In Greek and Roman mythological tradition, Aeneas founded Lavinium after escaping the destruction of Troy. Virgil’s Aeneid presents Aeneas as a Trojan survivor whose descendants would eventually establish Rome.
Lavinium was named for Lavinia, the daughter of King Latinus. After reaching Italy, Aeneas married Lavinia and founded the settlement in Latium. The story connects the Trojan royal line with the peoples of ancient Italy.
A common mix-up is to answer Rome, because Aeneas is an ancestor of Rome’s founders rather than its immediate founder. In the traditional genealogy, his son Ascanius founded Alba Longa, while Romulus and Remus later founded Rome.
An ancient site called Lavinium, near modern Pratica di Mare south of Rome, is associated with the legendary settlement. Archaeological remains there include sanctuaries and monumental tombs from later periods.