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Coming from Rome Albano Laziale is the first town along the Via Appia. It
stands on the southern side of the volcanic crater which is
now a lake: the lake Albano in Castel Gandolfo.
The centre of the town covers mostly the area where the Emperor
Domitian had his majestic villa built in the first century A.C.,
in the same place where Septimius Severus encamped the soldiers
of the "Seconda Legione Partica” in the 3rd century
A.C. After the dissolution of the Legion, Constantine gave the
properties to the Church and organized the construction of a
new Basilica consecrated to S. Giovanni Battista, the Cathedral,
still highlighting the presence of what once was a large Christian
community.
In 395 A.C. Ursino was named as the first bishop of Albano.
During the Middle Ages the town underwent several barbaric invasions
and was object of struggles among noble Families. During the
Greek – Gothic war Belisarius, Justinian's general,
occupied the town. Charlemagne gave the town to the Holy See
in 774 A.C.
In 946 Albano was transformed in a feudal territory by Otto
I and given to the Savelli; the town followed the destine of
this Family, which at the end of the year 1200 became its owner
and built a little village on a hill still called "Monte
Savello”. Later on Albano was sacked several times: by
Frederick II, King of Sicily and of Naples and by the Holy See
during the struggle against the Colonna and the Savelli. Pius
II (1458-1464) conquered Albano; the town became property of
the relatives of pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484) and then of Rodrigo
Borgia, son of Lucrezia. In 1697, during the pontificate of
Innocent XII (1691-1700), because of the debts of the Family
Albano was sold by auction, and it became property of the Holy
See.
During the XVIII century Albano Laziale was chosen by noble
families as holiday resort and therefore various noble mansions
were built: Villa Altieri, Villa Corsini, Villa Doria Pamphili
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