| The historical nucleus
of the town near the ancient cathedral of Santa Maria in Vivario
and the surrounding bishop's palace was built on the ruins of
a Roman villa, that belonged to C. Passieno Crispo and then to
the Flavi. The villa was built in form of a terracing so to level
the ground where it stood. Its surface was probably very wide,
considering that its ruins were discovered even under the church
“del Gesù”.
Frascati was first mentioned in the 9th century in the donations
made by Leo IV (847-855) and Benedict III (855-858) of three
local churches: Santa Maria, San Sebastiano and S. Vincenzo;
the village became more important after the destruction of the
Tuscolo, when it was enclosed by walls, whose ruins were found
during the building of a retaining wall in via Regina Margherita.
In 1501 Alexander VI (1492-1503) confiscated Frascati to make
it part of the Nepi's duchy for the benefit of his sons
Rodrigo and Giovanni.
The history of Frascati is strictly linked with that of the
Vatican political events and with that of the important noble
families opposed to the Vatican, and in particular Frascati's
development is linked with the administration of Paolo III (1534-1549).
This pope divided it in three quarters: (S. Maria, SS. Flavia
e Domitilla, and S. Pietro) and created a new system of routes,
quite regular even though it was conditioned by the ancient
and new walls' perimeter, built to enclose that part of
the village which had not still any defensive wall.
The houses built around the fortress were destroyed and in
this way Frascati was transformed in an important and prestigious
town. Unfortunately, the bombardments during the second world
war destroyed completely the traces of the several transformation
ordered by the Popes and by the noble families, that alternatively
ruled this town.
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