Aregno ( co, Aregnu) is a
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Haute-Corse
Haute-Corse (; co, Corsica suprana , or ; en, Upper Corsica) is (as of 2022) an administrative department of France, consisting of the northern part of the island of Corsica. The corresponding departmental territorial collectivity merged wi ...
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
on the island of
Corsica
Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. The village was previously part of the ''piève'' of ''Aregnu'' in the former
Genovese
Genovese is an Italian surname meaning, properly, someone from Genoa. Its Italian plural form '' Genovesi'' has also developed into a surname.
People
* Alfred Genovese (1931–2011), American oboist
* Alfredo Genovese (born 1964), Argentine ar ...
province of Balagna.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aregnais'' or ''Aregnaises''
The commune has been awarded three flowers by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and villages in Bloom''.
Geography
![Aregno-panorama](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Aregno-panorama.jpg)
Aregno is located immediately to the east of
Algajola and extends from west to east between Algajola,
Lavatoggio,
Cateri,
Sant'Antonino
Sant'Antonino is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona
Bellinzona ( , , Ticinese ; french: Bellinzone ; german: Bellenz ; rm, Blizuna )is a municipality, a historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. ...
,
Pigna, and
Corbara
Corbara is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy.
Geography
The municipality borders with Angri, Lettere ( NA), Sant'Egidio del Monte Albino
Sant'Egidio del Monte Albino (Campanian: ) s ...
. Its highest point is 326 metres above sea level and it has a total area of some 930 hectares. Access to the commune is by National Route N197 from Algajola in the west and continuing to Corzo to the north-east. Access to the village is by road D551 which branches off the N197 and continues south through the commune by a circuitous route to the village. There is also the D151 road from Pigna in the north-east, passing through the village and continuing south to join the D71 south-east of
Cateri. The
CFC railway from Algajola passes through the commune near the beach with the Aregno-beach station an important stop for the summer "beach tramway" along the coast and the beaches between
Calvi and
L'Ile-Rousse.
Between the sea and the village, the Aregno plain is crossed by the Teghiella stream, which joins the Pozzi stream, and the Migliani stream later on. It flows into the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
at the east end of Aregno beach, at the edge of the Calcinaiu Natural Site in
Corbara
Corbara is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy.
Geography
The municipality borders with Angri, Lettere ( NA), Sant'Egidio del Monte Albino
Sant'Egidio del Monte Albino (Campanian: ) s ...
.
Aregno has a narrow sea front, mostly sandy beach, which extends between Corbara and Algajola.
Localities and Hamlets
The commune includes the following inhabited areas:
*Aregno village, old and traditional, dominated by the Trinity Church located forty metres above it, an architectural jewel from the 11th century, located in the middle of the cemetery.
*Praoli hamlet located just north of the village with the small chapel of Saint-Michel
*Torre, north of the village, which also has a chapel
*Aregno-beach between the seaside resort of Algajola and the industrial area of Corbara. The area has been developed for tourism with the construction of holiday homes, shops, and hotels. The chapel of the Annunziata is at Aregno-beach. The D551 road connecting to the village intersects the N197 at Aregno-beach.
Amenities
![Aregno panorama](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Aregno_panorama.jpg)
Although it has a coastline, the commune has no
marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...
. The nearest is the small fishing port of San Damiano in Algajola.
There are 3 water treatment plants: in the village of Aregno and in the hamlets of Praoli and Torre. The pumping station is located near the N197 at Aregno beach.
The commune has no petrol station. The nearest is located at the edge of Corbara commune on the N197 at Aregno-beach.
Neighbouring communes and villages
History
Antiquity
Evidence that Aregno was already occupied in Roman times has been proven by discoveries of bronze plates from the armies of the
emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Vespasian
Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...
have been found at the site of San Marcellu.
It has been established that in the 9th century, during the reconquest from the
saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...
, Roman knights led by the Roman prince Guido Savelli (Count of Balagne since his victory over the Saracens) chose successively the Moorish cities of Corbara (the Castle of Guido was founded in 816), then
Sant'Antonino
Sant'Antonino is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona
Bellinzona ( , , Ticinese ; french: Bellinzone ; german: Bellenz ; rm, Blizuna )is a municipality, a historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. ...
for the capital of the County of Balagna, named after the coastal city which has disappeared.
According to the work of Pierre Savelli de Guido (Count Savelli de Guido, former mayor of Corbara and historian, member of the Archaeological Society of Lorraine), the site is that of the ancient city of ''Balanea'' founded by the
Phoenicians
Phoenicia () was an ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient thalassocracy, thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-st ...
(?) and mentioned by
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...
,
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
, and
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...
which was abandoned due to insecurity.
