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Vicolo della Grondarella in Anguillara Sabazia: two thousand years of history at the lakeside
In the historic centre of Anguillara Sabazia, the tiny Vicolo della Grondarella is perhaps the most “stratified” lane in the entire town. The barrel vault in modern brickwork serving as a covered passageway is built directly on a Roman wall, dating to the second half of the 1st century BC, in opus reticulatum: a wall-building technique using small tuff blocks typical of the Republican era. Two thousand years of constructions, layered one on top of the other, in just a few square metres.
A disputed etymology and eels in the coat of arms
Tradition has it that the origin of the town's name can be found here: the Roman wall was attributed to the villa of the matron Rutilia Polla, mentioned by the jurist Proculus, which stood where the promontory formed a corner ("Angularia", later Anguillara). The villa however stood on the shores of the lake, much lower down than the alleyway in question. The most credible hypothesis today traces the name back to the noble Anguillara family, lords of the territory between the 11th and late 15th centuries, whose coat of arms depicts two crossed eels.
