Anagni, Medieval commune in Latium, Italy
Anagni is a town in the Province of Frosinone in Lazio that rises on a hillside and is surrounded by Roman walls. Stone buildings line the winding lanes, and in the center several squares open up between structures from different centuries.
Palaeolithic finds confirm human presence in the area many thousands of years ago, while Roman walls later enclosed the settlement. In the 13th century the town experienced a papal heyday when several members of the Conti family held the papacy.
The name may derive from the river Anio, while residents today live in eight quarters that each maintain their own traditions. The medieval lanes connect homes with workshops, and cafés open onto small squares where locals gather in the morning.
The town sits on a rise, and steep roads climb up to the historical core, while parking is available outside the walls. The lanes in the center are narrow and uneven, so comfortable footwear is helpful.
The Cathedral's crypt displays 12th-century frescoes that show religious scenes and medieval ideas of the cosmos on stone walls. Pope Boniface VIII was publicly struck here in 1294 in a momentous event that entered history as the Schiaffo di Anagni.
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