Nerola | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Nerola | |
 Historical center of Nerola | |
  Nerola Location of Nerola in Italy Show map of Italy Nerola Nerola (Lazio) Show map of Lazio | |
| Coordinates:42°09′39″N12°47′13″E / 42.16083°N 12.78694°E /42.16083; 12.78694 | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Lazio |
| Metropolitan city | Rome (RM) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Sabina Granieri |
| Area | |
• Total | 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 453 m (1,486 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2014)[2] | |
• Total | 1,941[3] |
| • Density | 110/km2 (280/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Nerolesi |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 00017 |
| Dialing code | 0774 |
| Patron saint | St. George |
| Saint day | 23 April |
Nerola is a town andcomune of theMetropolitan City of Rome,Latium,Italy.
The name Nerola is probably derived from theSabine wordnero ornerio, which meant "strong" and "brave". The inscription on the fountain in the piazza of the town hallA Nerone tuum Nerola nomen habet traces the origin of the name back to the Roman emperorNero, who belonged to thegensClaudia, which had distantSabine origins. Traces of a Roman era villa have been found on that site, which legend attributes as belonging to Nero himself.
Within thecomune is thefrazione of Acquaviva, on the ancientVia Salaria. This may have been the seat of the bishopric calledAquaviva inLatin, whose bishops took part in synods held in Rome in the second half of the 5th century and the beginning of the 6th: Paulus or Paulinus in 465, Benignus in 487, 497, and 502, and Bonifacius in 503.[4] No longer a residential bishopric, Aquaviva is today listed by theCatholic Church as atitular see.[5]
In the second half of the 10th century, the castleCastrum Nerulae was founded by the "Sabine chancellor" Benedetto Crescenzi, and the Crescenzi family held it until 1235, when it came under the direct control of the pope. At the end of the 12th century, the fiefdom was granted to theOrsini family, who built the presentCastello Orsini. At the end of the 15th century, the castle was subsequently reinforced with strong towers and other defensive fortifications around the village. Near the castle, thechiesa vecchia (Old Church) was built in 1483.[6]
In 1644, the castle and the territory of Nerola were yielded to theBarberini family along with the Montelibretti family and, in 1728, entered into possession of the Sciarra clan, and thence to the Lante della Rovere family, who founded the charitable institution of theOspedale dei Pellegrini to assist travellers on the Via Salaria.
In 1867, the castle was occupied by a contingent of partisans ofGiuseppe Garibaldi who were fighting against papal troops.
Since passing to Marquis Ferrari-Frey in 1939, the castle has been restored and now houses a hotel.
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Nerola suffered a particularly high infection rate, and was entirely quarantined by authorities around the end of March 2020. Public health officials then attempted to test every one of its more than 1800 inhabitants to better understand the spread of the virus.[7]
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