Sant'Eufemia a Maiella 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 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 ...

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 ...

, central

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 in the

Maiella National Park Maiella National Park ( it, Parco Nazionale della Maiella) is a national park located in the provinces of Chieti, Pescara and L'Aquila, in the region of Abruzzo, Italy. It is centered on the Maiella massif, of which Monte Amaro is the highest ...

in a valley enclosed by the western slopes of the Majella massif, and the northeastern slopes of the

Morrone Morrone ( gd, Mór Bheinn, or Mór Shròn) is a Scottish hill immediately southwest of the village of Braemar in Aberdeenshire. Geography and topography The hill reaches a height of 859 metres (2818 feet) and qualifies as a Corbett an ...

group.

History

Originally the town of Sant'Eufemia was known as Santa Femi. In the 14th century the town was renamed Santa Fumia and retained that name until 1863 when, by decree of King

Victor Emmanuel II Victor Emmanuel II ( it, Vittorio Emanuele II; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia from 1849 until 17 March 1861, when he assumed the title o ...

, it was named Sant'Eufemia a Maiella. Until the 11th century Sant'Eufemia a Maiella was part of the Caramanico Terme. Then, in 1064,

Count Berardo Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

gave the church of Sant'Eufemia and surrounding land at Caramanico to the

Abbey of San Clemente a Casauria The Abbey of San Clemente a Casauria is an abbey in the territory of Castiglione a Casauria, in the province of Pescara, Abruzzo, central Italy. History The abbey was founded in 871 by Louis II, great-grandson of Charlemagne, after a vow made du ...

which retained possession of the town until 1145. In 1145, the area became the possession of Boemondo, who was the Count of

Manoppello Manoppello ( Abruzzese: ') is a ''comune'' in Abruzzo, in the province of Pescara, south-eastern Italy. It is famous for having a church which contains an image on a thin byssus veil, a sudarium, known as the Holy Face of Manoppello and which has ...

at the time. Eventually, in 1301 ownership was passed on to the Ughelli family and then to Giacomo Arcucci, the Count of Minervino. Upon the death of Giacomo Arcucci in 1389, it became the property of the D'Aquino family.

Main sights

Giardino Botanico Daniela Brescia The Giardino Botanico Daniela Brescia (43,000 m2) is a botanical garden located in the Majella National Park (Parco Nazionale della Majella) at an altitude of 900 meters above sea level, Sant'Eufemia a Maiella, Abruzzo, Italy. It is open daily in t ...

References

Cities and towns in Abruzzo {{Abruzzo-geo-stub