Pesche 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 Isernia
The province of Isernia ( it, provincia di Isernia) is a province in the region of Molise in Italy. The provincial capital is the city Isernia and the president of the province is Alfredo Ricci. The province of Isernia has an area of and a popul ...
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
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 ...
, located about west of
Campobasso
Campobasso (, ; nap, label= Campobassan, Cambuàsce ) is a city and ''comune'' in southern Italy, the capital of the region of Molise and of the province of Campobasso. It is located in the high basin of the Biferno river, surrounded by Sann ...
and about northeast of
Isernia
Isernia () or, in Pliny and later writers, ''Eserninus'', or in the Antonine Itinerary, ''Serni''. is a town and ''comune'' in the southern Italian region of Molise, and the capital of province of Isernia.
Geography
Situated on a rocky crest ri ...
. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,459 and an area of .
[All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute ]Istat
The Italian National Institute of Statistics ( it, Istituto nazionale di statistica; Istat) is the main producer of official statistics in Italy. Its activities include the census of population, economic censuses and a number of social, economic ...
.
Pesche borders the following municipalities:
Carpinone
Carpinone is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about west of Campobasso and about east of Isernia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,273 and an area of .All demographics an ...
,
Isernia
Isernia () or, in Pliny and later writers, ''Eserninus'', or in the Antonine Itinerary, ''Serni''. is a town and ''comune'' in the southern Italian region of Molise, and the capital of province of Isernia.
Geography
Situated on a rocky crest ri ...
,
Miranda,
Sessano del Molise.
History
Classical Age
The history of the land where Pesche was born is tied to the history of Isernia (its capitol). The renaissance of the city under the rule of Nero and Trajan along with the presence of a natural hot spring, gave way to the birth to the thermal baths and the “Santuario di Santa Maria del Bagno”.
Medieval times
With the end of imperial authority in the western Italy and the fall of big cities, along with the arrival of new populations that governed the Italian peninsula (Eruli, Goti, Longobardi), a sudden migration away from the big cities occurred. It is exactly during this time that, close to the thermal baths, a small group of people will move to the base of Monte San Marco around the year 1000. A Benedictine monastery was already present here which was most likely built on a small Sunni fortress which was then used as a lookout post. The population grew bigger and they started settling in the town by building several important structures. The presence of the Benedictine monks is very important to the town of Pesche, as they began building places of worship and cultivated a pious lifestyle, so much so that the citizens of Pesche were known as “monastic”. The most important religious structures that were built were the church of Sant’Angelo, the Santa Maria dell’ospedale (where they also managed a hospice) and the convent of Santa Croce. It is interesting to note how the church of Sant’Angelo (the parochial church at the time) was not built inside the walls of the city but further up on the hills. During this time the center and the houses of its inhabitants were also being built further up the valley and outside of the city walls. The political situation was also changing and Pesche became an important possession of the Monastery of Montecassino, so much so that at the time it also had papal protection.
Modern times
In 1956 a violent earthquake destroyed the majority of the town, forcing the monks who stayed to return to Montecassino. During that time there was also a plague, perhaps a contagious flu, that delayed the speed of reconstruction. In 1593 a church was built that was dedicated to San Benedetto and Santa Scolastica, on which the church that stands there today was erected as the latter was also severely damaged due to another earthquake in the 18th century.
The 1900s
During WWI the citizens of Pesche also went out to fight, and a statue in their honor was built in April 1920, the first in all of Molise. During that time the biggest influence on the town was religion and the church led by the Archpriest don Zeffirino Petrecca, who fought to maintain things as they were during his time and kept to the origins and traditions of the town.
In the 1950s several trees were planted in the hills, which today make up the Pine forest, which functions as a fortress for the unstable stones around the town that are sedimentary and are on a clayish terrain.
From the ’80s there is an expansion of the town in the lower part, where people have started to live, abandoning the historical center.
Monuments
Parochial Church of Madonna del Rosario
The Parochial church which still stands today was built on top of the ruins of previous religious ruins dating back to the 15th century and brought to its modern form by the Archpriest Silvestro Biondi between 1727 and 1759. The renovations of the church cost 4645
ducat
The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wi ...
s and 864 for the church bells. From 1758 to 1761 the outdoor steps to the church were built. In 1760 the central nave which, is 22 meters long, 8 wide and 12 high.
Demographic evolution
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Sister city
Woodstock, Ontario
Woodstock is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The city has a population of 40,902 according to the 2016 Canadian census. Woodstock is the seat of Oxford County, at the head of the non-navigable Thames River, approximately 128 km from ...
, Canada
References
Cities and towns in Molise
{{Molise-geo-stub