeoclub d'Italia - Sezione "Colli Albani".
  • Rufo, Vittorio (1991). Marino. Immagini di una città [Marino. Images of a City]. Ciampino: Banca di Roma.
  • Ticconi, Dimitri (1999). Chiese della diocesi di Albano [Churches of the Diocese of Albano]. Rome: Edizioni Mitertheva.
  • Tomassetti, Giuseppe (1976) [1910]. La Campagna Romana antica, medioevale e moderna [The Roman Campagna Ancient, Medieval, and Modern]. Vol. IV (reprint ed.). Rome.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Tomassi, Paola (2006). La rivolta per il pane del 1837 ad Albano, Ariccia, Frascati e Nemi [The Bread Revolt of 1837 in Albano, Ariccia, Frascati, and Nemi]. pp. 22–24.

Further reading

  • Bedetti, Alessandro (2000). Dall'Antiquarium al Museum Civico [From the Antiquarium to the Civic Museum]. Marino: Comune di Marino.
  • Calabrese, Ferdinando (1981). Marino e i Colonna (1500 - 1800) [Marino and the Colonna (1500 - 1800)]. Rome: De Luca Editore.
  • Cappelli, Giovanna (1989). La Raccolta Archeologica di Palazzo Colonna a Marino [The Archaeological Collection of Palazzo Colonna in Marino]. Marino: Cassa Rurale ed Artigiana "San Barnaba" di Marino.
  • Di Bello, Claudia (2021). "Nuovi elementi per la storia di S. Lucia a Marino: il contributo degli arredi liturgicio" [New Elements for the History of S. Lucia in Marino: The Contribution of Liturgical Furnishings]. Hortus Artium Medievalium (27): 443–445.
  • Lovrovich, Giovanni; Franco Negroni (1981). Lo vedi ecco Marino [There, Look, It's Marino]. Marino: Tipografia Palozzi.
  • Lucarelli, Antonia (1997). Memorie marinesi [Memoirs of Marino]. Marino: Biblioteca di interesse locale "G. Torquati" della Pro Loco di Marino.
  • Marocco, Giuseppe (1835). Monumenti dello Stato Pontificio e relazione topografica di ogni paese [Monuments of the Papal States and Topographical Report of Every Town]. Vol. VII (1st ed.). Rome.
  • Moroni, Gaetano (1840). Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica [Dictionary of Historical-Ecclesiastical Erudition]. Vol. XLIII (1st ed.). Venice: Tipografia Emiliani. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  • Nocenzi, Maria Angela; Vittorio Rufo; Ugo Onorati (2011). Il lascito Giani e le Madonnelle di Marino [The Giani Legacy and the Little Madonnas of Marino]. Marino: Biblioteca Civica "Vittoria Colonna".
  • Onorati, Ugo (2016). Leggende e miracoli nella tradizione popolare di Marino [Legends and Miracles in the Popular Tradition of Marino] (PDF) (1st ed.). Marino: Archeoclub "Colli Albani". Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  • Paris, Tonino (1981). L'area dei Castelli Romani. Gli insediamenti storici dei Colli Albani [The Area of the Castelli Romani. The Historical Settlements of the Alban Hills]. Rome: Officina Edizioni.
  • Piazza, Carlo Bartolomeo (1703). La gerarchia cardinalizia [The Cardinal Hierarchy]. Rome: Stamperia del Bernabò. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  • Raggi, Oreste (1844). Sui colli albani e tusculani: lettere al cavaliere Luigi Poletti [On the Alban and Tusculan Hills: Letters to Knight Luigi Poletti] (1st ed.). Rome: Crispino Puccinelli. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  • Rufo, Vittorio; Dania Fanasca; Valerio Rufo (2010). Una Storia in Comune. Marino nel Regno d'Italia dal 1870 al 1926 [A History in Common. Marino in the Kingdom of Italy from 1870 to 1926]. Vol. I. Marino: Comune di Marino.
  • Rufo, Vittorio; Alessio Caracci; Edoardo Scialis; Dania Fanasca (2023). Una Storia in Comune. Marino - L'ascesa del Regime dal 1927 al 1935 [A History in Common. Marino - The Rise of the Regime from 1927 to 1935]. Vol. II. Marino: Comune di Marino.
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