Parco Archeologico Culturale di Tusculo

Tusculum was an ancient Latin city in the Alban Hills, whose remains include an acropolis, forum, Roman theatre, amphitheatre and medieval settlement traces.

Why it matters

Tusculum occupied an important place among the cities of the Latin League and later became a centre of aristocratic life under Rome. The site's archaeological layers preserve the development of the ancient city and the medieval community that grew over its remains.

What to notice

The acropolis crowns the hill above the remains of the forum and Roman theatre. Beyond the ancient walls, an amphitheatre survives, while traces of the medieval quarter and a church attest to later settlement. Together these remains reveal distinct civic, religious and domestic phases.

Context and history

Tusculum's history reaches back to the Bronze Age. The city took part in the Latin League and later became a favoured setting for Roman villas. In the tenth century, the Counts of Tusculum became a powerful family in Rome. Roman forces destroyed the city in 1191; a medieval settlement later occupied part of the site before it too was abandoned. Systematic archaeological excavations began in the nineteenth century.