Guglionesi (; local dialect: or ) 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

Molise it, Molisano (man) it, Molisana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 ...

, southern

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 ...

, about from

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 ...

History

Founded in the 5th century BC, at the time it was known as ''Uscosium'' or ''Usconium'' and together with Pescara, Ortona, Lanciano, Vasto and Larino, it was one of the most important centers of the Frentani, an Italic people that was part of the Samnites confederations. Thanks to its strategic position along the ''Via Frentana-Traiana'', ''Usconium'' became, towards the end of the Republican Era, a ''

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (pl. ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ("duty holders"), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the priv ...

'', reaching a population of some 25,000 inhabitants. Usconium was located between ''Monte Antico'' and ''Monte Capraro'', where Guglionesi is now found. Its inhabitants depended on the nearby ''Pagus Collis Nisii'' or ''Collenisyus'' ("Hill of Bacchus"), a hill fort in which they sheltered after the town's destruction by the

Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Euro ...

. In 412 AD, ''Colleniso'' became ''New Usconium'' and was encircled by protective walls in the Longobardo period. After that, the most important fortification was raised in the 9th century, when Robert Guiscard took hold of the city. In that period eighteen watchtowers and two castles were erected. The first castle (named "of head" because it was in a higher position than the others, subsequently called "of foot") was located along ''Via Capitano Verri'', where its ruins can still be seen today. The second castle is in ''Castellara''. After the destruction of the second castle, the Convent of the Cappuccini was constructed upon what was left of the castle foundations. In t801 AD, Colleniso was submitted to the Duke of Spoleto, and endured various incursions by

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia ...

raiders. In the 1137 AD. it endured pillage from Lotarius, emperor of the Roman Empire. In 1315 King Robert of Anjou gave Collenisio to his brother Peter,

Count 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 ...

of Gravina, and at his death, his daughter Agnese inherited the city. In 1340 she founded the Certosa of Saint Giovanni Battista, also known as ''Porta del Paradiso'' (''The Heaven’s door'') where the Hermitage of Saint John is now found. During this time the city was repeatedly invaded; its name was also changed from ''Colleniso'' to ''Guillonisi''. In 1496, after the death of René of Anjou, his cousin Charles VIII of France descended to

with a large army and conquered

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

. The French entered ''Guillonisi'' (only by the betrayal of the guards of the Frentan door) and plundered the entire village, demolished the two castles and the towers and killed or raped most of the people. Another invasion occurred in the 16th century by the Turks, who set fire, among other things, to the church of ''Saint Maria Maggiore'', and consequently the relics of St. Adam housed in the church were destroyed and lost.

Transportation

Guglionesi was served by a railway station, the

Guglionesi-Portocannone railway station Guglionesi-Portocannone station is the railway station serving the municipalities of Guglionesi and Portocannone and the adjacent industrial area of Termoli. It is located in the municipal area of Guglionesi, of which the town is 10,6 km, w ...

on the Termoli-Campobasso and Termoli–Venafro line, but the station has been closed for a few years and does not have passenger service. Nowadays there are a lot of pulman to Termoli, to the industrial zone, to Castelmauro or Campobasso.

Sister cities

* Herceg Novi,

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

References

External links

Official website

Guglionesi On The Web

Photo Gallery
{{authority control Events Cities and towns in Molise