The term of the border between Piumarola , Castle of Monte Cassino, and the County of Aquinas, now restored , is an important point of reference for anyone who wants to take an interest in local history , both medieval and modern.
It is a pillar of the Roman era, granite cm in diameter . About 37-40 m high and about . 1.25 , as well as the underground part that would be around half a meter. It is located south of the Autostrada del Sole , on the border between the municipalities of Aquino and Piedimonte San Germano . This column , by the inhabitants of Piumarola called " Time of Aquino " because here ended the territory of that county , was always held in high esteem by the people and the government , both on this side to that side of the border .
"When I was a boy I often heard my grandfather say that in other times Piumarola arrived at the gates of Aquinas, but I did not believe him because it seemed impossible that a small village where the town has always been, in the past centuries could have lived so large a . Then I realized that he was right in that he was not referring to the houses , but to the territory of the farm that had the Abbey of Monte Cassino , where the remains of the building, albeit minimally, are still visible. In our days, then , the whole area where is located the column is referred to as "Term" ; the common Aquino has assigned the name " Commercial Terms " and " Terms Area " in two districts along the road that leads from Volla the City of St. Thomas ; locations that, even if located on the other side of the motorway, are always in the proximity of this ancient border . "
The municipality of Piedimonte San Germano , then , in a more explicit way , called " Via Terms of Piumarola " the road from this village was leading right to the column , and then continue up to Aquino1 . A Piumarola this road ended his career just before the castle of Monte Cassino, where the abbot Desiderius had put two lions, symbols of the Abbey. A road, by the way, certainly very old , since its near Piumarola , there are Roman remains were found , while after the war, when we went in search of shards and pieces of brass side to allow for a few bucks , a man digging to a depth of about a meter and always near Piumarola , I noticed a paving paving white , the same that you can still see part of what was once the main entrance to the castle.
The boundary of the castle of Piumarola is , like that of the other castles, from the third register Ayglerio Abbot Bernard (1263-1282) and is described as follows:
" On the one hand starts at the place where is the church of St. Thomas , near the Water of Cassino and turns along the way there Selciata called Campanina , and goes to the street called Traversa, you forward and out to Colonnella and from there goes to the place called the Sognefjord and down to the mill located near the church of San Bernardo . From the second part starts from that church of San Bernardo and salt to the place called The Cross , is set in a place called The Vetere , down to the brook called Arosceto and exits to the mill of Saint Petronilla or nuns . From the third part starts from the mill , he plunges along this stream or shape of the aforesaid mill and goes to the place Contra, then climb up to a place called The Fossata and arrives at a place called Li Tartars , then climb up to the church of St. Thomas constitutes the starting point . "
Not all place names are now easily found on the territory due to their disappearance or transformation that occurred over the centuries . But several are still easily identifiable , starting from Water Cassino , so named for many centuries , and today identified with the Rio Fontanelle , where some old , recently deceased , remembered having heard also of a church of St. Thomas ; we are clearly in the area of the paper mills of Villa Saint Lucia . Moreover, always be my ancestor , even when born Cassino had resumed its current name , still called San Germano this city , and called Cape Casino Street Bridge to the intersection with Horse Casilina .
Equally clear is the location of the Via Selciata corresponding to the Via Latina , which wound its way from the airport Fontanelle Aquinas, partly still existing in the municipality of Piedimonte although a good portion was occupied by the establishment of FIAT ; in the municipality of Villa , however, was cut in two by the railway Rome - Naples.
Not as easily identifiable is the Way Cross , which at first seemed to be the one that runs along the Fiat and Casilina leads to Volla and then goes on to Ruscito , but most likely would be the parallel street Pantanelle , which currently marks the boundary between Aquino and Piedimonte . In any case it is a path that cuts at right angles ( cross ) the Via Latina and the Colonnella today remains the only specific point of reference which, in the past, delimiting the boundaries between the Abbey of Montecassino and the County of Aquino , whose relations have gone through ups and downs over the centuries .
Colonnella from the border down to the Forms of Aquinas ( The Sognefjord ), where until recently there was the mill of Castelluccio . If that is indeed the case , we see that along this stretch of the border then follows the current one between the towns of Piedimonte and Aquinas; would have to say that over the course of many centuries have changed many facilities but strongholds remained unchanged over time.
Still other easily identifiable place-names of the border , such as: The Cross ( Santa Croce Terms ) ; the Mill of Saint Petronilla or Nuns, today also called in at Molinarso purifier industry , on the edge of the Villa, Cassino and Pignataro ; Li and even the Tartars along the borders of the first two areas, but now we are back in the vicinity of the starting point ( Bridge to Horse - Mill - Le Fontanelle ) 6. I was not possible , however, to identify the place names of Le Vetere , Contra and The Fossata .
Some confirmation to the above we can draw the border even from the borders of the neighboring castles . For the castle of Piedimonte , whose border has been entered in the register of the Abbot Bernard only in 1721 , is cited twice that it skirts the castle Piumarola along the Via Latina . To the Castle of St. Peter (now Colosseo) , whose border as those of Piumarola and Piedimonte always starts from Cape Casino , citing a way that separates it from silicate Castle Piumarola ; it must be the current way Campolargo , that near to Horse Bridge today marks the boundaries between Cassino and villa7 ; always to the boundaries of San Pietro is also indicated the water Piumarola , Rio Pioppeto today and contiguous to the purifier industry. Finally, the boundary of the castle of Pignataro for which you always mentions the Mill of Santa Petronilla , already seen for Piumarola and always falling in the area of the purifier .
