THE HISTORIC PRE-ROMAN AGE
The geomorphological features of the territory, which are estremely varied, have allowed the constant At the beginning of the Metal Age sheep-farming developed progressivety with the arrival of peoples of oriental origin who subsequently took over from the Neolithics, thus generating the new cultural world that was made up of elements of agricultural and pastoral extraction and which provided the basis for the italic civilisation. The italics were divided up into numerous tribal groups amongst which there were the Marsi, the Samnites, the Aequi, the Vestini, and those of the Peligna valley. The most important finding of this period that we still have today is the statue of the Warrior of Capestrano, a funeral stele of the 6th century B.C. which is preserved in the Archaeological Museum in Chieti, and represents a warrior with all his offensive and defensive weapons. At Montenerodomo, outstanding remains of polygonal walls, attributable to an italic settlement of considerable size, have been unearthed, whilst a little way outside Tornareccio the ruins of the megalithic walls of Pallanum, an ancient Frentani centre, can be seen. The ruins of an Italic temple, datable as the 3rd to 2nd century 8.6. have been discovered at Castiglione Messer Raimondo, in the Colle San Giorgio area. Its clay decoration, partly reconstructed, is preserved at the Archaeoiogical Museum in Chieti together with the decorative parts in brickwork which came from the two Italic temples in Schiavi d‘Abruzzo, as well as other archaeological findings from all over the region. THE ROMAN AGE Right from the era of the first Kings, the “peoples” of Abruzzo did not enjoy a pacific relationship with Rome. Tarquinius Priscus dashed with the Aequi and the expansionist intentions of his successors were tenaciously curbed by the federal alliances drawn up by the italic peoples. In all attempt to set up a unitary state along the Adriatic coast, the Samnites were particularty indomitable adversaries of the Romans, the former inflicting heavy defeats on the latter, including the humiliation of the “Caudine Forks”. After alternating outcomes, the Italics were finally subdued at the end of the social war (91-88 B.C.}, but not without first being promised Roman citizenship. With pacification and the division of Italy into regions, at the wishes of Augustus, Abruzzo and Molise became the IV region of Rome and given the name “Sabina et Sammium”. The Roman presence soon made itself felt. Road networks were improved and new settlements built, whilst existing towns were provided with spas, amphitheatres, theatres, temples and other important public works. The partial draining of the lake Fucino took on a great importance with the construction of an artificial outlet which initiated in 41 A.D. by the Emperor Claudius, was inaugurated in 52 A.D. and functioned until the 6th century. The remains of the drainage works can be seen today in the archaeological area of Incile near Avezzano. Among the numerous testimonies to the Roman era one must not forget the theatre and amphitheatre in Arniternuni near L’Aqui|a; the remains of the town of Alba Fucens {where digging work has not yet been cmplited), near Avezzano; the centre of Juvanum in Montenerodorno (Ch),with temple buildings, theatre and forum; the Sanctuary of Ercole Curino in Sulmona; Peltuinum at Prata d’Ansidonia {Aq} and Corfinium, the present-day Corfinio (Aq), built on the via Valeria and capital of the ltalic League, with the name of Italy, at the time of the social war. Further important remains of the Roman era have also been found at Teramo, Atri and Chieti. THE MIDDLE AGES The fall of the Roman Empire brought to a halt any building activity worth mentioning. This was also due to the involvement of the region in the Greek~Gotho war (535-553). The arrival of the Longohard peoples in the 6th century, who colonized the territory on a massive scale with their settlements, emphasized the already gloomy economic conditions of the region, dividing it between the Duchies of Spoleto and Benevento. It was in this period that the term”Aprutium” began to be used to refer to most of the territory. ‘With Carlo Magno, in 843, administrative unity was restored, at least nominally, under the Duchy of Spoleto, even though, by now, the large feudal families were dominating the political and administrative scene. The resumption of construction work took the fonn of buildings of great importance which still exist today, though mostly altered in one way or another. In fact, between the 8th and 10th century, the abbatial churches of San Giovanni in Venere near Fossacesia (Ch), San Pietro a Campovaiano {Te}, San Clemente a Casauria, San Clemente al Vomano, close to Guardia Vomano, a hamlet of Isola del Gran Sasso (TE) and San Bartolomeo of Carpineto della Nora(PE) were all built. The alternating political events, the absence of a central power which could unify the criteria for a “defence policy” and the struggles between the large feudal families were the main factors that prevented the building, between 1200 and 1400, of an organic system of castles and fortresses according to any unified plan. Nevertheless, the numerous defensive structures that were set up at that time presented such great typological variety that they made up “an exceptional indicative synthesis of almost all the