Palestrina

The heart of this ancient city, hidden during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, came fully to light after it was bombed in World War II. Today Praeneste, known in modern times as Palestrina, is a fascinating mix of classical, medieval, and Renaissance streets, sites, and buildings, dominated by its 4th-century BC fortifications and above all by the 2nd-century BC sanctuary of Fortune.





   The walks in this electronic book cover the city and its acropolis, touching on its legendary foundation by gods and Greeks, its innovations in classical architecture, its golden age and finally its demise as Rome grew powerful.  Along the path, the legacy of the Colonna and the Barberini families serves to illustrate its troubled and violent history after the fall of the Empire.