San Vito Romano

Sister cities

• Sankt Veit im Mühlkreis

History

In antiquity, the area was inhabited by the Italic population of the Equi (Aequi), whose territory stretched along the Aniene valley as far as Varia (present-day Vicovaro). Many assume that the town derives from a settlement that existed in Roman times known as Vitellia. This is due to Suetonius mentioning the existence of a colony called Vitellia in the area, named after the gens of Vitellia. He states that the Vitelli stood up against the Equi on their own in order to the defend the settlement. Pliny the Elder, and Stephen of Byzantium. However there is no archaeological evidence to link today's settlement of San Vito Romano to the ancient city of Vitellia. In the 9th century AD, the territory was destroyed by the Saracens, who invaded the coastline and hinterland of Latium as far as the Sublacen territory. Those who escaped the raids took refuge on the mountain where San Vito Romano stands today, using the natural cavities in the area as a refuge. Here, with the help of the Benedictine monks, the inhabitants rebuilt the town centre that revolved around a fortress built on the top of the cliff: the name Castrum Sancti Viti appears in a document of the Prenestina curia and is probably due to the choice made by the Benedictine monks to rename it after "Saint Vito". who engaged in other struggles with the papacy, equipped the castle with new fortification works, surrounding it with a road called ‘La Difesa’, with guard functions, along which armed sentries circulated. The name was officialized in the decree that follows; ‘However, in order that such an office may proceed with all the regularity that is desired, it seems to me necessary to provoke a Royal Decree so that an appellation may be added to this municipality of ours with which to distinguish it from other…

Most-observed species

• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  252
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  176
• Stinking Hellebore

  Helleborus foetidus L. · Magnoliopsida
  144
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  136
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  127
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  122
• Butcher's-broom

  Ruscus aculeatus L. · Liliopsida
  115
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  110

Most recent

• M 4.4 — 2026-07-24
  5 km WNW of Pizzone, Italy
• M 2.7 — 2025-05-08
  1 km NNE of Montecompatri, Italy
• M 4.1 — 2024-12-09
  3 km SSE of Formia, 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 3.4 — 2019-06-23
  1 km WSW of Gallicano nel Lazio, Italy