Campagna di Roma

Campagna di Roma, plain in central Italy, an undulating area surrounding Rome, in Latium region. The district, with an area of about 2,100 sq km (810 sq mi), extends along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea from the city of Civitavecchia to the city of Terracina. From the coast the district extends inland to the Alban and the Sabine hills. The ground, which never rises higher than 61 m (200 ft) above sea level, is almost entirely volcanic. The many lakes were formed in the craters of extinct volcanoes. Until the 5th and 6th centuries ad the Campagna di Roma was well populated and was filled with luxurious villas, ruins of which have been found. During the Middle Ages the political insecurity of the region following the fall of Rome, as well as the poor soil resulting from misuse of the land and the failure of the water supply, led to a gradual depopulation and to an increase of unhealthful conditions, including malaria. Reclamation of the district was begun in the 19th century and largely completed in the 1930s. Today the district has grazing land for sheep and cattle and land suitable for growing cereals, vegetables, and fruit.