Santi Cosma e Damiano, Lazio

Comune in Lazio, Italy

41°18′N 13°49′E / 41.300°N 13.817°E / 41.300; 13.817CountryItalyRegionLazioProvinceLatina (LT)FrazioniCerri Aprano, Grunuovo, San Lorenzo, VentosaGovernment • MayorFranco TaddeoArea • Total31.61 km² (12.20 sq mi)Elevation181 m (594 ft)Population • Total6,967 • Density220/km² (570/sq mi)DemonymSancosemesiTime zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal codeDialing code0771ISTAT code059026 Patron saintSts. Cosmas and DamianSaint daySeptember 26WebsiteOfficial website

Santi Cosma e Damiano is a town and comune in the province of Latina, in the Lazio region of central Italy, whose territory is located partly in the Monti Aurunci area and partly in the Garigliano plain.

Sights include an 11th-century tower in the frazione of Ventosa.

History

It is mentioned for the first time in a Gaetan document from 830 AD, although the area was inhabited in ancient times by the Ausoni/Aurunci (nearby was the ancient town of Vescia).

Here, in the locality known as Vattaglia (local dialect for "battle"), was fought in 915 the Battle of Garigliano between the Italian league and the Saracens. After the battle the place was part of the Duchy of Gaeta, then of the Montecassino Abbey until the Norman conquest in 1140, after which it followed the history of the Kingdom of Naples.

During World War II, Santi Cosma e Damiano was located on the Gustav Line, and therefore suffered heavy bombings in 1943–44.

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