TWINNING with an Italian town famous for its wine cannot be a bad idea.
by Harry Walton
So Maidenhead is still toasting its 1972 decision to twin with the picturesque hill town of Frascati which is renowned for its white wine.
Strangely enough Frascati, which may date back to the 7th century, takes its name not from wine but from a local tradition of collecting firewood and many place names around the town refer to trees or wood.
The town’s history is fractured with frequent raids which left it impoverished, the site being the possession of various baronial families until Pope Pius II fortified it with walls in 1460.
It was in Frascati that the first public and free school in Europe was started in 1616.
In 1656 part of the plaster peeled off a wall in the Church of St Mary in Vivario revealing an ancient fresco showing the images of Saints Sebastian and Roch protector from the plague.
That year an epidemic of plague did strike nearby Rome but Frascati was safe and from that year the two saints were co-patron saints of the city.
In 1837 there was another epidemic of plague in Rome and Frascati was the only city that opened its doors to 5,000 people leaving Rome. Since then Frascati’s flag has been the same as Rome’s, yellow and red.
When the papal state built its first railway it was Frascati which was chosen as the terminus of the route from Rome. The last section of the railway line was inaugurated in 1884, 14 years after the city became part of the new Kingdom of Italy.
Frascati was heavily bombed during the Second World War and half its buildings including many monuments, villas and houses were destroyed.
The town is justly known for villas of the papal nobility built from the 16th century by popes, cardinals and Roman nobles as symbols of Roman aristocracy. They are dominated by the majestic Villa Aldobrandini built by Giacomo della Porta in 1598 for Cardinal Aldobrandi. It still belongs to the same family and, while it is not possible to go inside, the gardens are open to the public.
In modern times Frascati hosts laboratories for the Earth observations missions of the European Space Agency.
The civic archaeological museum displays archaeological finds from ancient Tusculum and the nearby area as well as quality scale models of the Tuscolane villas.
Visitors can enjoy wine tours and tastings, tuck into a whole roasted pork sandwich or buy wine sold by the litre from giant wood barrels.
Tours of the villas and other historical sites are easily bookable and a simple website to get a basic idea of what Frascati and the surrounding area has is www.italyheaven.co.uk/frascati.