Cassino

Sister cities

• Užice
• Ortona
• Cavarzere
• Olinda
• Tychy
• North York
• Senglea
• Karlovy Vary
• Venafro
• Casino
• Falaise
• Steglitz-Zehlendorf

History

Cassino's roots lie in the settlement of Casinum, the last city of the Latins, of Umbrian or Venetic sited atop the hill of Cassino near Monte Cairo, to the north. Casinum passed under the control of the Volscians first and then the Samnites, Eventually Sabini (a Volsci branch and Umbrian/Venetic origins) On July 23, 1230, the city was the site of the signing of the peace between Pope Gregory IX and Frederick II, which took place in the church of San Germano. On 9 September 1349, San Germano was destroyed by a large earthquake, which also seriously damaged the abbey. The reconstruction took place in 1366, at Pope Urbano V's will. During the Renaissance era Cassino lay on the northern frontier of the Kingdom of Naples, which was dominated by Spain. In 1504, during the Second Italian War, the French attempted to capture the town in the Battle of Cassino, but failed. On May 15–17, 1815, the town was the set of the final cruel battle of the Neapolitan War between an Austrian force commanded by Laval Nugent von Westmeath and the King of Naples, Joachim Murat. The so-called "Battle of San Germano" ended with the Austrian victory. On July 28, 1863 the name of the town was officially reverted to "Cassino". In the same year the town was reached by the rail system. Cassino was part of the Province Terra di Lavoro (meaning "Land of Work") until 1927, when the Province of Frosinone was founded. On May 21, 1930 a cable car leading from the town to the Abbey in 7 minutes, covering a vertical drop of over , was inaugurated, but then dismissed. In World War II, after southern Italy was invaded by the Allies, the Germans entrenched around the German Gustav Line, which, in its southern tip, was anchored around the mountains behind Cassino and made the town was the site of fierce…

Geography

Cassino is located at the southern end of the region of Lazio and at the northern end of the historical region called Terra di Lavoro. The city centre is set in a valley at the foot of Monte Cassino and Monte Cairo. Cassino is distant from Rome, from Naples, from the beach (Gulf of Gaeta) and from the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. The town is crossed by the Rivers Gari and Rapido that join themselves in the area of the Varronian Thermal Baths; forward, in the frazione of Sant'Angelo in Theodice, the Gari joins the Liri, becoming Garigliano, the river that marks the border between the regions Lazio and Campania. Because of its valley location, Cassino is often foggy in the winter, with chilly rainfalls. Summers are generally quite warm and humid.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  59
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  42
• Italian Wall Lizard

  Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810) · Squamata
  38
• Italian Sparrow

  Passer italiae (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  37
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  35
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  27
• False-acacia

  Robinia pseudoacacia L. · Magnoliopsida
  22
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21

Most recent

• M 4.5 — 2026-07-31
  0 km WSW of Torre Caracciolo, Italy
• M 4.4 — 2026-07-24
  5 km WNW of Pizzone, Italy
• M 4.1 — 2026-05-21
  2 km E of Procida, Italy
• M 4.1 — 2025-11-18
  16 km ESE of Ventotene, Italy
• M 4.4 — 2025-10-25
  3 km WNW of Summonte, Italy
• M 4 — 2025-10-24
  0 km SSE of Torrioni, Italy