Ciociaria (Italian pronunciation:[tʃotʃaˈriːa]) is the name commonly used, in modern times, for some impoverished territories southeast of Rome, without defined geographical limits.[1][2][3][4] Starting from the Fascist period and the creation of theprovince of Frosinone, the same name was arbitrarily imposed by the local fascist organizations[5] and then misused by the local press, by promotional associations and folkloristic events as a synonym for Frosinone and all the popular traditions of its territory.[6][7]The local dialect is referred to ascampanino in old literature.[8] It is merely a local variants ofCentral-Italian Latian but is improperly indicated as "ciociaro dialect", although the linguistic and scientific definition isCentral-Northern Latian.[9] In more recent times, the termCampagna Romana, or Roman Campagna, a favorite subject of countless painters from all over Europe, has referred to the adjoining region to the north ofCiociaria, but part of theProvince of Rome.
The term first appears in a map of thePapal States, in which a land inCampagna e Marittima province is namedCiociarìa.[10] The variantCioceria has been used since the 18th century.[11][12]
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The name comes from the derogatory term, inRoman dialect applied to some poor shepherds, because of their footwear, called in Roman dialectciocie. These shoes, which were widespread among the poorest shepherds of much of Southern and Southeast Europe, are used today in the province of Frosinone only by folklore groups and for touristic initiatives.
Since, until the Fascist era, there were no official publications that imposed the term on the territories of the current province of Frosinone, the term, however rare, was used during the nineteenth century in a rather varied way with respect to geographical areas. In 1861, Franco Mistrali applied the term for example to the brigands ofSabina and not of Lazio.[13]
The correct geographic term for the northern area of the province of Frosinone isValle del Sacco (or MiddleValle Latina (Latin Valley)). The area inhabited by theHernici was known in Latin asager Hernicus.[14][15][16]
Except for the fascist propaganda of the time, most scholars believe that the toponym Ciociaria was originally widespread only in Roman popular culture and among the intellectuals who disseminated its traditions, and therefore insignificant outside the borders of thePapal State: the term does not appear in any document of theKingdom of Naples or theTwo Sicilies to indicate theLiri Valley or the territory ofFondi, nor is the adjective ciociaro used to designate a population or a culture in the Neapolitan state. From the second post-war period, however, the realist and neorealist literarytopos, the search for a common Christian Democratic political identity in southern Lazio[17] and in part the suppression of the ecclesiastical province of Capua with the annexation of the dioceses ofMonte Cassino,Aquino andAtina to the Roman ecclesiastical province, were the cultural factors that favored, in the common opinion, the spread of that point of view according to which this undefined and non-geographic term to the south reaches theGarigliano (including according to some even theLazio coast [it]).[18][19]
On the basis of the above, various local institutions periodically organize various folkloristic events that recall the aforementioned clichés with respect to the clothing, religious initiatives and traditions of the territories of thevalle del Sacco, considering them as manifestations of a "ciociaria tradition". These events include food fairs and music festivals, processions, performances of bands, palios and tournaments among the town's quarters.
Even the local artisanal production, which has historical roots in the much older craftsmanship ofLazio,Campania andAbruzzo is often improperly associated by tourist organizations, promotional events or the press as part of this "ciociara tradition". Among the best known objects in the artisanal production of the areas south east of Rome that are arbitrarily associated to this recent term there arecopperamphoras (called "conca"); wicker and "vinchio" (marshy grass that grows on the slopes of the Aurunci Mounts) woven in the shape of baskets;terracotta amphorae, called "cannate", terracotta jugs made inAquino andFiuggi; gold andcoral jewellery produced inAlatri,Anagni,Fiuggi,Veroli; works in copper and wrought iron;embroideries, like the embroidered towels andtablecloths of Veroli andBoville Ernica and the religious vestments produced inAnagni.
The day following theBattle of Monte Cassino,Goumiers rampaged through the surrounding countryside committing massrape in Southern Lazio.[20] Victims of such crimes became known in Italy asmarocchinate, literally translatable as "Moroccaned".Alberto Moravia wrote the novelLa ciociara on the event, which was made intoa successful 1960 movie directed byVittorio de Sica starringSophia Loren and a 2015 opera byMarco Tutino.[21] This further contributed to the spread of the term that is indeed often associated with these war crimes.
| External videos | |
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 “How an old Italian dialect compares to standard Italian”, February 28, 2018 |
Media related toCiociaria at Wikimedia Commons
