Soninese artichoke

This is a picture that my wife took of an artichoke in our relative's garden. Makes me hungry for "carchofi alla Romana"

Matteo and Graziano

This is a picture of my cousins Matteo(San Francisco) and Graziano(Sonnino). Matteo visited Sonnino for the first time last spring. He hit it just right and was in town for Le Torce. I believe they're standing in front of the home where my great-grandmother grew up.

A little Sonnino History: Sonnio's boundry lands

Sonnino – Museum of the boundary lands

Founded in 2004 and started in 2005, its development is still in progress.
The Museum of the boundary lands collects the signs of the anthropologic deeds of the boundaries of Sonnino.

The whole history of Sonnino is, in fact, impregnated of “boundaries”: from the century old conflicts with Priverno, to the brigands in the free zone between the Papal State and the Kingdom of Naples. And each year, the boundaries are passed along by the night procession, the Feast of the Torches, which has become the symbol of the community.

Sonnino, a small town castled on the Musoni mounts, is placed on the southern extreme pieces of land of the Ciociaria, which, up to the ‘30ties, belonged to Frosinone and that once was the extreme limit of the State of the Church (the “Marittima”).

Finally, the boundary in the exhibition is represented as the arrival point of the community process and, at the same time, point of escape in order to get in relation with the external world.

Sonnino's own Robin Hood?

Sonnino’s Robin Hood

Sonnino is a small town in the province of Latina. It can be reached in different ways, from Rome or Naples: it is enough to get on the Appia or the Mediana, the SS 148. Also by means of the highway A1, exit Frosinone, direction Priverno. It is 40 km far from Latina and 25 from Terracina and Sabaudia.

Built on the peak of the St. Angelo hill, Sonnino, in Latin Sumninum, was founded probably towards the end of the IX century by the people of Priverno, who escaped from the destruction of their town.

Towards the end of the XVIII century, Sonnino had a bad reputation owing to smuggling, to brigandage and to brigands.

Among these latter, there was Antonio Gasbarrone: our Robin Hood!

Beyond its real history, the reputation of Gasbarone overcame the boundaries of Italy even before his death and a lasting myth arose his figure and made him become one of most famous bandits of history.

The ability to run away and avoid being caught and to aim the criminal action often in defence of the poorer fuelled the legend on this “gentleman bandit”, whose figure was in synchrony with the social rebel spirit of Sonnino.


*I found this on an Italian website about the Latina region