TUSCULUM

Legendary foundation attributed to Telegonus, son of Ulysses and Circe

It was considered a colony of Alba Longa

Objects dating back to Neolithic (Stone Age), Eneolithic (Copper Age) and the early Iron Age were found

The citizen of Tusculum Octavius ​​Mamilius would have married a daughter of king Tarquin the Proud, who, banished from Rome took refuge at Tusculum. Hence would have been generated the confrontation between Romans and Latins that ended with the Roman victory of 499 BC by Lake Regillo and the resulting supremacy of Rome

Tusculum was the first city to obtain Roman citizenship in about 380 BC

During the civil war Tusculum sided with Marius and Sulla in 82 BC had his vengeance imposing here a colony of his veterans

Famous for the many villas (Tuscolana) of Sulla, Cato of Utica, Asinius Pollio, Tiberius, Agrippina, Nero, Galba, Matidia and, more importantly Cicero

In the family of the Conti di Tuscolo (Counts of Tusculum) have been three popes Sergius III (904/911), John XI (931/935) and John XII (955/963)

The son of Frederick Barbarossa, Henry VI, in exchange for his coronation, gave support to the Romans for the destruction of Tusculum on the 17^th of April 1191. The city was razed

The Tuscolanum survivors were blinded and mutilated

Near Tusculum were the welling sources of the ancient Roman aqueducts Aqua Tepula and Aqua Iulia

EXCAVATIONS

First excavations 1804/20 for Lucien Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, then 1825/40 for Maria Cristina of Sardinia and during the rest of the nineteenth century

More excavations in the years 1952/57 and recently

The access roads were the Via Latina and the Via Labicana. Via Tuscolana is a medieval name

Archaeological site

AMPHITHEATER barely visible

Building which was maybe the Villa of Tiberius

Paved road known as Via dei Sepolcri (Tombs Street)

Walls in square work (opus quadratum) in blocks of lava stone

Cistern with fountain

FORUM

THEATER maybe of the first half of the first century BC

Behind the auditorium there is a cistern with fountain

ACROPOLIS where nothing is visible but which was to be the main temple of Castor and Pollux, and perhaps also that of Jupiter