Abruzzi e Molise (known as ''Abruzzi'' when part of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies) was formerly one of the

regions of Italy The regions of Italy ( it, regioni d'Italia) are the first-level administrative divisions of the Italian Republic, constituting its second NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, five of which have higher autonomy than the rest. U ...

encompassing a total of and including

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

Molise Molise (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Neapolitan, Mulise) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy. Until 1963, it formed part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise, alongside the region of Abruzzo. The split, which did not become effe ...

and Circondario di Cittaducale (presently a part of Lazio).

History

From the time of the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

, this region was considered a single entity with the regional capital at

L'Aquila L'Aquila ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 70,967 inhabitants. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valle ...

. The name "Abruzzo" appears to be derivative of the Latin word ''

Aprutium Teramo (; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese, Tèreme ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italy, Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo. The city, from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apenn ...

'', in turn from the tribe

Praetutii The Praetutii (Greek: , Ptolemy; Eth. , Polybius), were an ancient Italic tribe of central Italy. They are thought to have lived around Interamnia (or Interamna), which became modern Teramo, and to have given their name to Abruzzo. The ancient acc ...

. During the Kingdom of Naples, the region was further divided into four provinces: Abruzzo Citra (nearer Abruzzo), Abruzzo Ultra I (farther Abruzzo I), Abruzzo Ultra II (farther Abruzzo II), and

Contado di Molise The County of Molise ( it, Contado di Molise) was a ''giustizierato'' (justiciarate) in the Kingdom of Sicily and Kingdom of Naples. Originally it covered a small area between the Mainarde mountains and the Matese mountains, where the province o ...

. The Abruzzo provinces were named for their distance from Naples, the capital, and referred to collectively by the plural "Abruzzi". In 1852, the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

annexed

Ancarano Ancarano (Marchigiano: ') is a town and comune in Teramo province in the Abruzzo region of eastern Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in t ...

, then further changes occurred during the formation of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...

including the annexation of Venafro and adjustments of the border with

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

. In 1927 an additional adjustment was made when the Cittaducale was assigned to

Rieti Rieti (; lat, Reate, Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 47,700. It is the administrative seat of the province of Rieti and see of the diocese of Rieti, as well as the modern capital of the Sabina re ...

Transformation into separate regions

In 1963, the

province of Campobasso A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

was split from the region to form

, with the remaining four provinces,

Teramo Teramo (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Tèreme ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo. The city, from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines (Gran Sasso d'Italia) ...

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

and

Chieti Chieti (, ; , nap, label= Abruzzese, Chjïétë, ; gr, Θεάτη, Theátē; lat, Theate, ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Central Italy, east by northeast of Rome. It is the capital of the province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region. ...

, comprising the present day

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abruzzi E Molise Geographical, historical and cultural regions of Italy History of Abruzzo History of Molise Former subdivisions of Italy Abruzzo Molise