Valle Latina (English: "Latin Valley") is an Italian geographical and historical region that extends from the south of Rome to Cassino, corresponding to the eastern area of ancient Roman Latium.
The valley's principal cities are Frosinone, Cassino, Sora, Grottaferrata, Anagni, and Alatri.
Frosinone (Italian: [froziˈnoːne] ; local dialect: Frusenone) is a comune (municipality) in the Italian region of Lazio, administrative seat of the province of Frosinone. It is about 75 kilometres (47 mi) southeast of Rome, close to the Rome-Naples A1 Motorway. The city is the main city of the Valle Latina ("Latin Valley"), an Italian geographical and historical region that extends from south of Rome to Cassino.
Until the 19th century, it was a village with a rural vocation, while from the 20th century, it became an important industrial and commercial centre. Traditionally considered a Volscian city, with the name of Frusna and then the Roman of Latium adiectum as Frùsino, over the course of its millenary history it has been subjected to multiple devastations caused by its geostrategic position. As a consequence of this, as well as of destruction due to seismic events (the most ruinous of which occurred in September 1349), it retains only rare, albeit significant, traces of its past.
Cassino (Italian pronunciation: [kasˈsiːno]) is a comune in the province of Frosinone at the southern end of the region of Lazio. It's the last city of the Latin Valley.
It is located at the foot of Monte Cairo near the confluence of the Gari and Liri rivers and on the via Casilina between Rome and Naples. The city is best known as the site of the Abbey of Montecassino and the Battle of Monte Cassino during World War II, which resulted in huge Allied and German casualties as well as the near total destruction of the town itself. It is also home to the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio.
The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about 130 kilometres (80 mi) southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient Roman town of Casinum, it is the first house of the Benedictine Order, having been established by Benedict of Nursia himself around 529. It was for the community of Monte Cassino that the Rule of Saint Benedict was composed.
The first monastery on Monte Cassino was sacked by the invading Lombards around 570 and abandoned. Of the first monastery almost nothing is known. The second monastery was established by Petronax of Brescia around 718, at the suggestion of Pope Gregory II and with the support of the Lombard Duke Romuald II of Benevento. It was directly subject to the pope and many monasteries in Italy were under its authority. In 883, the monastery was sacked by Saracens and abandoned again. The community of monks resided first at Teano and then from 914 at Capua before the monastery was rebuilt in 949. During the period of exile, the Cluniac Reforms were introduced into the community.