Terracina

Terracina stands where the Volscian Hills meet the Tyrrhenian coast, beside the Pontine Marshes. The ancient Via Appia passed this narrow point on its way south from Rome. Under Trajan, a cutting through the rock at Pisco Montano eased the road around the headland. Above the town stand the remains of the sanctuary associated with Jupiter Anxur.

The papacy brought Terracina under its authority in the ninth century, though local and Roman families later contested control. A commune developed in the Middle Ages, and the cathedral rose on the site of an ancient Roman temple. The church was consecrated in 1074. The papal constitutions of 1357 strengthened central authority, but did not end the city's internal disputes or the influence of the neighbouring Kingdom of Naples.