Cisterna di Latina: Roman Traces and Buttero Tradition
Accommodation in Cisterna di Latina
Cisterna di Latina combines Roman heritage, squares, buildings, gardens, and the Buttero tradition. Specific historical references include Tres Tabernae on the Via Appia, the stays of Cicero and Paul, and the Palio dell’Anello 2026.
File:Farmacia Centrale, Corso della Repubblica 190, Cisterna di Latina.jpg
Photo: Андрей Романенко via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Tres Tabernae and the Roman Past
Tres Tabernae developed around a Roman post station where the roads from the inland centers of Ulubrae, Norba, and Cora met the Via Appia. This connection explains the site’s particular historical importance, without requiring you to limit yourself to a single era. In Tres Tabernae, archaeologists uncovered, among other things, grave coverings, the remains of a villa complex, baths, mosaic floors, and a figurative emblem.
The recorded stays of well-known figures are also part of this historical picture. Cicero stayed in Tres Tabernae and mentioned the place in three letters to Atticus, which he wrote in 61 and 59 BC. The Apostle Paul spent one night in Tres Tabernae during his journey from Tarsus to Rome and met Christians from the surrounding area there.
Palazzo Caetani, Piazza, and Regional Culture
The Palazzo Caetani palace is located in the immediate vicinity of Cisterna di Latina. In the Palazzo Caetani, the so-called Sala Zuccari contains a large fresco depicting the Caetani family’s Pontine estates from the 18th century. The subject draws attention to the landscape and the family’s historic property, while the palace’s architecture provides the cultural setting.
The Cattedrale S.Maria Assunta in Cielo stands at the center of Piazza 19 Marzo. The square and the cathedral therefore provide a clear reference point for orientation within the townscape. The Museo della Città e del Territorio di Cori is also located in the vicinity of Cisterna di Latina. Together with Palazzo Caetani, it broadens the cultural perspective beyond individual buildings to encompass history and territory.
Gardens and Remembrance
At the entrance to the Giardino di Ninfa, there is a large free car and bus park. The Giardino della Madonna del Divino Amore offers a different focus: it contains six “talking benches” dedicated to the “unarmed heroes of the caves” of the Second World War.
They commemorate Padre Eugenio Caldarazzo, Alessandro Coppetelli, Augusto Leonardi, Ivan Marinelli, Anna Maria Luiselli, and Emilio Sottoriva. They supported the community of Cisterna during the war. The six benches thus connect a specific place with the memory of these six people and their support for the community.
Buttero Tradition at the Palio dell’Anello
The Palio dell’Anello 2026 is a major sporting competition that draws on Cisterna di Latina’s centuries-old Buttero tradition. In the Palio dell’Anello 2026, riders gallop while using a lance to spear small rings, combining speed with precision.
Other destinations in the same area: Borgo Hermada, Rocca Massima, Santi Cosma e Damiano, Norma, Maenza, Aprilia, Monte San Biagio, Borgo Podgora.
For the broader travel overview: Latina.
