Campagna Di Roma
Encyclopedia
The Roman Campagna or just Campagna, is a low-lying area surrounding Rome
in the Lazio region of central Italy
, with an area of approximately 2100 square kilometres (810.8 sq mi).
It is bordered by the Tolfa
and Sabatini mountains to the north, the Alban Hills
to the southeast, and the Tyrrhenian Sea
to the southwest. The River Tiber
and Aniene
runs through the area.
During the Ancient Roman
period, it was an important agricultural and residential area, but it was abandoned during the Middle Ages
due to malaria
and insufficient water supplies for farming needs. The pastoral beauty of the Campagna inspired the painters who flocked into Rome in 18th and 19th centuries. During that time, the Campagna became the most painted landscape in Europe (see Gallery below). An excursion into the Roman countryside was an essential part of the Grand Tour
.
The region was reclaimed in the 19th and 20th centuries for use in mixed farming, and new settlements have been built. Starting with the 1950s, the expansion of Rome destroyed large parts of the Campagna, all around the city. The only continuous green area where the natural resources of the region were saved from overbuilding is along the Appian Way
.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in the Lazio region of central Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, with an area of approximately 2100 square kilometres (810.8 sq mi).
It is bordered by the Tolfa
Monti della Tolfa
The Monti della Tolfa or "Tolfa Mountains" are a volcanic group in the Anti-Apennines of the northern part of the Lazio region of central Italy. They are bounded by the Tyrrhenian Sea coast to the west, by the Monti Sabatini to the east, and by the Monti Cimini and the Mignone river to the north...
and Sabatini mountains to the north, the Alban Hills
Alban Hills
The Alban Hills are the site of a quiescent volcanic complex in Italy, located southeast of Rome and about north of Anzio.The dominant peak is Monte Cavo. There are two small calderas which contain lakes, Lago Albano and Lake Nemi...
to the southeast, and the Tyrrhenian Sea
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy.-Geography:The sea is bounded by Corsica and Sardinia , Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria and Sicily ....
to the southwest. The River Tiber
Tiber
The Tiber is the third-longest river in Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Umbria and Lazio to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It drains a basin estimated at...
and Aniene
Aniene
-External links:* http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/horaces-villa/glossary/Anio.gloss.html*...
runs through the area.
During the Ancient Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
period, it was an important agricultural and residential area, but it was abandoned during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
due to malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and insufficient water supplies for farming needs. The pastoral beauty of the Campagna inspired the painters who flocked into Rome in 18th and 19th centuries. During that time, the Campagna became the most painted landscape in Europe (see Gallery below). An excursion into the Roman countryside was an essential part of the Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
.
The region was reclaimed in the 19th and 20th centuries for use in mixed farming, and new settlements have been built. Starting with the 1950s, the expansion of Rome destroyed large parts of the Campagna, all around the city. The only continuous green area where the natural resources of the region were saved from overbuilding is along the Appian Way
Appian Way
The Appian Way was one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, Apulia, in southeast Italy...
.