..."Roccagorga: usage and custom "...

Province of Latina (86 Km from Rome; 29 Km from Latina)

Population 4.476; Area 23,98 Kmq; Altitude 289 m a.s.l.; Inhabitants: Rocchigiani;

Patronal Festival: St. Erasmo; Near: Maenza, Priverno, Sezze, Carpineto Romano.

BY Car: highway A1, exit Frosinone S.S. 156 Monti Lepini, direction Latina, fork Roccagorga.

From Latina: S.S.156 Monti Lepini, fork to Roccagorga.

Fron Terracina and Sabaudia: S.S.7 (Appia), migliara 53 direction Fossanova and Priverno, S.S.156 to Roccagorga.

By train: line Rome - Naples station Sezze Scalo and buses fron Latina to Roccagorga.

Roccagorga is placed on a rock spur of Monte Nero (547 metres a.s.l.) surrounded by beautiful vineyards and olive groves. Its structure is characterized by the main square (Piazza VI Gennaio), today of Baroque style, set between the two old powerful palaces, Palazzo Barone and the Chiesa parrocchiale. moreover, of great interest are the gardens under the feudal palace and the so called "Refolta", the area at the foot of the church. All around you can walk through the old alleys which give to Roccagorga the typical aspect of a mediaeval town. Its origin goes back to the VIII-IX century, when fugitives from the near Priverno, led by the matron Gorga, found the fortify centre, today's Roccagorga. The town was under the powerful family of the Ceccano who owned feuds in this area. On the highest part of the feud the Ceccano family built a strong quadrangular tower useful to communicate to others towers, such as Maenza, Asprano and Monte Acuto. Remains famous the fight in 1368 between Tommaso de Ceccano and Margherita di Vico for the ownership of the area around Roccagorga. In 1431 the Castani di Maenza family took possession of the town and immediately built the walls to defend their land. In 1521 Giovanni dalle Bande Nere's troops, sent by Pope Leone X on Cavillo Castani di Sermoneta request, destroyed the town, killing lots of people and destroying their houses. In 1617 Prospero Caetani sold its possessions to the Aldobrandini, starting the slow rebirth of Roccagorga. The Aldobrandini rebuilt Roccagorga following the Baroque style and town planning. The new Roccagorga had the aspect of an inhabited centre with more residential and administrative functions rather than defensive ones. In 1642 the Aldobrandini sold Roccagorga for more than 30 thousands scudos to the Ginnetti di Velletri, who completed the town planning. In 1722 Roccagorga feud was bought by Fernado Orsini, duke of Gravina, for 65 thousands scudos. In 1811 a new family took possession of the town, the so called Doria-Pamphili. On the 6th oh January 1913 Roccagorga became famous for a singular episode: during a march for the defense of people's economic conditions, a soldier squad shot at the crowd and killed men, children and women.

Palazzo Baronale

Of Middle Age origins but continuously modified over the centuries, it is built around a courtyard and it has inside the signature oh its last owners, the Doria-Pamphili coat of arms. It is made up of two parts divided by a sort of donjon-bell tower with a clock. It is the seat of the ethnologic museum, Etnomuseo di Roccagorga, and the library, Biblioteca comunale.

Chiesa Parrocchiale SS. Erasmo and Leonardo

Of Baroque style, it was finished in 1773. The façade has a convex shape, with a bell on its right. The interior has two aisles and a nave. The nave has a barrel vault with domes on the five windows. There are three altars for each aisle. Full of ornaments /stucco, festoon, pectin conches, marbles), the church has a main altar decorated with polychromatic marbles and Cardinale Ginnetti’s coat of arms, whose family commissioned it. In the octagonal shape sacristy there are the marble busts of Cardinal Marzio and Francesco and those of marquesses Marzio and Giuseppe, members of Cardinale Ginnetti’s family.

Piazza Barocca della Refolta

At the beginning of the XVII century, Roccagorga was involved in a very interesting building project, open arrangement and curvilinear structured. The new project provided Baroque style and town planning. The new Roccagorga had the aspect of an inhabited centre with more residential and administrative functions and two powerful palaces, the Palazzo Baronale and the Chiesa Parrocchiale. The square on the south-east side follows the natural slope of the hill and it sets off the Baronale Palace, hold on the two side wings, near the façade. The feudal palace opens out to the square, while on the opposite side the town planning provides the church of St. Erasmo. The water of the central fountain, already appreciated by the inhabitants, is actually piped through four conduits from the near source of St. Erasmo. This fountain was then called “Refolta”. In 1889, following the architect Busiri Vici’s plan, the wall around the potting was opened so that people can drink water. Today new architectural changes have been added to the walls.

Cappella di S. Antonio di Padova

Built in 1600, it is set at the entrance of the town centre for those who come from Priverno. It’s a circular shape Baroque chapel with a beautiful majolica tile covering. The chapel, where inside you can find the statue of the Saint, was recently restored and it is treated carefully by its believers.

Eremo medievale di Sant’Erasmo

On the Saint Erasmo mountain, at about 900 m a.s.l. there is the famous hermitage with the pure water source which was piped to the above town. It is a new building: a holy place where there are the statue and the relic of the Saint Patron of Roccagorga, with the sacristy nearby. Next to the sacristy there are the ruins of the Middle Age hermitage. The first document which deals with the hermitage of St. Erasmo was the dead of gift (1247) oh the Abbazia di Santo Stefano di Valvisciolo, in the near Carpineto. That deed states that the Fathers Cistercensi have to provide St. Erasmo in the territory of Roccagorga castle.

