Atina, Lazio

Atina
Comune
Comune di Atina

Coat of arms
Atina
Location of Atina in Italy
Coordinates: 41°37′N 13°48′E / 41.617°N 13.800°E / 41.617; 13.800Coordinates: 41°37′N 13°48′E / 41.617°N 13.800°E / 41.617; 13.800
Country Italy
Region Lazio
Province Frosinone (FR)
Frazioni Capo di China, Colle Alto, Colle Melfa, Le Sode, Ponte Melfa, Rosanisco, Sabina, San Marciano, Settignano
Government
 • Mayor Adolfo Valente
Area
 • Total 490 km2 (190 sq mi)
Elevation 481 m (1,578 ft)
Population (28 February 2017)
 • Total 4,235
 • Density 8.6/km2 (22/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Atinati or Atinesi
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code 03042
Dialing code 0776
Patron saint San Marco Galileo
Saint day October 1
Website www.comune.atina.fr.it

Atina is a town and comune in the province of Frosinone, Lazio region of central Italy.

The economy is mostly based on agriculture (olive oil, wine – including Cabernet – and beans).

History

Atina was a town of the Samnites, later conquered by the Romans.

The church of San Marco with the annexed Roman ruins

Cicero speaks of it as a prosperous country town, which had not as yet fallen into the hands of large proprietors;[1] and inscriptions show that in the Imperial age it was still flourishing.[2]

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it was conquered by the Lombards, becoming part of the Duchy of Benevento in 702. Later it was ruled by the lords of Capua, the counts of the Marsi and those of Aquino, and, together with of most of the Comino Valley of the County (later Duchy) of Alvito. It remained part of the Kingdom of Naples until 1860.

Once a part of the Terra di Lavoro province, it was included in the province of Frosinone in 1929.

Main sights

The walls, of carefully worked polygonal blocks of stone, are still preserved in parts: their enclosure is larger than the modern town. One of these remains is a boundary stone relating to the assignation of lands in the time of the Gracchi, of which six other examples have been found in Campania and Basilicata.[2][3]

Other sights include:

  • The Gothic Ducal Palace was built in 1349 by Rostaino Cantelmo. The façade has three mullioned windows and an ogival portal with an ancient Roman relief. The "Noble Floor" has a mosaic from the 2nd century BCE.
  • The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, in Baroque style, was first erected in the 11th century on the remains of a temple dedicated to Saturn. The current Baroque style dates back to the 18th century. It has a nave, two aisles, and frescoes of St. John the Baptist, St. Thomas Aquinas and the Transfiguration painted by Teodoro Mancini (1796–1868).
  • The Convent of St. Francis (17th century), held by Franciscan monks until 1865, when it was abandoned. In 1871, it became property of the municipality of Atina.

Atina DOC

The alluvial marl vineyard soils around the ancient boundaries of Atina are home to a Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) zone specializing in red wines. The standard DOC red wine of Atina is composed of 50–70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10–30% each of Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet franc with other local red grape varieties such as Abbuoto permitted to make up to 15% of the blend. Wines labeled as Cabernet are composed of at least 85% of Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Cabernet franc. Grapes destined for DOC wine production must be harvested to a yield no greater than 12 tonnes/hectare with the finished wines needing to attain a minimum alcohol level of at least 12%. A separate Riserva bottling can be made of any DOC wine provided the wines have a minimum alcohol level of 12.5% and are aged at least two years prior to release.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Marcus Tullius Cicero (10 June 2004). Cicero: Letters to Atticus: Volume 2. Cambridge University Press. pp. 228–. ISBN 978-0-521-60688-2.
  2. 1 2  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Atina s.v. 2.". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 852.
  3. ↑ Lorenzo Quilici; Stefania Quilici Gigli (2001). Urbanizzazione delle campagne nell'Italia antica. L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER. ISBN 978-88-8265-184-8.
  4. ↑ P. Saunders Wine Label Language pp. 123 Firefly Books 2004 ISBN 1-55297-720-X

Further reading

  • Vizzaccaro, T. (1982). Atina e la Val di Comino. Cassino: Lamberti.


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