Stones from ancient Roman shrines have been reused in some houses and barns.
Modern Times
In the 16th century, around 1520, Aregnu was the centre of a
Pieve
In the Middle Ages, a pieve (, ; la, plebe, link=no; plural ''pievi'') was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended.
The Italian word ''pieve'' is descended from Latin ''plebs'' which, after th ...
with about 500 inhabitants. It was part of the Balagna region which included at the time the pieves of Tuani, Aregnu, Santo Andrea, Pinu, and Olmia.
The Pieve of Aregnu included the following inhabited places: l'Arpagiola (or Gabiola), la Corbaia, lo Monticello, Santo Antonino, Santa Riparata, Piaza, Pragola, le Torre, Regno, li Catari, lo Lavatogio, Lacona, Spano, Hogio, and Aquapessa.
In the 18th century, after the transfer of Corsica to France, Aregnu merged with the pieves of Santo Andrea and Tuani to form the Pieve of Regino. The Pieve of Regino became, with the Revolution in 1790, the Canton of Algajola.
Contemporary era
In 1954, together with the communes of
Algajola,
Avapessa
Avapessa is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Avapessiens'' or ''Avapessiennes''.
Geography
Avapessa is located some 12 km in a direct line east of C ...
,
Cateri,
Feliceto
Feliceto (; co, U Fulgetu) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Haute-Corse department
The following is a list of the 236 communes of the Haute-Corse depart ...
,
Lavatoggio,
Muro
Muro, a word meaning wall in the Spanish, Portuguese Italian, Esperanto and Ido languages, may refer to:
Places France
* Muro, Haute-Corse, a commune in the ''département'' of Haute-Corse
Italy
* Muro Leccese, a municipality of the Province ...
,
Nessa
Nessa Diab, known mononymously as Nessa, is an American radio and TV personality and television host.
Early life and education
Nessa was born to an Egyptian father and mother. She has two brothers. She grew up in Southern California but her ...
, and
Speloncato, Aregno became part of the Canton of Muro.
In 1973 Aregno was integrated into the Canton of Belgodere, a canton created by the forced merger of the former cantons of
Muro
Muro, a word meaning wall in the Spanish, Portuguese Italian, Esperanto and Ido languages, may refer to:
Places France
* Muro, Haute-Corse, a commune in the ''département'' of Haute-Corse
Italy
* Muro Leccese, a municipality of the Province ...
,
Belgodère
Belgodère (; it, Belgodere; co, Bargudè) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.
Population
See also
* Torra di Lozari
*Communes of the Haute-Corse department
The following is a list of the 236 ...
, and
Olmi-Cappella during the administrative division of new cantons between 1971 and 1973.
Administration
List of Successive Mayors
Demography
In 2017 the commune had 598 inhabitants.
Economy
Agriculture
At one time the
Almond
The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...
was cultivated - a tee perfectly suited to Corsica, a dry and sunny region. Olive trees are also grown in elsewhere in Balagne as well as
Citrus
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...
trees.
*The
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
: In the past the quality of oranges from Aregno was well known. It was in the 17th century that the first oranges were imported from Portugal. There is an orange variety called "Aregno Citrus sinensis Osbeck".
Although today the culture of the Orange has collapsed, 17 January is the day the patronal festival is always held for the blessing of oranges followed by their distribution.
*The
Almond
The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...
: At the end of the 19th century almond culture covered 3,000 ha of Corsica. By the middle of the 20th century it covered only 100 hectares.
Since 1970, following the creation of a recovery plan for almonds by the Chamber of Agriculture and the National Committee of the Almond, 300 ha have been planted. Without and prior studies of production, processing and marketing, or technical support, this operation was a failure since in 1980 Corsica numbered only 170 hectares of almond trees. In 1990 a conversion plan funded by the ''Onhiflor'' and the
EEC
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...
was established. 100 ha are to be planted with new plants.
Nevertheless, pastoralism (sheep and goats) remains the main rural activity.
Tourism
The commune is now part of an area popular with tourists during the summer season. Camping has found its place among the hotels and tourist residences with two large campsites (Camping at the Beach and Marina A) well-developed at Aregno beach on the coastal part of the commune. There is also camping at "Canterattu-city" equestrian centre inland.
Culture and heritage
Places
Aregno-beach, a strip of 900 metres of coarse sand from which the Citadel of Algajola can be seen. This beach is the natural outlet for all the neighbouring villages. Most of this beach is bordered by the commune of
Corbara
Corbara is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy.
Geography
The municipality borders with Angri, Lettere ( NA), Sant'Egidio del Monte Albino
Sant'Egidio del Monte Albino (Campanian: ) s ...
. The western end belongs to the commune of
Algajola. The beach is very popular with vacationers.
