Anzio

This airticle is aboot the ceety. For ither uisses, see Anzio (disambiguation).

Anzio
Comune
Comune di Anzio
View o Anzio
Coat airms
Anzio Location o Anzio in Italy
Coordinates: 41°26′52.61″N 12°37′44.59″E
Kintra	Italy
Region	Lazio
Province	Roum
Frazioni	Anzio Colonia, Cincinnato, Falasche, Lavinio Mare, Lavinio Stazione, Lido dei Gigli, Lido dei Pini, Lido delle Sirene, Marechiaro, Villa Claudia, Santa Teresa
Govrenment
• Mayor	Luciano Bruschini
Area
• Total	43.43 km2 (16.77 sq mi)
Elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Population  (31 December 2011)
• Total	49,731
• Density	1,100/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Anziati, Portodanzesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	00042
Diallin code	06
Patron saunt	St. Anthony
Website	Offeecial wabsteid

Anzio (Italian pronunciation: [ˈantsjo]) is a ceety an comune on the coast o the Lazio region o Italy, aboot 56 km (35 mi) sooth o Roum.

Weel kent for its seaside harbour settin, it is a fishin port an a depairtur point for ferries an hydroplanes tae the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola an Ventotene. The ceety bears great historical significance as the steid o Operation Shingle, a crucial Allied landin durin Warld War II.

History

Ancient era

Cried Antium in ancient times, it wis the caipital o the Volsci fowk till it wis conquered bi the Romans.

In 493 BC the Roman consul Postumus Cominius Auruncus focht an defeatit twa airmies frae Antium, an as a result captured the Volscian touns o Longula, Pollusca an Corioli (tae the north o Antium).

Wi the latter expansion o Roum it was just far enough awa tae be insulatit frae the riots an tumults o Roum. When Cicero returned frae exile, it wis at Antium that he reassembled the battered remains o his librars, whaur the scrolls wad be secur. Leadin Romans built magnificent seaside villas at Antium. The Julian an Claudian emperors frequently visitit it: Gaius Maecenas haed a villa at Antium; baith Emperor Caligula an Nero wur born in Antium; the latter foondit a colony o veterans an built a new harbour, the projectin moles o which still exist.

Remains o Roman villas are conspicuous aw alang the shore, baith tae the east an tae the north-wast o the toun. Mony auncient wirks o airt hae been foond thare: the Fanciulla d'Anzio, the Borghese Gladiator (in the Louvre) an the Apollo Belvedere (in the Vatican) wur aw discovered in the ruins o villas at Antium.

O the villas, the maist famous wis the Villa o Nero at Antium which cannot be certainly identifee'd, but is generally placit at the so-cried Arco Muto, whaur remains o a theatre (discovered in 1712 an covered up again) exist an aw. It extendit alang the coast o the Capo d'Anzio some 800 metres o seafront. Nero razit the umwhile villa on the steid, whaur Augustus haed receivit a delegation frae Roum tae acclaim him Pater patriae ("Faither o his Kintra") tae rebuild on its foondations a villa on a mair imperial scale, which wis uised bi each Emperor in turn, up tae the Severans. O the famous temple o Fortune (Horace, Od. i. 35) nae remains are kent.

Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages Antium wis desertit in favour o Nettuno: at the end o the 17t century Innocent XII an Clement XI restored the harbour, no on the auld steid but tae the east o it, wi the openin tae the east, a mistak which leads tae its bein frequently siltit up; it haes a deth o aboot 5 m. The sea is encroachin slichtly at Anzio, but some kilometres farther north-wast the auld Roman coast-line nou lees slichtly inland (see Tiber). The Volscian ceety stuid on heicher grund an somewha awa frae the shore, tho it extendit doun tae it. This wis defendit bi a deep ditch, which can still be tracit, an bi waws, a portion o which, on the eastren side, constructit o rectangular blocks o tufa, wis brocht tae licht in 1897.

Warld War II

Main airticle: Operation Shingle

Anzio an Nettuno are notable as steids o a Alleed forces laundin an aw an the ensuin Battle o Anzio durin Warld War II. The Commonweel Anzio War Cemetery an Beach Head War Cemetery are locatit here.

American forces (5t Airmy) wur surroondit bi Germans in the caves o Pozzoli in Februar 1944 for a week, sufferin hivy casualties. A movie based on the events cawed Anzio (1968, directit bi Edward Dmytryk) wis made, starrin Robert Mitchum an based on a beuk bi Wynford Vaughan-Thomas.

Tor Caldara Touer an the Anzio beach.

On 18 Februar 1944, the Breetish licht cruiser Penelope wis struck bi twa torpedoes aff the coast o Anzio an sunk wi a loss o 417 crew.

In the same region Eric Fletcher Waters lost his life in battle. His son, Roger Waters, become the lead sangster o progressive rock baund Pink Floyd. In his honour an remembrance Roger Waters recordit the sang "The Fletcher Memorial Home", which is the maiden name o Eric Waters' mither. (An aw see "When the Tigers Broke Free".)

Main sichts

Alang the coast are numerous remains o Roman villas. Ane, the Domus Neroniana, haes been identifee'd as a residence o Nero.

In Anzio can be foond the Anzio Beachhead British Military Cemetery an a Beachhead Museum. The Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial is in nearbi Nettuno.

Aboot 8 kilometre (5 mile) north o the toun thare is a WWF pairk wi sulphur springs an a medieval touer, Tor Caldara.

Aw alang the coast a lairge nummer o beaches an sea resorts can be foond, includin hotels an the famous fish restaurants o the port o Anzio. The ceety ance hostit a Casino that is nae langer active an nou hosts cultural events. In the soothren pairt o the toun, close tae the border wi Nettuno, are mony Italian art nouveau style hooses.

Further readin

• P. Brandizzi Vitucci, Antium: Anzio e Nettuno in epoca romana (2000)
• Antonio Nibby, Dintorni di Roma, i. 181; Notizie degli scavi, passim.
•  This airticle incorporates text frae a publication nou in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "^{article name needed}". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Freemit airtins

• Offeecial wabsteid Archived 2003-10-05 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian)
• Illustrated reconstruction of Nero's Villa (in Italian)
• Memorials and cemetery from the World War Two battles at Anzio at the Sites of Memory webpage
• Illustrated article on the Battle of Anzio at Battlefields Europe Archived 2008-06-11 at the Wayback Machine
• Anzio in the history