Caporciano is a town and ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' in the
province of L'Aquila
The Province of L'Aquila ( it, Provincia dell'Aquila) is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated province of the Abruzzo region of Central Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part o ...
, in the region of
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 ...
, southern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.
It is located about 20 minutes by car from
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 capital of Abruzzo, in the plateau of Navelli. It is also about an hour from
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 about an hour and a half from
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
.
Main sights
* Romanesque church of S. Peter. The building dates back to 12th the century and contains frescoes from the 15th century; the church itself was enlarged towards the end of the 14th century.
* church of S. Benedict the Abbot, built over the remains of an old castle. The bell tower adjacent to the church was once one of the castle's towers.
* A few kilometres away is the hamlet of
Bominaco
Bominaco is a frazione of Caporciano in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy.
Main sights
* Castle of Bominaco
The Castle of Bominaco (Italian: ''Castello di Bominaco'') is a medieval castle in Bominaco, Province ...
. It is home to two Benedictine churches (Saint Pellegrino and St. Mary): they date back to the Benedictine monastery that existed around the 10th century when the town's name was Momenaco. Bominaco is also home to a
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
built by Benedictine monks to defend their property from the Saracens, who periodically raided this area from their strongholds further south.
* There are several archaeological reminders of Roman and other Italic peoples' presence in the area. The town's name itself is thought to come from ''Capo Giano'' (literally "head of
Janus
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; la, Ianvs ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janu ...
", the ancient Roman deity who could simultaneously see the past and the future) or from ''Casa Porciana'' (literally "house of pigs", referring to the continued large number of wild boars that roam the woods in the area).
References
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