Alsium

Alsium (modern: Palo) was an ancient town of Etruria, on the Via Aurelia, by which it is about 35 km from Rome. It was one of the oldest cities of Etruria, but does not appear in history until the Roman colonization of 247 BCE, and was never of great importance, except as a resort of wealthy Romans, many of whom (Pompey, the Antonine emperors) had villas there.

Northeast of Palo is a row of large mounds called I Monteroni, which belong to tombs of the Etruscan cemetery. Considerable remains of ancient villas still exist along the low sandy coast, one of which, just east of Palo, occupies an area of some 400 by 250 m. The medieval castle belongs to the Odescalchi family. Palo includes today only the old castle: it is part of the comune of Ladispoli, a bathing resort founded by Prince Ladislao Odescalchi in 1888.

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