Via Severiana was an ancient Roman road in central Italy leading in Latium (modern Lazio ), running southeast from Portus to Tarracina (passing through the Isola Sacra ), a distance of 80 Roman miles (c. 118 kilometres (73 mi)) along the coast. A restoration and reunion of existing roads was carried out with a work of lastrification in 198–209 AD, during the reign of emperor Septimius Severus (from which the road would have taken its name), in order to connect more quickly the maritime towns of Ostia , Lavinium , Ardea , Antium and the routes that came there from Rome.
21-397: Thomas Ashby said that it would have run along the shore only at first: just behind the line of villas which fronted the sea – which are now some 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) inland – or even upon its edge (for an inscription records its being damaged by the waves); farther southeast the road would seem to have kept rather more distant from the shore, and it probably kept within the lagoons below
42-619: A 22 km-long coastal sand strip, from the limestone cliffs of the Mount Circeo, in correspondence of the Torre Paola watchtower, up to Capo Portiere. The sand, characterized by fine sand, is backed by a typical maquis shrubland with a maximum depth of 27 meters. The section nearer to the sea is home to short vegetation, housing a number of small size wildlife including the European badger, foxes, lizards and beetles. Farther from
63-533: A map considered datable to the 4th century AD (or ca. 250 AD ), shows an anonymous Roman road that crossed several stations (stationes), including Hostis (Ostia, the starting point), Laurentum, Lavinium, Antium, Astura and Tarracina (Ardea is not present). According to an orientation, the road represented in the Tabula would be only apparently coastal (it was considered that the stretch that ran from Lavinium to Antium would have been internal), therefore unidentifiable with
84-399: A vast wildlife of aquatic birds ( cattle egret , crane , goose , northern lapwing , skylark , curlew ), as well as to rare species such as the marsh turtle. With a maximum depth of two meters, they are connected to the sea through a series of canals. Other species present in the area include badger , wild boar, fox , crested porcupine , wild weasel, and European hedgehog . Vegetation
105-459: Is a mountain promontory that marks the southwestern limit of the former Pontine Marshes , located on the southwest coast of Italy near San Felice Circeo . At the northern end of the Gulf of Gaeta , it is about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) long by 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) wide at the base, running from east to west and surrounded by the sea on all sides except the north. The land to the northeast
126-580: Is a remnant of the orogenic processes that created the Apennines . The entire coast of Lazio , on which the mountain and the marsh are located, was a chain of barrier islands that was formed on a horst and made part of the mainland by sedimentation of the intervening graben . The mountain is composed mostly of marl and sandstone from the Paleogene and of limestone from the lower Early Jurassic . The mountain features several caves, including
147-487: Is an Italian national park founded in 1934. It occupies a strip of coastal land from Anzio to Terracina , including also a sector of forest in the mainland of San Felice Circeo , and the island of Zannone . The park was established by order of Benito Mussolini , under advice from Senator Raffaele Bastianelli , to preserve the last remains of the Pontine Marshes which were being reclaimed in that period. It
168-462: Is composed, on the lakes' shores, by salicornia (Arthrocnemum glaucum) , inula and tamarisk among the others. Apart the lakes, there are some further smaller marshy area in which Italian Mediterranean buffalo shepherding is practiced. Zannone is a small island belonging to the Ponziano archipelago , annexed to the park in 1979. Uninhabited, it is covered by woods of oaks and holm oaks, and
189-594: Is the former ancient Pontine Marshes . Most of the ancient swamp has been reclaimed for agriculture and urban areas. The mountain, the coastal zone as far north as Latina , including the only remaining remnant of the swamp, and two of the Pontine Islands offshore, Zannone and Ponza , have been included in the Circeo National Park . Although a headland, it was not formed by coastal erosion – as headlands are usually formed – but
210-511: Is the only national park in Italy to occupy only a plain and coastal area. It reaches from approximately Pontinia in the north to Sabaudia in the south. The park can be divided into five main habitats : the forest, the promontory, the littoral dune, the humid area and the island of Zannone. The forest included in the park, occupying a grossly square sector between the SS 148 Pontina state road and
