Sezze

Sister cities

• Lioni
• Kozármisleny

History

According to a legend, the mythical hero Hercules founded the city after his victory over the Lestrigones, a population of giant cannibals living in southern Lazio. The town coat of arms features the white Nemean lion, which Hercules slew in the first labor. The historical Setia appeared around the 5th century BC as the Volscan settlement member of the Latin League. It became a Roman colony in 382 BC His intention was probably to cultivate grapes for wine production. In the early Middle Ages, Sezze experienced trouble due to its location near the main road of communication. But in 956 it was freed from the Papal authority and organized itself as a commune with its own laws. Later, several popes sojourned in Sezze, including Gregory VII (1073), Paschal II (1116) and Lucius III (1182). The semi-autonomous status lasted until, after decades of skirmishes and wars with neighboring Sermoneta and Priverno, Sezze was conquered by the troops of the Caetani family in 1381. After 12 years, the Setini revolted and exterminated the occupiers and, once free, they returned to the Pope's protection. In 1656, after suffering the ravages of plague and raids from Spanish and Austrian troops, the population was reduced by half. In 1690, one of Italy's first academies, the scientific-literary Academy of the Abbozzati, was founded in Sezze. In 1798 all of Lazio was occupied by French troops. The Setini rebelled, exterminating the garrison: they avoided a bitter revenge only by paying a large sum of money. In the late 19th century the city was annexed to the newly formed Kingdom of Italy. During World War II, American bombardment destroyed some churches and buildings in the historical center.

Most-observed species

• Great Cormorant/European Shag

  Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  436
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  397
• Gray/Purple Heron

  Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  360
• Little Egret/Western Reef-Heron

  Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  354
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  325
• Eurasian Coot

  Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  324
• Yellow-legged Gull

  Larus michahellis J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  313
• Eurasian Marsh-Harrier

  Circus aeruginosus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  298

Most recent

• M 4.1 — 2025-11-18
  16 km ESE of Ventotene, 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