The province of Pescara ( it, provincia di Pescara; Abruzzese: ') is a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

in the Abruzzo region of

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 ...

. Its provincial capital is the city

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

, which has a population of 119,483 inhabitants. As of 2017, it has a total population of 319,936 inhabitants over an area of . The provincial president is Antonio Zaffiri and the province contains 46 ''

comuni 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 ...

''.

History

Pescara's first indicators of settlement date to 1500 BCE, but it is unknown which tribe first settled in the city. It was conquered by the Romans in 214 BCE and remained " Aternum" after the city allied itself with Punic Carthaginian military commander Hannibal. The Romans developed the city and it became an important location for shipping and trade occurring between the Balkans and Rome; the Romans made the city of Pescara the capital of the Valeria region. During the barbarian raids it was almost completely destroyed, and it developed into a fishing village named Piscaria. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor turned Piscaria into a military fort named Pescara during the sixteenth century, and Pescara survived a series of invasions from Turkish Muslims. It was ruled by the Austrians for a short period of the 1700s before falling under the control of the House of Bourbon; the House of Bourbon made it a component of Abruzzo Citra. It joined the Kingdom of Italy in 1860 and was still mainly fortified and Pescara was made a new provincial capital in 1927. In World War II, 78% of the city was destroyed by bombers.

Geography

The province of Pescara is the central of four provinces in the region of Abruzzo on the eastern coast of Italy. It is bounded to the northeast by the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

. The Province of Teramo lies to the north and the

Province of L'Aquila The Province of L'Aquila ( it, Provincia dell'Aquila) is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated province of the Abruzzo region of Central Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part of ...

to the west and south. To the south and east lies the

Province of Chieti The province of Chieti ( it, provincia di Chieti; Abruzzese: ') is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its provincial capital is the city Chieti, which has a population of 50,770 inhabitants. The province has a total population of 387,6 ...

. The provincial capital is the city and port of

, situated at the mouth of the Aterno-Pescara River.

Comuni

* Abbateggio * Alanno * Bolognano * Brittoli * Bussi sul Tirino * Cappelle sul Tavo * Caramanico Terme * Carpineto della Nora *

Castiglione a Casauria Castiglione a Casauria is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is located in the natural park known as the "Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park". Main sights *The Abbey of San Clemente a Casau ...

* Catignano * Cepagatti * Città Sant'Angelo * Civitaquana * Civitella Casanova * Collecorvino * Corvara * Cugnoli * Elice *

Farindola Farindola ( Abruzzese: ') is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is located in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. Outside the town, located near the Gran Sasso massif and thus characte ...

* Lettomanoppello * Loreto Aprutino * Manoppello *

Montebello di Bertona Montebello di Bertona (locally ''Mundibbèlle'') is a '' comune'' and town in the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is located in the natural park known as the "Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park The Gran Sasso and ...

* Montesilvano * Moscufo *

Nocciano Nocciano is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of 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 ...

* Penne *

Pescosansonesco Pescosansonesco ( Abruzzese: '; Pescolano: ') is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is above sea level in the natural park known as the "Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park". Famous for its ...

* Pianella * Picciano * Pietranico *

Popoli Popoli is a '' comune'' and town in the province of Pescara in the Abruzzo 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 m ...

* Roccamorice * Rosciano * Salle *

San Valentino in Abruzzo Citeriore San Valentino in Abruzzo Citeriore is a mountain hill town in the province of Pescara, part of the Abruzzo region in central Italy. Nestled in the Apennines, less than from the Adriatic coast, the medieval town lies on the northern edge of the Na ...

Sant'Eufemia a Maiella Sant'Eufemia a Maiella is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Pescara, Abruzzo, central Italy. It is located in the Maiella National Park in a valley enclosed by the western slopes of the Majella massif, and the northeastern slopes of the Morr ...

* Scafa * Serramonacesca *

Spoltore Spoltore (locally ''Spuldórë'') is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is lo ...

Tocco da Casauria Tocco da Casauria is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Central Italy. The centre was known for centuries as simply Tocco, and the name "da Casauria" was added only after 1861. It rises on a hill between the ...

* Torre de' Passeri * Turrivalignani * Vicoli *

Villa Celiera Villa Celiera is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is located in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park The Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park is a natural park located most ...

Main sights

Pescara

The city is divided in two by the river. The historic city center is located on the south shore, where once stood the Piazzaforte (fortified town), a military bulwark of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. There is the Bagno Borbonico (the old prison of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, built starting in 1510 by order of

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

, which incorporated inside the remains of the Norman and Byzantine city walls). Today it houses the Museum of the Abruzzi people: the institution traces, towards 13 halls dedicated to the aspects of life, traditions and economy, 4,000 years of history of the Abruzzo people. In the historic city center are the birthplace houses of Gabriele D'Annunzio and

Ennio Flaiano Ennio Flaiano (5 March 1910 – 20 November 1972) was an Italian screenwriter, playwright, novelist, journalist, and drama critic. Best known for his work with Federico Fellini, Flaiano co-wrote ten screenplays with the Italian director, including ...

, and the San Cetteo Cathedral, build between 1933 and 1938. On the north shore of the river there's Piazza Italia (Italy Square), overlooked by the City Hall and the Government Building (which houses the headquarters of the Province of Pescara), both built during the Fascist era according to the fascist rationalist style and designed by the architect Vincenzo Pilotti. Mr. Pilotti designed the majority of the public buildings of the city, including the seat of the local Chamber of Commerce, of the

Liceo Classico Liceo classico or Ginnasio (literally ''classical lyceum'') is the oldest, public secondary school type in Italy. Its educational curriculum spans over five years, when students are generally about 14 to 19 years of age. Until 1969, this was ...

"G. D'Annunzio" high school, and the old seat of the

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...

(which now houses a museum). In the very south part of the city, between the D'Avalos Park and the beach, there is an elegant Art Nouveau villas district designed in 1912 by Antonino Liberi (an engineer brother-in-law of D'Annunzio). There is also the Aurum, first headquarters of a social club (called the Kursaal), then liquor factory, and today public multipurpose space. In 2007 was built the Ponte del Mare, the largest pedestrian and cycle bridge in Italy. On the northern waterfront, close to the ''Salotto Square'', the main square of the city, there is the ''Nave'' (trad. the ship), a sculpture by

Pietro Cascella Pietro Cascella (February 2, 1921 – May 18, 2008) was an Italian sculptor. His principal work consisted of large monumental sculptures, including the '' International Monument to the Victims of Fascism'' in the Auschwitz II-Birkenau death c ...

National Park of Majella

* Abbey of San Clemente (

) * Abbey of San Liberatore ( Serramonacesca) * Hermitage of Sant'Onofrio ( Serramonacesca) * Hermitage of Santo Spirito ( Serramonacesca) * Hermitage of San Bartolomeo ( Roccamorice) *Basilica of Holy Draw of Manoppello *Historical center of Penne *Historical center of Loreto Aprutino *Historical center of Città Sant'Angelo

References

External links

Provincia di Pescara homepage
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