to Naples. LAGO FUCINO. /. Route. 15
Sora was the birthplace of the learned Cardinal (asar Baronius who died
at Rome in 1607 as librarian of the Vatican. Sora forms, as it were, the
termination of the military road to the Abruzzi and is therefore an appro¬
priate situation for a fortress.
A mountain-path leads from this to the r. by Alina to San Germano
(p. 5), passing the small lake of La Posta (3 M. from Sora), the source of
the Fibreno. Atina, an ancient and loftily situated town, possesses huge
Cyclopean walls, gateways (porta aurea), and other interesting traces of
its former importance.
The path from Sora to Capistrello (23 M.) ascends on the 1. bank of
the Liris through the Val di Roveto , beneath the lofty Balzorano, a small
town with an ancient castle of the Piccolomini; "passes to the r. by
Civild <T Antino, the Antinum of the Marsi, affords a view of the beautiful
Lo Schioppo, a waterfall of the Roveto, below the village of Morino, reaches
Civitella di Roveto, turns to the r. at the culminating point, where the valley
contracts and the road leads through a defile, crosses the mouth of the
canal constructed by Claudius to drain the Lago Fucino, and reaches
Capistrello.
The "Lago Fucino or Celano, the Locus Fucinus of the ancients, one
of the largest in Italy, is 40'|2 M. in circumf. As it lies 2230 ft. above
the sea-level, it has occasionally been frozen over, it contains numerous
fish and water-snakes, whilst vipers, wild boars, lynxes etc. abound among
the neighbouring mountains. The Marsi, by whom the district was an¬
ciently inhabited , were reputed to be sorcerers and magicians. In ancient
times the lake frequently occasioned disastrous inundations, on account of
which the Marsi besought Julius Caesar to cause the superfluous water to
be drawn off. Claudius was the first to attempt the task, and having failed
in an endeavour to drain the lake into the Imele, which falls into the
Velino, a tributary of the Tiber, he caused an " Emissarius, or tunnel, to
be constructed , penetrating Monte Salviano for a distance of 18,370 ft. in
length, in the direction of Capistrello, and falling into the Liris. Not fewer
than 30,000 men were employed in the work during 11 years, from A. D. 41
to 52. It is about 13 ft. in height, 6 ft. in breadth, partly hewn in the
limestone rock, partly constructed of bricks; it has 33 openings (pozzi) to
admit light and air, and is on the whole in a good state of preservation.
In order to inaugurate the completion of the work, Claudius caused the
spectacle of a sanguinary naval encounter on the lake to be exhibited to
a vast multitude of spectators, after which the water was admitted to its
new outlet. It was subsequently deepened and re-opened with renewed
festivities, as Tacitus informs us (Ann. 12, 57). The passage afterwards.
became obstructed, and new works wen undertaken by Trajan, Hadrian,
and in the middle ages by the Emp. Frederick II. In 1786 and 1826 ope¬
rations were again commenced, but without much success. A company
recently formed , of which Prince Torlonia is president, has undertaken to
execute the task in accordance with the plans of M. Montricher, a French¬
man , and the works are now rapidly progressing. This has given rise to
the local witticism: "O Torlonia secca il Fucino, o il Fucino secca Tor¬
lonia."
The path follows the direction of the tunnel, and at some distance to
the 1. Tagliacozio becomes visible. If the traveller here ascends Monte
Salviano, clothed with a luxuriant growth of sage, he will enjoy a magnifi¬
cent prospect of the lake and surrounding mountains, among which the
Maiella (8444 ft.) to the S. and the Velino (7700 ft.) to the N. are most
conspicuous. The path now skirts the lake, traverses the plain and leads
to the town of Avezzano, 6 M. from Capistrello, surrounded with vines
and almond-trees, and possessing a palace erected by the Colonnas, now
the property of the Barberini, a conspicuous object from a distance. Car¬
riage-roads lead from Avezzano to Tagliacozzo, to Celano and Popoli (dili¬
gence in 10 hrs.; p. 167) on the high-road through the Abruzzi (R. 121. A
bridle path leads from Celano to Aquila (R. 14), a distance of 28 M.
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