Anzio

Anzio (/ˈænzioʊ/, also US: /ˈɑːntsioʊ/; Italian: [ˈantsjo]) is a resort town and comune in the Lazio region of Italy, about 51 kilometres (32 mi) south of Rome.

Well known for its seaside resorts, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola, and Ventotene. The town bears great historical significance as the site of Operation Shingle, a crucial landing by the Allies during the Italian Campaign of World War II.

The symbol of Anzio is the goddess Fortuna, in reference to her veneration in the ancient Antium, whose territory Anzio occupies a very important part; so that it retains the heritage of the ancient town in archaeological terms: the settlement of Antium, over the centuries, was certainly present in the area of modern Anzio (the Capo d'Anzio).

In the Roman era the territory of Antium almost entirely corresponded to modern Anzio and nearby Nettuno.

In the Middle Ages Antium was deserted in favour of Nettuno, which maintained the legacy of the ancient settlement.

At the end of the sixteenth century Pope Clement VIII, who had purchased the lordship over Nettuno (the territory of which incorporated Anzio) for the Apostolic Chamber, gave instructions to Monsignor Bartolomeo Cesi to take steps to safeguard the building heritage of Anzio. A century later, in the last decade of the seventeenth century, by the will of Pope Innocent XII the port was rebuilt which gave rise to a notable economic recovery in the area, which continued throughout the eighteenth century. At the end of the 17th century Innocent XII and Clement XI restored the harbour, not on the old site of the Roman one of Nero, but to the east of it, with the opening to the east, a mistake which leads to its being frequently silted up; it has a depth of about 5 metres (16 ft). The sea is encroaching slightly at Anzio, but some kilometres farther north-west the old Roman coast-line now lies slightly inland (see Tiber).

A village arose and developed after the construction of the new harbour - completed in 1700 - with the Roman aristocracy discovering the area.

In 1857 Pope Pius IX founded the modern municipality (comune) of Anzio, with the boundaries of Nettuno being redrawn to accommodate the new town; however, the official name of the new municipality was Porto d'Anzio until 1885.