231-455: The Circean promontory . Although the remains of the via Severiana are scanty, there are traces of at least two Roman bridges along the road: on the border between Laurentum and Ostia there was one, which according to an inscription was restored by the emperors Carus and Carinus , and the second one is located in the area of Torre Astura (ancient Astura). The Tabula Peutingeriana ,
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#1732776882297252-583: The Goats Cave and the Guattari Cave . In 1939, the skull of a Neanderthal man was found in the Guattari Cave by a team led by Alberto Carlo Blanc . Several other findings also show that the mountain was inhabited in prehistorical times. In May 2021, the remains of 9 Neanderthal men were discovered in the same Guattari cave. The Minister of Culture in Italy declared the site to be one of
273-710: The common kestrel . Among the numerous coastal caves of naturalistic interest are the Grotta Guattari, where in 1939 a skull of Homo neanderthalensis was found, the Goats Cave ( Italian : Grotta delle Capre ), the Impiso Cave ( Italian : Grotta dell'Impiso ), the Grotta del Fossellone and the Grotta Breuil ; the latter was also inhabited by the Neanderthal Man. The park is home to
294-480: The lestre , where once the sparse population built their villages. Vegetation includes maquis shrubland , continental species such as Turkish oak , fraxinus and common oak , as well as typical Mediterranean trees including the holm oak , the bay laurel and the cork oak . Understory is also rich, featuring common hawthorn , blackthorn , wild apple , pear and strawberry trees , erica , Ruscus aculeatus and numerous others. The berry vegetation allows
315-542: The Via Severiana, which instead, according to a theory, never detached from the sea. It was also believed that the name Severiana attributed to the road would be actually a modern conception. This Italian road or road transport-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Cape Circeo Monte Circeo or Cape Circeo ( Italian : Promontorio del Circeo [promonˈtɔːrjo del tʃirˈtʃɛːo] , Latin : Mons Circeius )
336-422: The coast of San Felice Circeo , is the last relic of the so-called ancient "Selva di Terracina", once occupying much of what is now the central province of Latina . Now reduced to an area of c. 3,300 hectares, it is anyway the largest plain forest in Italy. It is characterized by the peculiar piscine ("swimming pools"), temporary marshy areas forming in the autumn season due to the accumulation of rainwater, and
357-512: The most significant in the world regarding the Neanderthal period. Mount Circeo is today included in the Circeo National Park , established in 1934 on 5,616 ha (56.16 km ; 13,880 acres ; 21.68 sq mi ) over the territories of Latina, Sabaudia, San Felice Circeo and Zannone Island (minor island of Ponziane Archipelago ). Circeo National Park Circeo National Park ( Italian : Parco Nazionale del Circeo )
378-495: The mount descends to the plain is a 25 ha cork oak wood. The southern slopes have a milder climate and are characterized by Mediterranean rock vegetation (holm oak, Phoenicean juniper , euphorbia tree, myrtus , Pistacia lentiscus , rosemary and erica, while amongst the lower plants are the rock samphire , Helichrysum and Centaurea . Wildlife, aside from the European badger, wild boar and beech marten , includes numerous bird species such as peregrine falcon and
399-401: The presence of a rich fauna, including wild boar , fallow deer , hare , european badger , red fox , weasel , green whip snake , Natrix maura , land and marsh Testudo , Triturus newt , toad and frog among the others. The promontory of Circeo, with a maximum height of 541 m, is a Mesozoic limestone - dolomite massif with a peculiar island shape, and gives its name to
420-460: The sea are bigger plants, such as the prickly juniper and mastic , up to true trees like the maritime pine and the holm oak, or, near the lakes (see following section), the alder , fraxinus , poplar and willow . The humid area of the Circeo park includes four coastal salt lakes: Paola , Caprolace, Monaci and Fogliano, which are what remains of the Pontine Marshes and currently are home to
441-417: The whole park. From a naturalistic point of view, it can be divided into two different sectors. The northern slopes of the promontory have a more humid climate and are covered by a thick shrub of holly oak in the upper sector, which, at the lower heights, is associated with manna arsh , Ostrya carpinifolia , downy and Italian oak . The understory includes erica, broom and strawberry tree, while where
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