Frosinone

Frosinone, with its sharply demarcated old and new towns, is the capital of the Ciociaria district. The city abounds in an architectural feature for which the entire region of Lazio is famed: fountains. It seems that the name Ciociaria derives from the name of an old form of peasant footwear, the "ciocia", which consisted of a leather sole with a raised point, tied by laces wound tightly around the calf.

Characterized by hills and undulating terrain, the region has many villages which have preserved their original medieval structures intact and which in many cases are even more ancient in origin. In recent years the region has experienced a considerable degree of industrial development, mainly as a result of the widening of the state highway and the expressway. The area of the Ciociaria nearest to the Abruzzo region is characterized by imposing industrial complexes built in close proximity to medieval towns and villages, and even, in one case, to an ancient Cistercian abbey.

At midnight of 9 June each year a boat flying the flag of San Silverio, patron of the city, is lowered into the sea.