Lazio · Roma
Velletri
The Castelli Romani town where Augustus grew up, now the largest wine commune in the Alban Hills.
Known for
VELLETRI DOC
Lazio's serious red appellation since 1972: Montepulciano, Sangiovese and Cesanese grown on volcanic Alban Hills slopes.
AUGUSTUS
Childhood home of the future emperor, whose family the Octavii had a street and an altar in ancient Velitrae.
CAESAR LINE
Site of the American breakthrough in May 1944 that opened the road to Rome; the town was heavily bombed.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: papa Clemente I, 23 November
Why come
Velletri sits on the southeastern edge of the Alban Hills, the volcanic ring of craters and lakes thirty-five kilometers from Rome that the city calls the Castelli Romani. The Octavii, the paternal family of the emperor Augustus, were from here. Suetonius noted a street in town called Octavian and an altar consecrated by an Octavius.
Augustus himself spent his childhood in Velitrae before Rome. The town later became a Volscian stronghold, then a papal possession, then the seat of the Diocese of Velletri-Segni still held by the Dean of the College of Cardinals. The American Fifth Army broke the German Caesar Line here in May 1944. What survives the bombings and the reconstruction is the Torre del Trivio above Piazza Cairoli, the Renaissance Palazzo Comunale, and a wine appellation, Velletri DOC, that has been Lazio's most serious red label since 1972.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Velletri’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Torre del Trivio
50-meter Romanesque bell tower from the 14th century, the survivor of the bombings of 1944, the town's defining silhouette.
Palazzo Comunale
Renaissance town hall designed by Giacomo Della Porta, rebuilt after wartime damage, on Piazza Cesare Ottaviano Augusto.
Cattedrale di San Clemente
Cathedral seat of the suburbicarian Diocese of Velletri-Segni, held by the Dean of the College of Cardinals.
Museo Civico Archeologico Oreste Nardini
Archaeological museum holding Volscian, Roman and medieval finds from the Alban Hills, including the Velletri sarcophagus copy.
Cantina Sociale di Velletri
Cooperative founded in 1947, one of the largest in Lazio, producing Velletri DOC reds and whites from cooperative members' vineyards.
The slow-trip planner
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Living here
- Population 52,528
- A local hubi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Rome, 1 h 25 min drive
- Regional capital Roma, 59 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 332 m
- Population: 52,528
- Surface area: 118.23 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Close by
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