Ethno Museum of Monti Lepini

Seat: Baronial Palace, Piazza Risorgimento, 4

Open hours: Tuesday and Friday 10,00/13,00;

Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays 10,00/13,00 – 15,00/18,00 Summer: 16,00/20,00 (except on Mondays)

Tel: 0773-958867/ 0773-958947 mail: roccabiblioteca@libero.it web site: www.etnomuseo.it

The Ethno Museum is born from the interpretations of the researchers (Antonio Ricci, Emilio Di Fazio, Donatella Occhiuzzi) about Roccagorga’s inhabitants reflections on their life and their history: it is an experiment in the rebuilding of a community identity, a route in the local culture to make to reflect on how feelings, skills. Life styles and belonging sense have been changes during the twentieth-century. The ethnographical research, started at the beginning of the nineties, focused on the local way of being a group and being protagonists by Roccagorga’s inhabitants, on the internal game of building and modelling of their way of life. We wanted to understand how common memory was selected, how the tradition built and the local interpretation of the modernity increased and made clear in particular forms and expressions. The museum represents sensibilities and local interpretations. It has chosen to let visitors live experiences of stories, relationship emotions, competences and knowledges placed at Roccagorga and not somewhere else (for ex. The Massacre in 1913); and prefigured a setting up, addressed to the imagination and thought for the skilled and sensitive hands oh local craftsmen. Thanks to the multimedia documents, the ethnographical research could explore and represent the constitution of the social link, the cultural ways through which the identity relate to places, to stories, to customs, the ways in which one person takes part in a familiar enlarged ethos, uses memory archives at disposal in the scenery, in the dialect, makes conflicts. The ethnography was able to catch specific and social policies and poetics of identity building. It means that locating in places, in expressive modalities and social individuals, the story about what is believed and lived like traditional. The Ethno Museum, for example, gives visibility and importance to the work with which the strangers and the local historians – through researches about the local customs, piece of works in dialect and illustrations of popular scenes – have become documents and guarantors of the community tradition. The setting up shows two symbols of the local identity (the Conca and the Capanna) to have the chance to rebuild the complicated processes of empowerment and cultural circulation that produced its excellence.

Assi Museum of Airforce

Seat: via Domenico Menta – “G. Restaini School” Tel. 0773-959098

The museum, born for the passion and devotion of a retired soldier, in the last few years has become a very interesting place, especially its library which keeps a great number of book about the air force. In the museum there are many air force relics and above all a copy of Francesco Baracca’s diary, famous pilot during the First World War.

Anniversary of the 6^th January 1913 tragedy, 6^th of January

People think that on this day a new historical period has to began for the community of Roccagorga. The 6^th of January 1913 for Roccagorga’s inhabitants represents the beginning of the modern era, with its possibilities of freedom, struggle, emancipation, in contrast to the previous period of feudalism, rules, laws and injustices. This change happened thanks to the sacrifice of Roccagorga’s inhabitants who were killed, wounded, victims of persecution, humiliated and condemned by public because of their freedom ideas.

Good Friday Procession

Along the alleys of the town centre people take on their back the scenes representing the Way of the Cross. Among the events it is important to remember the torch-light procession with its traditional bonfires organized by two neighbourhoods: “Saint Giuseppe” and “La Torre”. The two bonfires are set in two distant places, one in front of the Saint Leonardo and Erasmo Church and the other one in Piazza VI Gennaio. The two neighbourhoods compete its duration which can extends until sunrise. You can’t miss the moment when the procession passes between the two bonfires.

Mountain’s Festival (Last Sunday of May)

Pilgrimage at the hermitage of Saint Erasmo. Together with the pilgrimage there is the visit to the clear water source on the north-east side of the hermitage, on the south side of Pizzone Mountain (at an altitude of 849m a.s.l.). The tradition tells that this source was a result of a miracle of the Saint. In this natural place tourists can have a rest in a typical refuge.

St. Erasmo’s Festival (second of July)

The most charming moment of the festival is the Holy Mass followed by the holy procession in the patron’s honor. During the procession, the bust of the Saint, all made up of silver, is taken on people’s back through the alleys of the town centre. The festival ends with fireworks. Together with the Mass, tourists can have good time looking at artisan stands and folklore events.

Summer in Roccagorga (August)

During the month of August, Roccagorga organizes concerts, shows, folklore and cultural events, outdoor movie showing, neighbourhood festivals and sport events.

Goat Festival (third Sunday of August)

The festival is dedicated to one of the typical dish of the town, the goat cooked with tomato sauce or roasted. On the same day there is the goods and livestock fair in Prati di Roccagorga and outdoor events.

Strawberry Festival (Last Sunday of September)

This festival celebrates the “uva fragola”. It is an eating grapes, sweet tasted, very aromatic similar to strawberry or banana. There are two varieties: one is white and the other one is black. The black one is much more spread abroad. During the festival you can taste bean soup and the typical wine. The festival also includes an exhibition of the typical handicrafts of Roccagorga and fireworks.

Anniversary of the 10^th of November 1936

This Anniversary remembers the aviation accident on the 10^th November 1936 where a military aircraft crashed on the town centre. About 16 people died among the crew of the aircraft and the inhabitants were wounded by the explosion.

Olives oil Festival (December)

In Roccagorga the year ends with this festival and you can taste garlic bread and the typical home made bread, all served with the new and fragrant oil.