| Comune di Aquino | |
|---|---|
 Municipal coat of arms |
|
| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Lazio |
| Province | Frosinone (FR) |
| Mayor | Antonino Grincia |
| Elevation | 106 m (348 ft) |
| Area | 19 km² (7 sq mi) |
| Population (as of December 31, 2004) | |
| - Total | 5,301 |
| - Density | 279/km² (723/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | Aquinati |
| Dialing code | 0770 |
| Postal code | 03031 |
| Patron | Saints Thomas of Aquino and Constantius |
| - Day | March 7 and September 1 |
| Website: www.comune.aquino fr.it | |
Aquino is town and comune in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region of Italy, 12 km northwest of Cassino.
Contents |
History
The ancient Aquinum was a municipium in the time of Cicero, and made a colony by the Triumviri. It was crossed by the Via Latina. Aquinum was the birthplace of the poet Juvenal and of the emperor Pescennius Niger. Aquino's patron saint is San Costanzo, or St. Constantius (different from St. Constantius of Perugia). St. Thomas Aquinas was born in the castle of Roccasecca, 8 kilometres northwards.
Main sights
One of the gates through which the Via Latina passed, now called Porta S. Lorenzo, is still well preserved, and there are remains within the walls (portions of which, built of large blocks of limestone, still remain) of two (so called) temples, a basilica and an amphitheatre. Outside, on the south is a well-preserved triumphal arch with composite capitals, and close to it the 11th-century basilica of Santa Maria Libera, a building in the Romanesque style, but now roofless. Several Roman inscriptions are built into it, and many others that have been found indicate the ancient importance of the place, which, though it does not appear in early history, is vouched for by Cicero and Strabo.
References
- E. Grossi, Aquinum (Rome, 1907)
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01662b.htm - Catholic Encyclopedia article
