Pianiano is a borough of the town of Cellere in the province of Viterbo. After being completely abandoned in the 18th century, the population has started growing again, mainly thanks to Albanian immigrants.
Pianiano Cellere
History and description
The history of Pianiano has its origin in Etruscan times and since then ever new layers of civilization have been added, so to speak. Many of the architectural elements of the buildings have been used and reused many times over.
The name probably derives from Planum Iani, a reference to the God Janus, in whose honor there used to be a temple.
Like Cellere itself, Pianiano became subjected to Tuscania in 1223. From the 15th century onwards it was the Farnese who held power in the town.
In the 17th century, Pianiano was completely abandoned due to malaria and this would continue until the middle of the 18th century, when Pope Benedict XIV had Albanian immigrants populate the town.
Today, Pianiano is a popular tourist destination.