Francavilla al Mare () 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 ...

'' and

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

in 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 387,64 ...

, in the

Abruzzo , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1 ...

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 ...

. The municipality, included in the urban area of Pescara, borders with

Chieti Chieti (, ; , nap, label= Abruzzese, Chjïétë, ; gr, Θεάτη, Theátē; lat, Theate, ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Central Italy, east by northeast of Rome. It is the capital of the province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region. ...

, Miglianico,

Ortona Ortona ( Abruzzese: '; grc, Ὄρτων, Órtōn) is a coastal town and municipality of the Province of Chieti in the Italian region of Abruzzo, with some 23,000 inhabitants. In 1943 Ortona was the site of a bloody battle, known as "Western ...

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated ci ...

Ripa Teatina Ripa Teatina ( Abruzzese: ') is a '' comune'' and town in the province of Chieti, in the Italian region Abruzzo. Ripa Teatina is renowned for its vineyards and olive groves which surround and embrace this tranquil part of Abruzzo. People *The f ...

, San Giovanni Teatino and Torrevecchia Teatina.

History

The area was inhabited since prehistory, and early remains have been found at

St. Cecilia Saint Cecilia ( la, Sancta Caecilia), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman virgin martyr and is venerated in Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the patroness of music and musicians, i ...

. In 1162 the village was granted immunity from taxes for 12 years, and this episode also gave origin to the name "Francavilla" (meaning "free town"). The harbour was a flourishing commercial key point in the Adriatic Sea, but in the 16th century was plundered by Turkish troops. The town was held by families such as the Caracciolo and D'Avalos in the following centuries. In the late 19th century Francavilla was already a well known seaside resort and the seat of an artistic literary circle with relevant figures as

Francesco Paolo Michetti Francesco Paolo Michetti (October 2, 1851 – March 5, 1929) was an Italian painter known especially for his genre works. Biography He was born in Tocco da Casauria in the Province of Chieti. His father having died when he was a boy, Michetti ...

, Gabriele D'Annunzio, F.P. Tosti, who met at the "Conventino", in the former monastery of Santa Maria di Gesù. In 1944 the centre was destroyed by Americans and Nazi. Only Michetti convent is conserved between the city is totally built from new.

Main sights

*Michetti Convent *Michetti Museum *Church of Santa Maria Maggiore *Sirena Palace

Sport

The local football club is the

A.S.D. Francavilla A.S.D. Francavilla, commonly known as Francavilla, is an Italian football club based in Francavilla al Mare, Abruzzo. Currently it plays in Italy's Serie D. History The club was founded in 1927 as U.S. Francavilla, and changed its name into S.S ...

, founded in 1927, that has its home ground in Valle Anzuca Stadium.

People

Guido Celano Guido Celano (19 April 1904 – 7 March 1988) was an Italian actor, voice actor and film director. He appeared in 120 films between 1931 and 1988. He also directed two Spaghetti Westerns: ''Cold Killer'' and ''Gun Shy Piluk''. He was born i ...

(1904–1988), actor *

(1851–1929), painter * Antonio Russo (1960–2000), journalist

References

External links

Official website

Francavilla a Mare on comuni-italiani.it
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francavilla A Mare Cities and towns in Abruzzo Coastal towns in Abruzzo