Popoli 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 ...
'' and
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in the
province of Pescara
The province of Pescara ( it, provincia di Pescara; Abruzzese: ') is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its provincial capital is the city Pescara, which has a population of 119,483 inhabitants. As of 2017, it has a total population of ...
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 Italy.
History
Though the site has not revealed significant Roman presence it appears in a ninth-century document as ''borgo di Pagus Fabianus''. Its name in medieval Latin was Castrum Properi ("Waystation Fortress"), which name was recorded as early as 1016 as the property of Girardo, son of Roccone. The castle above the town was built between 1000 and 1015 for Tidolfo, Bishop of
Valva. In 1269 the Angevin ruler
Charles I of Naples granted Popoli as 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 ...
in the Cantelmo family, who held it, with its ducal title, until 1749. The fief passed to Leonardo di Tocco, Prince of Montemiletto, and his heirs, until feudality was abolished in the ''Regno'' in 1806.
Popoli was bombed twice during World War II by the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
. On 20 January 1944, the most important bridge in the region, the "Julius Caesar" bridge connecting Rome with Pescara, was destroyed. On 22 March 1944 at noon the city center and city hall were destroyed by substantial bombing by the British. Unfortunately, it was a day that rations were being distributed to town at the city hall, and there were long lines of women and children, many of whom were killed or wounded. The day is still remembered with sorrow by the town's inhabitants.
Honors
Following
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
Italian Republic awarded the town of Popoli with the "Silver Medal of Civil Merit" (Medaglia d'argento al merito civile)
"Crucial center, occupied by German troops the day after the armistice, was subjected to repeated and violent bombardments which caused the deaths of ninety-one civilians and the destruction of nearly all of the public property. The whole population knew how to react, with dignity and courage, to the horrors of war and to face, with the return of peace, the difficult works of moral and material reconstruction."—Popoli (PE), 1943–1944
Main sights
The town and the surrounding area have several objects of interest:
* The ''
Taverna Ducale'' from the mid 14th century ranks among the most beautiful secular medieval buildings in Abruzzo.
* ''Torre de' Passeri ''
* The
abbey of San Clemente a Casauria (12th century )
* The church of ''San Francesco'', was begun in the 15th century
* The church of ''Santissima Trinità'' (1562) with an altar and a wooden choir from 1745
* The area around the springs which are the source of the
Aterno
The Aterno-Pescara (ancient ''Aternus'' from the Greek ''Aternos'', ''Άτερνος'') is a river system in Abruzzo, eastern central Italy. The river is known as the Aterno near its source in the mountains, but takes the name Pescara, actually a ...
river is a regionally protected area with the spa
[https://www.aquathermae.net/abruzzo_us/baths-of-popoli/]
* The
castle ruin above Popoli
Festivals
The main festivity is in August. The historical parade with people dressed in costume is held in celebration of historical event of the city (1495). The parade is followed by a fair, called "Certamen de la Balestra". Strength and ability are necessary for the knight to win the Certamen or the grand prize.
Notable natives
General
Corradino D'Ascanio
General Corradino D'Ascanio (1 February 1891 in Popoli, Pescara – 6 August 1981 in Pisa) was an Italian aeronautical engineer. D'Ascanio designed the first production helicopter, for Agusta, and designed the first motor scooter for Ferdin ...
References
:''This article is based in part on material from the
German Wikipedia
The German Wikipedia (german: Deutschsprachige Wikipedia) is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia.
Founded on March 16, 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia (after the English Wikipedia), ...
''.
Further reading
* Damiani, Fernando (1975) ''La città di Popoli: memorie storiche ed artistiche'' (''The town of Popoli: Historical and Artistic Memoir'') Di Cioccio, Sulmona, Italy, , in Italian
* Di Donato, Ugo (1980) ''Popoli e i Popolesi'' (''Popoli and the People of Popoli'') Fracasso, Popoli, Italy, , in Italian
*
Hamilton, Mary and Nodier, Charles (1810) ''La famille du duc de Popoli: mémories de M. de Cantelmo, son frere'' (''The Family of the Duke of Popoli: A Memoir of Monsieur de Cantelmo, his Brother'') P. Didot l'áiné, Paris, , in French
References
External links
"Popoli" ''Abruzzo 2000''
{{authority control
Cities and towns in Abruzzo
Spa towns in Italy