Montecelio
Guidonia Montecelio: Geography and Territory
Guidonia Montecelio, simply known as Guidonia, is a dispersed municipality in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital in Lazio. With a population of 88,642 inhabitants, the territory of Guidonia stretches northeast of Rome, a few kilometers from the Grande Raccordo Anulare in the Roman Sabina, ideally located between Via Nomentana and Via Tiburtina Valeria.
The territory offers three main morphological types, namely the northern and eastern prominences, the flat sector to the southwest, and the alluvial plain of the Aniene River. The only significant relief is represented by the Cornicolani Mountains.
The territory of Guidonia Montecelio is characterized by an extremely varied and fragmented geological composition.
Description of the Territory
Prominences
The prominences of the northern and eastern parts are the localities of Sant'Angelo Romano, Montecelio, Marcellina, and Tivoli. This area has the most important reliefs, such as Monte Patulo (1125 m), with the summit occupied by Sant'Angelo in Capoccia), Poggio Cesi, and the two prominences of Montecelio (one 205 m high and the other, called Monte Albano, 584 meters high, where the convent complex of San Michele is located). They are followed by Colle Carcibove (335 m) and Colle Largo (354m), at whose feet the center of Guidonia stands. Further east, in the territory of Tivoli, stand the Tiburtini Mountains and Monte Gennaro.
Flat Sector
The southwestern sector of the territory of Guidonia Montecelio is predominantly flat, with insignificant but continuous undulation. The terrain is made of clay and tuff. Here, the landscape is typical of the Agro Romano, with a panorama never uniform moved by ancient pozzolana quarries, ground collapses, or slight hills.
Southern Sector
The southern sector of the municipal territory is formed by a weakly sloping plane southward. In fact, it goes from the 82 m of the Guidonia plain to the 35 m along the Aniene. The area is distinguished both by the presence of travertine and sulfurous waters, in the form of springs and outcrops, and by the lush vegetation of the wet and depressed areas in the few areas not contaminated by human activity.
Geological Composition of the Territory
According to the Geological Map of Italy drawn up by the Italian Geological Service, the geological composition of the territory of Guidonia is extremely varied and fragmented.
The valley of Inviolata and the areas surrounding the Aniene River are composed of alluvial soil. The inhabited center stands on tuffaceous ground, reshaped by the slope. A vast area around the Albula water sources is made up of travertine (classification Tr2).
The Tiburtina Valeria road crosses, in the first stretch near the Albuccione locality, a terrain composed of siliceous sand, clay, and lithoid tuff. The Cornicolani Mountains are formed of the same material, enriched by stratified gray coniferous tuffs (classification ts3).
Conclusions
Guidonia Montecelio is an Italian municipality that offers a wide range of landscapes and geological features. There are the northern and eastern prominences, the flat sector to the southwest, and the alluvial plain of the Aniene River. One of the most interesting features is the extremely varied and fragmented geological composition of the territory of Guidonia, which offers a unique mix of alluvial soils, tuffaceous, travertine, and siliceous sands, clay, and lithoid tuff. The beauty of the territory of Guidonia Montecelio is definitely an experience not to be missed for all nature lovers and adventurers.