The territory of Piumarola , so defined , it included all the area that is now part of the municipalities of Villa Piedimonte and sites below the Via Latina (or railroad ) . To the north of the Via Latina was the castle of Piedimonte , which also included the territories of two towns situated there . The castle of Piedimonte , built by the Counts of Aquino and later sold to Monte Cassino in exchange for territorial assets that the Benedictines had elsewhere , it was a veritable fortress castle , located so as to block access to the Land of St. Benedict , and thus , also can protect the castles of Teramo and Piumarola , who were predominantly two agricultural farms .
The earliest records of the castle of Piumarola back to the year 1057 but , most likely , was built by the Benedictines prior directly as it is established that the historical tradition in this town lived St. Scholastica , sister of St. Benedict and because its territory is within the boundaries of the donation of Gisulfo II ( 744 ) , later confirmed by Charlemagne (April 2, 787 ) ; other bubbles agreed to the Benedictines of privileges " Plumbarola " and his " no small stretch of containment ."
The importance of the agricultural production of this castle farm makes it clear from the records of 1500, after the recovery of the monastery, which although subsequent centuries from the previous period , are always significant , because, as shown by an inventory drawn up in 1580 , the boundaries are the same in the register of the Abbot Bernard. The notary Vincent Mansillo of St. Apollinaris , who drew up the inventory , called the farm of Piumarola as a " de the main habba the holy Monastery of Monte Cassino , located et taken in the plain to the right side , under the Mountain of dicto Monasterio, with a tower in the middle, et various members of the house above et below , with stables, granaries , and others needs. "
From the accounting records , which are irrefutable documents , it is clear that the production of cereals was really substantial , exceeding , in some years , even 3,000 tomoli wheat as well as other cereals , lupins , wine and cattle breeding .
After the description of the territory of Piumarola , the column delimited to Aquinas, we now see the recent events of this . Located at a cross roads to four , when I photographed around 1990 , stood on the left side proceeding in the direction of Aquino and the latter part of the municipality , while , according to what is referred to by locals , previously was at the center of the intersection , at the point where the cadastral maps show the boundary between Aquino and Piedimonte .
It seems that during the war the column has been torn up and then put back in its place by the inhabitants of the area. About fifteen years ago, it was centered by the digging of a drainage ditch remediation and disappeared. Not knowing where she was , I began to talk with the mayor of Aquino , giving him a copy of my booklet on Piumarola that, in addition to photography , it also contains a drawing indicating the location of the column; the answer was very vague , so that after many decades it can be said that he fell completely in a vacuum. I turned to the director of a monthly magazine which was then published in Cassino , hoping at least to be able to publish a short article or a letter on the disappearance of the column, but the answer was clearly negative because , according to him , one could identify the entity that had carried out the work and , therefore , contained an accusation.
Not giving me peace of thing, I talked with the local agency of the government responsible for this, and my request to track down the artifact fell on deaf ears because, for lack of funds , it was not possible to even get permission for an inspection .
Talking to right and left I learned from Constantine Iadecola , a scholar of local things and known by many in the Cassinate for his publications , the column was near its original site, in front of the house by Vittorio Di Nardi , who had taken steps to safeguard it and to keep it on hold to return it to its place . Meanwhile, I talked about the thing with the mayor of Villa Saint Lucia and the prefectural commissioner of the same municipality .
Finally tracked down the column , I began looking for an institution that is able to reconcile the historical interests of the municipalities of Aquino and Piedimonte , the boundaries of which the current column has always been, and that of Villa Saint Lucia because in the latter municipality falls the fraction Piumarola .
Therefore, the entity would have been more suitable the Union of the Five Towns .
Without the appropriate inspections with the Department of Culture , they undertook the restoration of the column, after obtaining the approval of the competent bodies to resolve the relevant expense.
Indeed, at one point even suggested a study conference on the occasion, despite my misgivings as a thing takes time, preparation and organization of a certain level. Then the absolute silence and even the sinking of this other initiative . A total failure of the administrative bodies , something easily explainable as the history and culture in general , do not agree with the policy , because they do not bring votes : culture, like many other things , do not vote .
So in the end , as has happened in other areas in the territories of Piumarola , private, at his own expense , he made ​​up for what the public entity would have the sacred duty to do. And so Vittorio Di Nardi , with the help of Thomas Morelli , has relocated the original column near the border , a few meters higher than the previous site , as the latter is occupied by the channel and the wayside . The long-awaited restoration took place quietly on 2 February 2006 .
The two deserving recognition goes to all scholars and fans of local history, otherwise , from here to some luster , missing elderly people, no one would know the function played by this Roman column at this point and for many centuries.
And if any or all of the relevant public administration will want to give the column a more dignified accommodation , they are welcome . Accommodation only be done at the point where the column is located and , in the strongest terms , not elsewhere, because there are many Roman columns , while the boundary between Piumarola , castle of Monte Cassino, and Aquino was in century one and only one .