Itri's History

The ‘paese’ (means village in Italian) has ancient origins and a long history with two main original cores.The first is along the Via Appia (Appian Way) while the other is nestled on the hill around the massive castle built between the 10th and 11th century. Ancient stones- stairs give access to the attractive urban area around Itri’s castle and are one of the most interesting elements of the village.

Passing through arches and narrow streets the traveler can almost feel all the centuries of history all around.Itri’s origins are really old as the area was inhabited since prehistoric ages. Later on the Ausoni, an Italic tribe of mysterious origins occupied the hilly territories around before Rome’s occupation. Nevertheless, it was only in the Roman age that the village grew in importance.

      The church of
  S. Michele Arcangelo

Placed along the ancient Via Appia, the Regina Viarum (The queens of all roads for the Romans) Itri was a necessary stop-over for travelers and pilgrims traveling towards south from Rome. During the Roman age the population was still very small, mainly few traders and shepherds trading their goods with travelers. Itri was a simple postal interchange where to rest and change their horses to continue their journey, a kind of large inn with few houses around. Only in medieval ages the population increased with a real urban nucleus around the castle which started as a simple fortified tower. The village remained really small until 40 to 50 years ago’. Approaching from Via Appia Nuova the castle lies on the top of the steps opposite the Murat’s Fountain (1811).

Before Italy’s unification and for centuries, the castle was only a ruin, a victim of both time and the 2nd World War’s conflict. Today it has been restored and brought back to its majesty. The surrounding walls are massive and in its higher section there are two large towers, one of square shape and another polygonal one. The castle presents also other minor circular towers around the suggestive central square inside.In its lower section there is a third cylindrical tower linked to the castle main body by a spectacular descending wall. This is called the ‘Crocodile’s tower’. Old tales recounts that the lords living in the castle invented a cruel capital sentence. They punished the war prisoners or whoever was found guilty to death by throwing them from the tower in the canal surrounding the castle for the joy of a huge crocodile.

The castle officially dates back to period after the Lombards’ age when the Italian peninsula, including the lower Lazio was heavily invaded by this powerful German tribe. The name of Itri appears already in the 9th century during the age of Gaeta’s Dukedom. In 1073 the castle became the official property of the powerful Count of Fondi and then passed on to the Dell’Aquila family after which was sold by Federico II to the influential Caetani family in 1234 AD. The Caetani, one of the most important medieval families in central Italy developed the castle to the greatest extent.

This first urban settlement was then surrounded by three strong defensive walls with other towers and doors in part still visible today. At the time of Gaeta’s golden age (inserisci link with articolo 4. Gaeta: enchanting scenery of a mediaeval beauty) Itri was part of the Dukedom acting as Gaeta’s defensive stronghold on the way to the mountains towards the internal territories. After the dukedom’s fall, Itri became a possession of the powerful Dell’Aquila’s family, lords of Fondi. Starting from the 16th century when the raids of pirates became less frequent, the village started expanding again outside the defensive walls along the Via Appia.