Sezze | ||
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Comune | ||
Comune di Sezze | ||
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Location of Sezze in Italy | ||
Coordinates: 41°30′N 13°04′E / 41.500°N 13.067°E | ||
Country | Italy | |
Region | Lazio | |
Province / Metropolitan city | Latina (LT) | |
Frazioni | Casali, Ceriara, Colli, Crocemoschitto, Foresta, Sezze Scalo | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Andrea Campoli (PD) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 101 km2 (39 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 319 m (1,047 ft) | |
Population (31 December 2015) | ||
• Total | 24,894 | |
• Density | 250/km2 (640/sq mi) | |
Demonym(s) | Setini | |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
Postal code | 04010, 04018 | |
Dialing code | 0773 | |
Patron saint | St. Charles of Sezze | |
Website | Official website |
Sezze (or Sezza) is a town, comune and former Latin Catholic bishopric in the Province of Latina, central Italy, about 65 kilometres (40 mi) south of Rome and 10 kilometres (6 mi) from the Mediterranean coast. The historical center of Sezze is located on a high hill commanding the Pontine plain.
The area has been famous for its fine climate since Roman times: warm and dry in summer, cool in winter.
According to a legend, the city was founded by the mythical hero Hercules, after his victory over the Lestrigones, a population of giant cannibals living in southern Lazio. The town coat of arms features the white Nemean lion which Hercules slew in the first labor.
The historical Setia appeared around the 5th century BC as the Volscan settlement member of the Latin League. It became a Roman colony in 382 BC, and flourished because of its strategic and commercial position near the "pedemontana" way and the Appian Way, the road that connected Rome to southern Italy.
During the Civil War between Gaius Marius and Sulla, Setia supported the former and was later punished by the victorious Sulla (82 BC). In the Imperial period Setia was famous for its villas, and its wines were praised by Martial, Juvenal and Cicero.
In the early Middle Ages the city had a troubled life due to its location near the main road of communication. But in 956 it was freed from the Papal authority and organized itself as a commune with laws of its own. Later, several popes sojourned in Sezze, including Gregory VII (1073), Paschal II (1116) and Lucius III (1182).