Palestrina is the modern town located on the ruins of the ancient hill city of Praeneste, one of the oldest towns of central Italy. Palestrina is presently an agricultural center, has a population of approximately 15,000, and lies 23 miles east of Rome by the Via Labicana. It sits prominently on a foothill of the Apennines facing the Alban Hills. Places of interest include the ruins of the Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia and the 12th-century cathedral of St. Agapitus. It is also the birthplace of composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.