Religious heritage
*The Church of Saint Trinity (11th century) is registered as an historical monument. It is at Aregno village at an altitude of 280 metres, a legacy of the Pisan heritage from the 11th century. As with the ''Chapel San Raineru'' at Lunghignano (
Montegrosso
Montegrosso () is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It is a gathering of three villages: Montemaggiore, Lunghiniano and Zillia.
Montegrosso is named after the surrounding mountain, Montegrosso (the "Big ...
) and the
Romanesque ''Chapel Saints Paul and Pierre'' in
Lumio, it is located in the middle of a cemetery and is decorated with strange motifs: human figures or animals (bears, cows, snakes etc.). One of these is at Pignon, perpendicular to the front door. It shows a man removing a thorn from his foot. It is an allegory of knowledge, widespread in continental Romanesque buildings. In 2011 an archaeological evaluation was conducted in the nave to consider restoration. There are murals dating to 1449 and 1458 in the Church of the Trinity: ''The Four Doctors of the Church'' and ''Saint Michael slaying the dragon'' which are registered as an historical object.
;Church of Saint Trinity Picture Gallery
Image:Corse-04812-église de Aregno.jpg, The Church of Saint Trinity
Image:Aregno E1aJPG.jpg, The Apse
In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...
Image:Aregno-La Trinite.jpg, The Church front facade
Image:Aregno-La Trinite-sculptures.jpg, Sculptures at the front
*The
Parish Church of Saint-Antoine-Abbé is located below the Church of the Trinity and San Giovanni at 252 m altitude in the heart of the village and accessed by a cul-de-sac. In the style "Corsican baroque" and recently restored, it has a high ochre bell tower and 3 floors of arches. Its front facade, pink with white bands, is inspired by the
Church of the Gesù
, image = Church of the Gesù, Rome.jpg
, imagesize =
, caption = Giacomo della Porta's façade, precursor of Baroque
, mapframe = yes
, mapframe-caption = Click on the map for a fulls ...
(Rome) with plans having been reworked in 1564 by
Vignola
Vignola ( Modenese: ; Bolognese: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Modena (Emilia-Romagna), Italy.
Its economy is based on agriculture, especially fruit farming, but there are also mechanical industries and service companies.
The c ...
. Flat, stripped, and flanked by carved side doors, the facade is divided into two floors, punctuated by pilasters and separated by cornices. It is surmounted by a pediment which, instead of being triangular as in many Baroque churches of the island, here is curved bordered with moulded cornices. The Pediment and facade are also separated by a cornice. The date 1818 is carved on a granite corner stone. Restoration of the church doors has been made financed by a ''parliamentary reserve'' in 2011 by the MP for
Aisne
Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.[Pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...]
(1714)
**A Painting: The Virgin with Saints Dominic and Catherine of Sienna (17th century)
**A Painting: The Death of Saint Francis-Xavier (18th century)
[Ministry of Culture, Palissy ]
;Parish Church of Saint-Antoine-Abbé Picture Gallery
Image:Aregno-eglise-1.jpg, The Church of Saint-Antoine-Abbé
Image:Aregno-eglise-autel.jpg, The altar
Image:Aregno-eglise-chaire.jpg, The pulpit
Image:Aregno-eglise-orgue.jpg, The organ
*The Chapel of Saint-Michel is a small chapel in the hamlet of Torre to the north of the village.
*The Chapel of the Annunziata is on the plain along the D551 road. On a marble plaque affixed above the entrance is written: ''Fermati o passageri la testa inclina per saluta del celo la grand Regina''.
*The Chapel in the hamlet of Praoli.
Festivities and Recreation
*The Almond Fair: On 8 and 9 August 2009 there was the 13th edition of the ''Fiera di Amandulu'' at Aregno - a gourmet event focused on the almond and local products (cheeses, meats, etc.) and regional craft stalls. In 2009, exhibitors were invited from the town of
Oraison
Oraison (; oc, Aureson) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.
Geography
The river Asse forms all of the commune's southern border, then flows into the Durance, which forms all of its western border.
Po ...
(Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), famous for its almond-based products.
* On 17 January of each year, the day of the feast day of Saint Anthony Abbot, oranges are blessed and distributed to the participants.
Aregno Picture Gallery
Image:Aregno_Vi1JPG.jpg, Aregno
Image:Aregno.jpg, View of the village
Image:Aregno-E Torre-St-Michel.jpg, The Chapel of Saint-Michel
Image:Aregno-Annunziata.jpg, The Chapel of the Annunziata
See also
*
Communes of the Haute-Corse department
The following is a list of the 236 Communes of France, communes of the Haute-Corse Departments of France, department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunalities (as of 2020):
References
{{authority control
Communes of Haute-Corse