Description

Known as “Marruvium” during the Roman Era, San Benedetto dei Marsi was located on the bank of the Lake Fucino. The city has always been tightly connected to Rome, and it is even mentioned in the “Aeneid”.

In San Benedetto you will the Campidoglio, the amphitheater, a gymnasium, the thermal baths, and a swimming pool. After the draining of the Lake Fucino, and the lake of maintenance of the Claudius emissary, San Benedetto suffered serious damages caused by the constants floodings. With years, it slowly become more and more powerful, mostly thanks to its ties with the Church. Some think that Popo Bonifacius IV was born here, and that San Berardo dei Marsi died here in 1.100 AD. San Francis of Assis, during a voyage narrated by Tommaso da Celano in his biography, stayed briefly here.

The history of the town was marked by the devastating earthquake that hit the area in 1915. The community got back on its feet and aimed to achieve independence, but it reached it only after WWII.

Today here you can still visit the remains of the Roman domus located in the hearth of the city, as well as the funeral monument built by the Marruvium people and the remains of the Roman amphitheater.