Cencelle

settlement · 640 AD – 2100 AD

A Medieval settlement that, according to textual sources, was founded in 854 by Pope Leo IV to provide a more secure position for the citizens of Centumcellae (Civitavecchia). Situated along the ancient Via Aurelia, Cencelle occupies a defensible hill positioned between the Melledra and Mignone rivers. The site chosen for the Medieval city likely occupies the former site of an Etruscan oppidum.