Soracte
Encyclopedia
Monte Soratte is a mountain ridge in the province of Rome
, Italy
. It is a narrow, isolated limestone
ridge with a length of 5.5 km (3.4 mi) and six peaks. Located some 10 km (6.2 mi) south east of Civita Castellana
and c. 45 km (28 mi) north to Rome
, it is the sole notable ridge in the Tiber
Valley. The nearest settlement is the village of Sant'Oreste
. Saint Orestes or Edistus, after whom the settlement is named, is said to have been martyr
ed near Monte Soratte.
The highest summit is 691 m (2,267.1 ft) above sea-level. The ridge is part of a 444 hectares (1,097.1 acre) Natural Reserve housing a variety of vegetation and fauna. It is also characterized by the so-called Meri, pits which can be up to 115 metres (377.3 ft) deep.
s, Capena
tes, Faliscan
s and Etruscan
s) for the cult of the God Soranus. Mount Soratte was mentioned by Horace
("vides ut alta stet nive candidum Soracte?" Carm. i. 9), and Virgil
, who stated that Apollo
was its guardian deity. In reality it was sacred to Dis Pater
and the gods of the lower world.
The hermitage of St. Sylvester is just below the summit. According to a legend, its church was founded by Pope Sylvester, who had taken refuge there to escape Constantine's persecution. The church houses 14th- and 15th-century frescoes. Another four hermitages are on the ridge.
The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie was built in 1835 over a pre-existing 16th-century edifice and houses a once highly venerated image of the Madonna.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
mentioned the peak in Italian Journey
, his diary of his travels through Italy from 1786–1788. He wrote that "Soracte stands out by itself in magnificent solitude. Probably this mountain is made of limestone and belongs to the Apennines."
During World War II, after the 8 September 1943 bombing raid of Frascati, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring
moved his headquarters from Frascati to the bunkers in Monte Soratte.
", as its profile seen from Magliano Sabina
recalls that of the former Italian duce wearing a helmet.
Province of Rome
The Province of Rome , is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. The province can be viewed as the extended metropolitan area of the city of Rome, although in its more peripheral portions, especially to the north, it comprises towns surrounded by rural landscape.-Geography:The Province of Rome...
, 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...
. It is a narrow, isolated limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
ridge with a length of 5.5 km (3.4 mi) and six peaks. Located some 10 km (6.2 mi) south east of Civita Castellana
Civita Castellana
Civita Castellana is a town and comune in the province of Viterbo, 65 km north of Rome.Mount Soracte lies about 10 km to the south-east.-History:...
and c. 45 km (28 mi) north to Rome
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...
, it is the sole notable ridge in the 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...
Valley. The nearest settlement is the village of Sant'Oreste
Sant'Oreste
Sant'Oreste is a comune in the province of Rome in the Italian region Lazio, located about 35 km north of Rome. It faces the Monte Soratte, which houses a Natural Preserve with the same name.-History:...
. Saint Orestes or Edistus, after whom the settlement is named, is said to have been martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
ed near Monte Soratte.
The highest summit is 691 m (2,267.1 ft) above sea-level. The ridge is part of a 444 hectares (1,097.1 acre) Natural Reserve housing a variety of vegetation and fauna. It is also characterized by the so-called Meri, pits which can be up to 115 metres (377.3 ft) deep.
History and sights
The area was used by the ancient Italic tribes of the area (SabineSabine
The Sabines were an Italic tribe that lived in the central Appennines of ancient Italy, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome...
s, Capena
Capena
Capena is a town and comune in the province of Rome, Lazio region . The town has borrowed its modern name from a pre-Roman and Roman settlement that was located three kilometres to its north....
tes, Faliscan
Falisci
Falisci is the ancient Roman exonym for an Italic people who lived in what was then Etruria, on the Etruscan side of the Tiber River. The region is now entirely Lazio. They spoke an Italic language, Faliscan, closely akin to Latin. Originally a sovereign state, politically and socially they...
s and Etruscan
Etruscan civilization
Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to a civilization of ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany. The ancient Romans called its creators the Tusci or Etrusci...
s) for the cult of the God Soranus. Mount Soratte was mentioned by Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
("vides ut alta stet nive candidum Soracte?" Carm. i. 9), and Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
, who stated that Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
was its guardian deity. In reality it was sacred to Dis Pater
Dis Pater
Dis Pater, or Dispater was a Roman god of the underworld, later subsumed by Pluto or Hades. Originally a chthonic god of riches, fertile agricultural land, and underground mineral wealth, he was later commonly equated with the Roman deities Pluto and Orcus, becoming an underworld deity.Dis Pater...
and the gods of the lower world.
The hermitage of St. Sylvester is just below the summit. According to a legend, its church was founded by Pope Sylvester, who had taken refuge there to escape Constantine's persecution. The church houses 14th- and 15th-century frescoes. Another four hermitages are on the ridge.
The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie was built in 1835 over a pre-existing 16th-century edifice and houses a once highly venerated image of the Madonna.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
mentioned the peak in Italian Journey
Italian Journey
Italian Journey is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's report on his travels to Italy from 1786–7, published in 1816–7. The book is based on Goethe's diaries...
, his diary of his travels through Italy from 1786–1788. He wrote that "Soracte stands out by itself in magnificent solitude. Probably this mountain is made of limestone and belongs to the Apennines."
During World War II, after the 8 September 1943 bombing raid of Frascati, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring
Albert Kesselring
Albert Kesselring was a German Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall during World War II. In a military career that spanned both World Wars, Kesselring became one of Nazi Germany's most skilful commanders, being one of 27 soldiers awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords...
moved his headquarters from Frascati to the bunkers in Monte Soratte.
Trivia
Mount Soratte was also nicknamed "Mount of MussoliniBenito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
", as its profile seen from Magliano Sabina
Magliano Sabina
Magliano Sabina is a comune in the Province of Rieti in the Italian region Latium, located about 50 km north of Rome and about 30 km west of Rieti...
recalls that of the former Italian duce wearing a helmet.