Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region of central
Italy bordering
Marche to the north,
Lazio to the west and south-west,
Molise to the south-east and the
Adriatic Sea to the east. Until 1963 it was part of the
Abruzzi e Molise region (with Molise). The term
Abruzzi is an obsolete plural denomination from a time when the
Bourbons administered the territory as
Closer Abruzzo and
Further Abruzzo.
The regional capital is
L'Aquila. The region is divided into four provinces:
L'Aquila (the largest),
Teramo,
Chieti (the most populous) and
Pescara, Abruzzo's main economic centre. The four provinces are further divided into 305 municipalities. Abruzzo has a population of around 1.3 million.
In the past, the region of Abruzzo was well known for the
transumanza, the migratory movements of sheep to
Puglia and
Lazio during the cold winter months.
The official dialect for Abruzzo, which is rarely spoken there now, is one of the most complicated Italian dialects. It is comprised of words from languages spoken around Europe especially between the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The region covers 10,794
km² almost two-thirds of which is mountainous. The remainder of the land consists of hills sloping to a narrow plain that runs for most of the 129 kilometre long
Adriatic coastline. The
Apennine mountain chain runs through the Abruzzo and high points are
Corno Grande (2914m) and
Monte Amara (Maiella-group) (2795m). The main rivers are the
Aterno-Pescara, the
Sangro and the
Tronto.
One third of the region is designated as national or regional park. The following parks lie, wholly or partially, within Abruzzo:
*
Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise (Abruzzo National Park)
**
Lago di Barrea (Barrea Lake Wetlands)
*
Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga (National Park of the Gran Sasso)
*
Parco Nazionale della Majella (National Park of the Majella)
*
Parco Naturale Regionale Sirente-Velino (Sirente Velino Regional Park)
The protected areas are environmentally important and are home to rare flora and fauna, such as the
brown bear, the
wolf and the
chamois.
The region is rich in natural beauties and history, but is only just starting to be discovered by mass tourism. Abruzzo's wealth of castles and medieval towns, especially near the town of
L'Aquila has earned it in some quarters the nickname of "Abruzzoshire", by analogy with the "Chiantishire" nickname sometimes used to refer to the
Chianti area of
Tuscany.
Some towns in Abruzzo include
L'Aquila,
Atri, Abruzzo,
Chieti,
Pescara,
Teramo,
Vasto,
Avezzano,
Giulianova,
Sulmona,
Lanciano,
Montesilvano,
Francavilla al Mare,
Roseto,
Penne,
Castel di Sangro and, smaller in size,
Capestrano,
Roccamorice,
Lettomanopello,
Caporciano,
Tortoreto,
Alba Adriatica,
Pescasseroli,
Collelongo,
Villavallelonga,
Gissi,
Isola del Gran Sasso,
Rocca di Mezzo near
Campo Felice, a ski resort in the
Gran Sasso Mountains,
Ovindoli, another ski resort near the
Velino mountain,
Roccaraso, the first ski resort in South-Central Italy located near
Castel di Sangro and
San Benedetto in
Perillis.
For a complete listing of all those with Wikipedia articles, see
:Category:Natives of the Abruzzo.
*
Regione Abruzzo*
Map of Abruzzo*
Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo*
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