Pomezia is a municipality (comune) in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy. In 2009 it had a population of about 60,000.
The economic, social and cultural development of the city is due to the great work of anthropization carried out by the families of the Colonists, founders of Pomezia and by the families of Pescatori, pioneers of Torvajanica .
HIGLIGHTS
Pomezia is the fifth municipality in the Agro Pontino-Romano, built at the end of the largest and most complex reclamation, transformation and colonization work carried out in Europe between the two wars. The Municipality, historically defined as «the gateway of the capital to the“ redeemed ”territory», was formally constituted on June 3, 1938 , with Royal Decree Law no. 935 . The city, bordering the municipalities of Rome, Albano Laziale, Ariccia, Aprilia and Anzio, took a large part of the territory from the Governorate of Rome, absorbing Pratica di Mare and Ardea which became the first two settlements. Pomezia was founded on 25 April 1938 with the laying of the first stone inaugurated on 29 October 1939 .
On April 25, 1938 , after the ceremony of the Foundation of Pomezia, with the laying of the first stone, the construction of the city began by creating the “first group of buildings” proposed by the project and defined as a “representative nucleus”: the Municipal House , the Tower-Reservoir , the Post Office , the Church , the Casa del Fascio and the School.The historic center of Pomezia was built in 18 months, in which the buildings belonging to the second group were also built; a series of constructions, houses, services and spaces suitable for accommodating an urban agglomeration of 3000 inhabitants. After the war, Pomezia became an important industrial center of Lazio, thanks to its proximity to Rome and its inclusion in the beneficiary territories of the economic development policies implemented by the Cassa del Mezzogiorno. The civic identity of Pomezia is strongly linked to the cultural value of its colonizing peoples who in the first decades of the twentieth century came to the territory from different regions of Italy (including: Campania, Abruzzo, Umbria, Marche, Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Trentino, etc.).
History
The town was built entirely new near the location of ancient Lavinium on land resulting from the final reclamation of the Pontine Marshes under Benito Mussolini, being inaugurated on 29 October 1939. Its new population was extracted from the poor peasants of Romagna, Veneto and Friuli. Peace did not last long. After being occupied by the forces of the Third Reich, Pomezia was heavily bombed during the Battle of Anzio in World War II. After the end of the war, Pomezia developed as a strong industrial center, especially in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors, as well as a recreational center. It is also home to the production plant of Italian food company Colavita.
Pratica di Mare is the “frazione” of Pomezia where the ruins of the ancient port of Lavinium are located, now 6 kilometres (4 mi) from the Tyrrhenian Sea. The ancient community was on some hilly ground at the mouth of a stream. Currently the flat alluvial sediment between the hill and the beach is occupied by Pratica di Mare Air Force Base, a facility of the Aeronautica Militare that also finds great utility as a secure airport and a location for air shows and races.
The name of Pomezia comes from the Latin city of Suessa Pometia, although it is unknown where Pometia was located.
