Villa Comunale di Frosinone

A broad green space spreads across the lower town of Frosinone, on land that once formed the De Matthaeis estate. Tree-lined walks, a playground, sports areas and the Casa De Matthaeis event rooms give the grounds their double life as garden and civic venue at once.

Why it matters

In Frosinone the park where the whole town converges is the Villa Comunale. The municipality classifies the complex as a public asset serving recreational, health, cultural, environmental and naturalistic functions at once: a playground and equipped gymnastic-sports area for families, exhibition and conference rooms inside the Casa De Matthaeis for the city's ceremonial life, and open ground in front of and behind the building for outdoor events and performances. The municipality has described the villa as a public green space and venue for civic initiatives.

What to notice

The park includes tree-lined walks, a children's playground, a sports area and Casa De Matthaeis. Casa De Matthaeis contains conference and exhibition rooms, as well as the Sala Matrimoni used for civil wedding ceremonies. The municipality has used the complex for exhibitions, conferences, ceremonies and performances.

Context and history

The park did not grow out of an aristocratic garden but out of a working estate. Coverage of a 2019 heritage walk organised by the Lega Ernica association described the Villa Comunale as the ancient De Matthaeis estate turned the green centre of the lower city, and credited its conversion into public ground to the vision of architect Danilo Lisi — a story the walk framed as one of reconciliation in Frosinone's urban development, where the modern city had to remake itself around places left undeveloped. The estate's rural past survives in the name of its building, which the municipality now equips for ceremonies, exhibitions and conferences. The public dimension is codified as well: The municipality administers use of the halls and grounds for civic initiatives.