Discover Palestrina

Palestrina is a comune of about 22,100 people in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in Lazio, roughly 35 kilometres east of Rome. It stands on the ruins of the ancient city of Praeneste, and it gave its name to the road that connects it to the capital, the Via Prenestina.

It is dominated today, as it has been for two thousand years, by the enormous ancient Roman sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia, built on a series of terraces up the slope of the hill the town stands on. Further massive Roman terraces support the town itself — which is the single fact that explains how Palestrina looks and feels.

The sanctuary is not merely large. It ranks among the masterpieces of Roman architecture of the Republican period: influenced in its scenographic arrangement of terraces by Hellenistic work, but executed by exploiting the constructional technique of concrete. The most recent studies date it to the last decades of the second century BC.

The town sits on the slopes of Monte Ginestro, one of the summits of the Monti Prenestini, between the basins of the Sacco and the Aniene.

And it gave the world a name in a quite different field: Palestrina is the birthplace of the composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.

What is Palestrina famous for? The enormous ancient Roman sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia, built on a series of terraces on the slope of the hill the town stands on.

Is the town on the sanctuary or next to it? On it. Further massive Roman terraces support the town itself.

When was the sanctuary built? The most recent studies date it to the last decades of the second century BC, and the forum and the monumentalisation of the oracular sanctuary are both dated to the end of that century.

Why does it matter architecturally? It ranks among the masterpieces of Roman architecture of the Republican period — influenced in its scenographic terracing by Hellenistic work, but realised by exploiting the construction technique of concrete.

What was the town called? Praeneste. The Via Prenestina is named after it.

Who was born here? The composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.

How old is the settlement? The princely Barberini and Bernardini tombs date to the beginning of the eighth century BC, and excavation shows a major cultural advance in the late eighth century with notable eastern imports and close relations with Etruria.

How rich were those tombs? Their contents were of at least the same quality as those in the cemeteries of Etruscan Caere. The silver and silver-gilt cups and most of the gold and amber jewellery are Phoenician; the bronzes and some ivories appear Etruscan.

Who founded it? Legend disagrees. Some traditions name Telegonus, son of Ulysses and Circe, others the eponymous hero Praenestus; Cato, Varro, Virgil and Solinus tie the city to Caeculus, believed son of Vulcan.

What happened in 82 BC? During the civil war the city sided with Gaius Marius the younger, who died here. Sulla exterminated all its male citizens and installed a military colony.

Did the goddess outlast the city? In a sense. In AD 39 Caligula named two new legions — legio XXII Primigenia and legio XV Primigenia — in honour of the Fortuna venerated at Praeneste.

How far is Rome? About 35 kilometres west, on the Via Prenestina.