Tusculum

Listen first. Up here, above Frascati, the traffic of the plain falls away. You hear wind moving through chestnut and oak, a few birds, perhaps the crunch of gravel under someone's boots. Underfoot, the ground changes as you walk. Packed earth, loose stones, and then the dark grey slabs of an old road. The air is cooler than in the town below, and on a clear day the light looks thinner and sharper. This hilltop is Tusculum. For well over a thousand years, a city stood here. Today it is a quiet archaeological park.

To understand why a city grew in this spot, look around you. You are standing on the rim of the Alban Hills. These hills formed from an ancient volcano, and the soil it left behind is dark and fertile. That is one reason the slopes below are covered with vineyards. From this height, a settlement could watch the whole Roman countryside. It could see armies coming long before they arrived. Height meant safety, and it also meant power over the roads that crossed the plain below.

The Romans liked to give their neighbours grand origins, and Tusculum has one of the grandest. Legend says the city was founded by Telegonus. In Greek myth he was the son of Odysseus and the enchantress Circe. This is a story, not history. But it tells you how old and how respected Tusculum felt to the Romans themselves. In their eyes, this was not a village on a hill. It was a city with roots in the age of heroes.

In reality, Tusculum was a town of the Latins. The Latins were the people of this region, and Rome was only one Latin city among several in its early days. Roman tradition links Tusculum to the last king of Rome, Tarquin the Proud. According to that tradition, a leader of Tusculum named Octavius Mamilius was his son-in-law. When the Romans expelled their king, Tusculum fought on his side. The ancient writers placed the decisive battle at Lake Regillus, somewhere on the plain near here.

Here is the first surprise. Despite that early war, Tusculum became one of Rome's closest partners. In the fourth century before Christ, it received Roman citizenship. It was one of the first towns outside Rome to be given this honour. Families from Tusculum then entered Roman politics. The most famous was Cato the Elder, who was born here. He became a stern statesman and a famous writer on farming and Roman values. A boy from this hilltop helped shape the voice of the Roman Republic.

Later, the hills around Tusculum became a retreat for wealthy Romans. Rome in summer was hot and crowded. Up here, the air was fresh and the views were wide. Rich families built country villas on these slopes. The most famous owner was Cicero, the great lawyer and orator. He loved his villa near Tusculum. He even named one of his philosophical works after it. In English it is called the Tusculan Disputations, a series of conversations about death, pain, and happiness.

Now walk to the remains of the theatre. It is small, and that is part of its charm. The stone seats curve in a half circle, cut into the slope of the hill. A town audience could sit here and look down at the stage. Behind it, the land opens towards the plain. Try to imagine the seats full of local families. Imagine the voices of actors carrying in the open air. The size tells you something important. This was a real town, not a monument. People lived ordinary lives here.

Near the theatre, you can see traces of the forum. The forum was the public heart of a Roman town. It was where people met, traded, argued, and worshipped. The remains are low and scattered, so it helps to read the ground slowly. Look for straight lines of stone and the edges of old foundations. Look also for sections of Roman road. The paving is made of hard volcanic stone, laid in large, uneven blocks. Two thousand years of feet and wheels have smoothed their surfaces.

Here is the second surprise. Tusculum did not end with the fall of Rome. In the Middle Ages it rose again, and it became powerful. From around the tenth century, a family known as the Counts of Tusculum controlled much of the region. They also had enormous influence in Rome itself. Several popes came from this family. For a time, the fate of the Church was decided partly by men whose castle stood on this hill. Few visitors expect that story here.

That power created enemies. The city of Rome and the counts were rivals for a long time. In the late twelfth century, the Romans finally destroyed Tusculum. They knocked down its walls and its houses, and the town was never rebuilt. Survivors moved down the slope. A popular local story says the refugees built shelters from leafy branches, called frasche in Italian. Locals say that this is where the name Frascati comes from. It is a well-loved tale, though scholars debate the true origin of the name.

After the destruction, the stones of Tusculum slowly vanished under soil and trees. People took building material from the ruins. In the early nineteenth century, digging began here again. Lucien Bonaparte, a brother of Napoleon, owned land nearby and carried out excavations on the hill. Many objects were removed in that period. In recent decades, archaeologists have worked here with more careful methods. Spanish researchers have led much of this modern work. Each season adds small details to the picture.

If you have the energy, climb to the highest point of the hill. This was the acropolis, the fortified summit of the old city. Today a large cross stands at the top. From here, the view is the real reward. On a clear day you can look across the plain towards Rome. You can see the hills, the towns, and the green slopes below. On hazy days, the city becomes a soft grey line. Either way, you understand why people chose this place.

Before you leave, stand still for a moment. Feel the uneven stones under your feet. Notice how quiet it is, compared with the cafés and squares of Frascati below. Kings, consuls, philosophers, and popes all knew this hilltop. Now it belongs to walkers, birds, and the wind in the trees. As you walk back down, watch the vineyards appear on the slopes. The town at the bottom of the path is, in a sense, Tusculum's child.