Discovering the Latium Region: "La Ciociaria" of Italy

The ciociaria is actually a sub region in Latium with no real borders around it, but mainly it extends through the center and south of the Latium region, around the province of Frosinone. According to the Ciociaria website (www.ciociaria.it) the name came from the word "ciocia" which is an old ethnic footwear worn by sheep and cattle pastors in the Apennines, some still wear them today; the shoe is of a sandal shape and almost looks like the ones that the ancient Romans would wear but these do not wrap around the foot completely and the upper part is open.

Frosinone which is considered the capital of the Ciociaria sub region is a medium size town about forty five miles south east of Rome, with about forty eight thousand habitants and it is an important modern industrial city of the Latium region.

According to the Italian Ciociaria Wikipedia (www.it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciociaria) the subregion has a culture of its own with different traditions and entertainments. For example still today we find a variety of different events such as the processions of the patron saint, the fairs and games, the palios and tournaments around the towns' quarters emphasizes the fact that the people from the Ciociaria want to remain attached and are proud of their peasant culture and roots.

The symbol of the Ciociaria sub region is a copper amphora called conca, according to the Ciociaria website (www.ciociaria.it), which was originally used to carry water from the fountains, and these concas are still made today from the local artisans. Another symbol of the sub region are the terracottas vases and jugs which are decorated with red soil and enameled, and you can still see them today around the towns.

And not to mention that the sub region was a base to different movies such as "La Ciociaria" (known as "Two Women" in English) with Sofia Loren and it is the story of a women and her daughter during World War II. Other movies include "L'armata Brancaleone (in English known as "For love or gold"), and the movie talks about a brave German knight who fights the Hungarians as they storm into one of the villages of the Ciociaria but ends up being killed and thrown into a river, and another movie is "Pane, Amore e Fantasia" (known in English as "Bread, love and dreams) with Gina Lollobrigida and Vittorio De Sica and it is a classic romantic comedy.