Pomezia, Italy

Pomezia Italy

The town was built entirely new near the site of ancient Lavinium, on land created by the final reclamation of the Pontine Marshes under Benito Mussolini, and was inaugurated on 29 October 1939. Its new inhabitants were drawn from poor farming communities in Romagna, Veneto and Friuli. Peace was short‑lived: after occupation by the forces of the Third Reich, Pomezia was heavily bombed during the Battle of Anzio in the Second World War. After the war, Pomezia developed into a major industrial hub, especially in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors, as well as a leisure centre. It also hosts the production plant of the Italian food company Colavita. Pratica di Mare is the “frazione” (hamlet) of Pomezia where the ruins of the ancient port of Lavinium are found, now 6 kilometres (4 miles) from the Tyrrhenian Sea. The ancient settlement stood on hilly ground at the mouth of a stream. Today, the flat alluvial plain between the hill and the beach is occupied by Pratica di Mare Air Force Base, a facility of the Aeronautica Militare that also serves as a secure airport and a venue for air shows and races. The name Pomezia comes from the Latin city of Suessa Pometia, although the location of Pometia itself remains unknown.
Recommended airport
Rome (ROM)
Nearby destinations
  • Rome a 24.96 km
  • Latina a 40.23 km
  • Vatican City a 26.16 km