Cervaro
Welcome to Cervaro: a tour through the history and geography of the Municipality
Cervaro, located in the province of Frosinone in Lazio, is a Municipality of 7,737 inhabitants immersed in lush nature. Its geographical position on the plain of Cassino offers a breathtaking panorama, which overlooks the historic center of Cervaro, from which the provincial road Cervaro-Viticuso departs.
Physical Geography
Territory
The municipal territory is rich in vegetation and includes peaks exceeding 1,000 meters, which sometimes whiten the city itself. The Aquilone hill, which dominates Cervaro, joins other peaks such as Monte Rachis, Monte Porchio, Monte Chiaia, and Monte Trocchio.
Climate
Climate classification: zone D, 1527 GR/G.
History
Legendary Origins
Legend has it that after landing in Gaeta, Aeneas headed inland, founding several cities, among which stood out Cervaro. Two popular traditions have come down to us that explain the origin of the toponym: the first tells of the young patrician Tertullo who, trying to defend the city, was killed by the Goths. The young man was buried near an altar for sacrifices placed in a rugged area, called "Acerba Ara," a phrase that later became Cervaro. The second tradition tells of a white deer grazing on Mount Pesculum, where the acropolis was born and then the castle; the deer is depicted on the municipal coat of arms.
Historical Events
In the early Middle Ages, the abbot of the Abbey of Montecassino, Saint Petronace of Montecassino, built a castle called "Castrum Cerbari." In 757, the Lombard king Rachis retired there as a Benedictine monk, founding a small monastic community inspired by the Marian cult and the cultivation of olive trees.
The Saracens, settled at the mouth of the Garigliano River in 880, assaulted and set fire to the monastery of Montecassino on September 4, 883. For years, everything remained uncultivated and devastated until the Battle of Garigliano in 915, in which the infidels were pushed back into the sea. The monks returned in 949, finding the land deserted and uninhabited. The local population had fled or been slaughtered by the infidels' raids. Only small groups had survived, including one that had taken an impregnable defense on the rock "Torroculum," today's Mount Trocchio on which the remains of the fortress are visible.
Because of the indomitable and combative spirit of the fortress's tenants who settled on the hill after 915, then called "Castrum Cerbarii," then "Cerbarium," and then "Cervaro," they were always a thorn in the side of the Abbey of Montecassino. The monastic community re-established at Montecassino deemed it unwise to leave its unproductive and uncultivated lands and thought to repopulate the Cassino area by calling farmers from neighboring regions who had no land to cultivate.
Conclusions
Cervaro is a city with ancient roots and lush nature. Its geographical position offers suggestive panoramas on the Cassino plain that surrounds it, and the municipal territory is rich in peaks and watercourses. Its history revolves around the construction of the castle "Castrum Cerbari" and the construction of the monastic community inspired by the Marian cult and the cultivation of the olive tree from the Lombard king Rachis. Although Cervaro's territory was destroyed by the infidels for years, the city was rebuilt thanks to the monastic community of Montecassino, also aided by the peasant population enlisted in neighboring areas. The city of Cervaro offers tourists the opportunity to visit its natural landscapes and historical places, allowing them to immerse themselves in the history of the early Middle Ages and the Italian soul.
