Lariano
Discovering Lariano: history, territory and climate
Hello everyone! Today I will talk about Lariano, an Italian municipality in the metropolitan city of Rome Capital, in Lazio. Lariano has 13,427 inhabitants and is located 30 km from the capital, at the foot of the Monte Artemisio mountain range, on the southern outskirts of the Colli Albani.
## Physical Geography
Territory
Lariano borders Velletri to the west, Artena to the east, Rocca di Papa and Rocca Priora to the north, and Cori in the province of Latina to the south, through the fraction of Giulianello and the enclave of the municipality of Artena, which includes Lake Giulianello. Lariano enjoys a privileged position: most of its territory falls within the boundaries of the Regional Park of the Castelli Romani.
Orography
The urban settlement of Lariano is located on a hilly terrain at an altitude of 350 m. The highest points are located to the north at the border with the municipalities of Velletri and Rocca Priora: Maschio d'Ariano (891 m above sea level) and Colle del Vescovo (775 m above sea level). Lariano is surrounded by gentle hills immersed in woods that slope gradually towards the south towards the Agro Pontino.
Climate
The climate of Lariano is basically mild with rainy winters, autumn temperatures higher than spring temperatures, and ventilated summers. The phenomenon called ''stau,'' which consists of the reduction of water vapor in the clouds as the terrain rises, occurs in the area of the Colli Albani. Therefore, the highest rainfall will be on the first hills facing towards the sea, towards the south-southwest, and the lowest towards the north. Lariano is rather rainy with 1200 mm of annual precipitation. The summer is hot and dry, the winter is mild without, generally, excessively low temperatures. Snow is rare in Lariano and accumulations greater than 10 cm occur only in the presence of marked generalized cold. In summer, temperatures can reach 35 °C with peaks of 37 °C.
## History
Ancient history
The settlement of Lariano takes its name from one or more villas of the Roman gens Arria, from which the name ''Arianum'' then became ''Larianum.''
Medieval history
Demetrio, son of Melosio, rebuilt the castle of Lariano in the 10th century to make it a safe refuge during the invasion of the Arabs in 846. The disputes over the possession of the Maschio di Lariano saw the powerful families of the Conti di Tuscolo, Annibaldi, Savelli, and above all Colonna as protagonists. The Roman Church claimed direct dominion in the Conclave held in Viterbo in 1269, in which the Rocca di Lariano was defined as ''praetiosa.'' The territories passed under the complete dependence of the Church under Pope Alexander III. The place was considered extremely safe, so much so that in 1200 Pope Innocent III made the Viscount of Campiglia take refuge there when he was taken prisoner by the Romans during the war against Viterbo.
I hope you enjoyed my presentation of Lariano! With its beautiful wooded hills and mild climate all year round, Lariano is a true hidden gem of Lazio.