aspects of fortified architecture” (Perogatti). Unfortunately, today most of these buildings have fallen into decay, but, because of the surroundings and background in which they can be found -often in isolated places which are difficult to get to -. they still manage to hold a certain fascination for the occasional visitor. Next to political events, the presence of the Benedictines came to be of great importance for Abruzzo from the 11th century onwards. As spreaders of civilisation and culture the monks have left innumerable testimonies to their presence in Abruzzo, amongst which, the Abbey of San Liberatore a Maiellala, near Serramonacesca (Pe), which is outstanding. Both held a determining impedance for the development of a particular kind of sculpture, rich in animal and vegetable ornamentation taken from popular symbology and applied to the creation of highty-decorated ambones and ciboria that are still visibte today in many churches of the era. The presence in Abruzzo of the Cistercian Benedectines was a decisive step towards social and economic developments as well. As clever and energetic entrepreneurs, colonizers and improvers, they soon developed a network of economically-integrated convents, which, in the absence of economic and productive strctures at that time, were autonomous and able to provide to themselves. Most of their establishments were built on pre-existing pagan temples {S. Maria di Casanova, S. Spirito d’Ocre, S. Maria Arabona, S. Giovanni in Venere, S. Maria del Monte, and others too), and the Cistercians provided the populations of Abruzzo with a wonderful example, encouraging the development of new productive classes and giving the region an impulse that was fundamental to the agrarian revolution and consequent demographic growth. A most interesting testimony to the economic vitality of the Cistercian monks is represented by the convent, or rather “Grancia” (ancient name for a monastery} di Santa Maria del Monte, isolated on the vast pastures of Campo Imperatore at an altitude of more than 1600 metres. The building, which was set up at the beginning of the 13th century, was equipped with storehouses, THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD The Baroque period, which developed after the plague of 1656 and the two earthquakes of 1703 and1706, took the form of a time of reconstruction and developed both in the construction of new buildings like The Spanish domination, which lasted until 1707, was followed by that of Austria until 1734 and until the occupation by Napoleon of the Kingdom of Naples in 1806, that of the Bourbons, restored by the Congresso di Vienna in 1815. In the Napoleonic period administrative, judicial and economic reforms were carried out and, above all, feudalism was abolished. From then on political and cultural life, as well as the economic life of flourishing Abruzzzo was transferred to the coastal strip. This process was more and more concentrated on Pescara. It was here that, during the Risorgimento, the main episodes of uprising against the Bourbon monarchy were recorded, like, for exarnpie, the heroic resistance of the fortress of Pescara when the Parthenopean Republic was eliminated in 1799 and the rebellions in Penne in 1837. Whereas, inland, in the mountainous Abruzzo, widespread episodes of civil struggles against the new political direction were evident. These events resulted in the ultimate loyalist resistance of the Fortress of Civitella del Tronto and then developed to take the form of brigandage after 1860, harshly put down by the unified State. During the decade following Unification the region was witness to the main event of an economic nature: the draining of the Fucino Lake. This was initiated in 1852 by a French company but than administered by Alessandro Torlonia who secured the ownership of the land as compensation for the expenses incurred. During World War I, after the retreat of Caporetto, Abruzzo offered hospitality to the refugees and to the military command which moved into the Abruzzo territory hit by a disastrous earthquake in 1915. Fascism found favourable ground on which to spread in Abruzzo because ot the large gap which existed between the social classes, especially between the land-owners and the farm-labourers, the latter survivors of a war which had seen their already miserable way of life deteriorate even further. The conditions were so favourable that the regime chose to hold the Matteotti trial in Chieti. In the winter of 1943-44, during World War II, the region suffered the devastation left by the retreating Nazi army and the slaughter it carried out amongst the civilian population although Abruzzo and its Brigata Majella participated actively in the liberation struggle. Post-war reconstruction work was late in getting started. Though it happened slowly, the development of the region started to take place only at the beginning of the Sixties to then reach the height of its expansion between the mid-Seventies and Eighties, the expansion was such that Abruzzo reached the same level of economic development as the Centre and North. The cultural revival obviously was dominated by Gabriele D’Annunzio, though the painters Francesco Paolo Michetti, Teofilo Patini, Filippo and Giuseppe Palizzi and the sculptor Costantino Barbella were all important too.
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