A detailed description of the history and development of the village of Casalvieri, located in the Comino Valley in Italy, the geographical location of the village and its hamlets. The first populations to inhabit the area, the Volscians, the arrival of the Romans during the Samnite wars. A chronology of the town's formation, from the first document mentioning the name Casalvieri in 1017 to its aggregation to the County of Arpino in the 14th century. The text continues with a description of urban development in the 18th century and historical events during the Bourbon and post-unification periods.
The strategic importance of Casalvieri
The area where the village of Casalvieri is one of the strategic areas of the Comino Valley, as it controls the narrow passage, along the Melfa river, that leads from the same valley to the middle Liri valley with its outlet at Roccasecca.
In addition to Casalvieri centre, the municipality has two hamlets: Roselli e Purgatory and some 90 contrade or small hamlets. The name derives from the name of the medieval settlement: Casa Silverii or Ulivieri House.
I Volsci were the first pre-Italic population that had control of the Comino Valley although their rule was short-lived because they were annihilated by the Samnites who, in their slow expansion towards more fertile lands, collided with Roman interests, causing the 1st Samnite War in 354 BC.
It is now historically proven that the beginning of the great Roman expansion southwards coincided with the victory over the Samnite confederation in the 3rd Samnite War (which according to Livy began in 298 BC).
The origins of the name Casalvieri
The name Casalvieri appears for the first time in a document from the year 1017, dated 5 May, the day on which the brothers Pandolfo IV and Pandolfo II ceded the territory of the city of S. Urbano to the abbey of Monte Cassino, governed by their brother, Abbot Adenolfo.
This document mentions for the first time the name Selberi House, from which Casalvieri, the present name of the town that began to form, as an urban aggregation, precisely during the phase of encastellation, around the Selberi Castle, as confirmed by a later document from 1064.
The medieval town of Casalvieri
Few interesting traces remain of the ancient medieval town, such as the city walls and two towers, located at the north and west corners.
In 1076, the Abbey of Montecassino received Casalvieri as a gift. Previously, the Abbey had already founded two small monasteries in the area, located today on the border between Casalvieri and Casalattico: Sant'Angelo Pescomascolino and San Nazario. This area was dense with Benedictine religious settlements. Sant'Angelo belonged to a priest of Selveri House named Peter, who donated it to Monte Cassino in 1032.
In the 11th century, a castle was actively built, as the area was of strategic importance. Later, in 1215, the castle was donated by Frederick II together with the towns of Schiavi (Fontechiari) and Casale (Casalattico) to Innocent III. In the 14th century, the castle was united with the County of Arpino, and this act of unification represented an active decision by the rulers of the time. In 1461, it again became a papal possession, and then definitively passed back to the King of Naples in 1472. From that year on, its affairs followed those of the Duchy of Sora, administered from 1580 to 1796 by the Boncompagni princes.
During the 18th century, there was an interesting urban and demographic development, which favoured the construction of churches and stately palaces, the development of rural settlements (the casali) and the restoration of mills and the bridge over the Melfa River.
The Bourbon and post-unification period
Moreover, the historical events linked to the Bourbon period and the subsequent post-unification period, during which Casalvieri and the Valley were part of the Terra di Lavoro (Province of Caserta). Phases that characterised the life of the local populations above all due to the perpetuation of conditions of poverty and the explosion of the phenomenon of brigandage.
