Latin:
Frusino

Frosinone, city, Lazio (Latium) regione, central Italy, on a hill above the Cosa River, on the Via Casilina. It originated as Frusino, a town of the ancient Volsci people, and became a colonia (colony) of the Roman Empire. There are traces of ancient walls and a Roman amphitheatre, but Frosinone, which was badly damaged during World War II, is now a primarily modern town. It is the centre of the Ciociaria district (noted for peasant costumes), and agriculture is the economic mainstay. Pop. (2006 est.) mun., 48,600.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.

Two Women, novel by Alberto Moravia, published in Italian in 1957 as La ciociara. Based partially on Moravia’s own experiences during World War II, the novel tells the story of Cesira, a strong-willed widow who is forced to flee Rome in 1943 with her 18-year-old daughter Rosetta. The two women suffer hunger, fear, betrayal, the brutality of their fellow peasants, and, finally, rape at the hands of the “liberators.” Cesira loses her faith, and, although she and her daughter are survivors, she comes to the conclusion that human nature—including her own—holds many possibilities for evil.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.