SESSA AURUNCA

town and episcopal see, Caserta provincia, Campania regione, southern Italy, on a lava deposit of the extinct Roccamonfina volcano, north-northwest of Naples. The town is on the site of the ancient Suessa Aurunca, the chief city of the Aurunci (an ancient Italic tribe), which was punished by the Romans for refusing to pay tribute. Later, it became a Roman municipium and was the site of a colony under the emperor Augustus; its Roman ruins include a theatre, baths, a large cryptoporticus (private gallery), and a bridge with 21 arches. The town is dominated by its Romanesque cathedral, and there are ruins of a medieval castle. The local volcanic soils are very fertile, and there is trade in cereals, fruit, and wine. Pop. (1987 est.) mun., 24,586.