Grazzanise is a ''
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 ...
'' (municipality) in the
Province of Caserta
The Province of Caserta ( it, Provincia di Caserta) is a province in the Campania region of southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Caserta, situated about by road north of Naples. The province has an area of , and had a total population of 9 ...
in the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
region
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 ...
, located about northwest of
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
and about west of
Caserta
Caserta () is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. It is an important agricultural, commercial, and industrial ''comune'' and city. Caserta is located on the edge of the Campanian plain at the foot of the Camp ...
.
History
In ancient Roman times, it was an area covered by marshes caused by the nearby
Volturno
The Volturno (ancient Latin name Volturnus, from ''volvere'', to roll) is a river in south-central Italy.
Geography
It rises in the Abruzzese central Apennines of Samnium near Castel San Vincenzo (province of Isernia, Molise) and flows southeas ...
's floods. The town is mentioned for the first time in a bull by emperor
Frederick II of 1234, as ''Graczanum''. It was later populated by local vassals of the
Angevine kings of Naples and their feudataries. In 1303 it is mentioned as ''Graczanisius''.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the area housed an airfield, which was repeatedly attacked by Allied bombers in August 1943 and from 4 to 6 September 1943. The
German occupied it in 1943, after the
Armistice between Italy and the Allies of 8 September 1943, expelling the Italian infantry division
"Pasubio". Some 100 people died during another bombing, aiming at a bridge on the Volturno, performed by American
B-26s in the night of 30 September 1943. The airport was captured by British troops in the following 10 October.
Grazzanise Air Base
Grazzanise Air Base (also known as "Carlo Romagnoli Airport") (ICAO: LIRM) is an Italian Air Force air base south of Grazzanise, in the Province of Caserta in the region of Campania, located about west of Caserta (the airport for this city), and ...
, with limited civil use serving Caserta, is now used by the Italian Air Force 9° Stormo Caccia (9th Fighters Wing) and the 2nd NATO Signal Battalion.
In 1996–2000, the city's municipal council was disbanded by the Italian Ministry of Interior Affairs, due to
presence in the local political affairs.
References
Cities and towns in Campania
{{Campania-geo-stub