Mentana

History

Mentana is a town located in the region of Lazio in central Italy. The town's name in ancient times was Nomentum, to which the Via Nomentana led from Rome. According to Livy, the town was part of the Latin League, which went to war with Rome during the reign of Rome's king Lucius Tarquinius Priscus. Nomentum was one of a number of towns captured by Tarquinius. It was a Latin town, but was considered by some to be Sabine, and, like Fidenae and Ficulea, was excluded from the first region by Augustus, who made the Anio river its northern boundary. The city was part of the League defeated by Rome in the Battle of Lake Regillus, and was captured definitively in 338 BC. Subsequently, Nomentum received the status of civitas sine suffragio, and in its municipal constitution the chief magistrate bore the title of dictator, even in imperial times. Pliny and Martial often praised the fertility of its neighbourhood. This property contained a villa and vineyards, probably acquired just before his withdrawal from politics. In 741, it was briefly occupied by the Lombards, and the inhabitants moved to a new centre on the Via Nomentana, which was more easily defendable. On 23 November 799, it was the site of the meeting of Pope Leo III and Charlemagne. The Castle of Nomentum was a possession of the Roman family of the Crescenzi in the 10th and 11th century. In 1058 it was destroyed by the Normans, and the population was drastically reduced. The castle was acquired by the Capocci family, and later the Holy See entrusted it to the Benedictine monks of San Paolo fuori le Mura. In the 15th century, it was under the control of the Orsini family. In 1484, it was damaged by an earthquake. In 1594, it became a fief of the Perett family, first under Michele Perett of Venafro, and then in…

Most-observed species

• Yellow-legged Gull

  Larus michahellis J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  7,230
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  7,134
• Rose-ringed Parakeet

  Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) · Aves
  5,370
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  5,031
• Italian Sparrow

  Passer italiae (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  4,087
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,169
• Monk Parakeet

  Myiopsitta monachus (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  2,497
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,007

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2025-09-20
  4 km SSE of San Terenziano, Italy
• M 2.7 — 2025-05-08
  1 km NNE of Montecompatri, Italy
• M 3.2 — 2025-03-04
  3 km S of Bevagna, Italy
• M 3.1 — 2020-05-11
  7 km NNW of Rome, Italy
• M 4.6 — 2019-11-07
  2 km SW of Villavallelonga, Italy
• M 4.1 — 2019-09-01
  1 km N of Norcia, Italy