Montefino is a small town and predominantly rural ''

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 ...

'' of the

province of Teramo The Province of Teramo ( it, provincia di Teramo; Abruzzese: ') is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Teramo. The province has an area of , a population of 313,029 (2012), and is subdivided into 47 comunes ( i ...

in the

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 ...

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 the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. During the second half of the twentieth century the population of the ''comune'' declined steadily from 2,399 in 1951 to 1,184—less than half—in 2001. The town is situated on a hill of some overlooking the Fino valley where olives and grain are the major crops. Until the 19th century Montefino was called Montesecco ( la, Mons Siccus) meaning "dry mountain" and referring to a site lacking in springs. In 1863, however, it adopted its current name which refers to the river

Fino Fino ("refined" in Spanish) is the driest and palest of the traditional varieties of sherry and Montilla-Moriles fortified wine. They are consumed comparatively young and, unlike the sweeter varieties, should be consumed soon after the bottle ...

History

The area around Montefino belonged in antiquity to the territory of the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

Sabini The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divide ...

, and later to that of the Roman '' colonia'' Hatria Picena, modern

Atri Atri ( sa, अत्रि) or Attri is a Vedic sage, who is credited with composing numerous hymns to Agni, Indra, and other Vedic deities of Hinduism. Atri is one of the Saptarishi (seven great Vedic sages) in the Hindu tradition, and the on ...

. Little is known, however, of any settlement here until around 1150, with the mention of a ''castellum Montis Sicci'' with around 65 inhabitants belonging to the County of

Penne Penne () is an extruded type of pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces, their ends cut at an angle. ''Penne'' is the plural form of the Italian ''penna'' (meaning ''feather'' but ''pen'' as well), deriving from Latin ''penna'' (meaning "feather" or " ...

. In 1454 Mons Siccus become a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

of the Acquaviva of Atri who restored the defensive walls of the town and constructed a new castle. By 1506 the town had come into the possession of the bishops of

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) ...

Economy

A majority of the population works in industry. It is a traditionally agricultural area, but work dedicated to the

breeding Breeding is sexual reproduction that produces offspring, usually animals or plants. It can only occur between a male and a female animal or plant. Breeding may refer to: * Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and rab ...

of animals and

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

is in decline.

Main sights

The old fortress, or Castello di Corte, whose Norman form and features are still recognizable, occupies the highest part of the town. On the terraces below this developed the later medieval town, with a second castle, the Castello degli Acquaviva, and an eighteenth-century church dedicated to

Saint James the Great James the Great, also known as James, son of Zebedee, Saint James the Great, Saint James the Greater, Saint James the Elder, or Saint Jacob (Aramaic ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܙܒܕܝ, Arabic يعقوب, Hebrew בן זבדי , '' Yaʿăqōḇ'', Latin '' ...

, the Chiesa di San Giacomo Apostolo, whose fabric includes an external portal of the sixteenth century recovered from an abandoned abbey nearby.

Events

The Feast of Saint James is celebrated on 25 July. Also in July is the annual olive oil festival, or ''Sagra dell'olio''.

Sources

Basic data on population, mayor, location, elevation, etc.: * The corresponding article on the Italian Wikipedia * http://www.comuni-italiani.it/067/027 , and linked pages * https://web.archive.org/web/20061028074157/http://abruzzo2000.com/genealogy/archives/te_comunifrazioni.htm * http://www.paesionline.it/abruzzo/montefino/comune_montefino.asp (patron saint) History and monuments:
Itinerari di conoscenza tra opere e natura nelle Montagne Teramane
Documentation centre for the mountains of the Province of Teramo General:
www.montefino.org
a website devoted to the village

* http://www.abruzzocitta.it/comuni/montefino.html Cities and towns in Abruzzo {{Abruzzo-geo-stub