Villa Popolo is a small village in 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 central Italy. It is a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of the ''

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

Torricella Sicura Torricella Sicura is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Teramo, in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is located in the natural park known as the "Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park". Geography The town is located about fro ...

Geography

It is located next to the small community of Ioanella and about 1.5 miles from

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) ...

, the provincial capital. The village of Villa Popola is divided into three small localities: Villa Torre (site of most of the residences), Popolo Alta and Popola Bassa. The last two locations are dominated by small, often economically impoverished, clusters of farmsteads.

History

Villa Popolo is famous for the Church of

Saint Bartholomew Bartholomew (Aramaic: ; grc, Βαρθολομαῖος, translit=Bartholomaîos; la, Bartholomaeus; arm, Բարթողիմէոս; cop, ⲃⲁⲣⲑⲟⲗⲟⲙⲉⲟⲥ; he, בר-תולמי, translit=bar-Tôlmay; ar, بَرثُولَماو� ...

containing precious

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es. Historical records from the year 1267 make mention of this important parish church and interior and exterior engravings suggest that a renovation was completed the 1684. It is somewhat unusual for a church this small and isolated to have such frescoes dating back to this time period. Ceiling frieze decorations depict saints and martyrs in symbolic form. Notable is their having been painted in the style of the great Spanish cathedral in Toledo. They have been signed although it is not entirely clear if the names on the paintings refer to the master scenic artist or to an assistant. It goes without saying that such precious masterpieces of this genre are quite rare in the

region.

Festivals

Each year, during the first part of June, the "Sagra del Formaggio Fritto" (Festival of Fried Cheese) takes place. In addition to a celebration of this famous dish, other delicacies and local wines are available for tasting. Exhibitions feature the

transhumance Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower vall ...

(migrations of sheep and shepherds from lowland areas of Abruzzo and leading to higher grazing lands in

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, and other parts of southern Italy). Various displays also depict the ancient professions of milling, cheese production, forestry, and woodworking.

Notes and references

{{authority control Frazioni of the Province of Teramo

Geography

History

Festivals

See also

Notes and references