Riccia is a ''
comune
A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' (municipality) in the
Province of Campobasso
The province of Campobasso (; ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Molise region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Campobasso. It covers an area of and has a total population of 223,871 (2017). There are 84 ''comuni'' (: ''comune'') in ...
in the
Italian region of
Molise
Molise ( , ; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. Until 1963, it formed part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise together with Abruzzo. The split, which did not become effective until 1970, makes Molise the newest region in Ital ...
, located about southeast of
Campobasso
Campobasso (, ; ) 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 Sannio and Matese mountains.
Campobas ...
, with a population of about 5,600.
Riccia borders the following municipalities:
Castelpagano
Castelpagano (Benevento dialect, Beneventan: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italy, Italian region Campania, located about 80 km northeast of Naples and about 30 km north of Benevento.
Castelpagano b ...
,
Castelvetere in Val Fortore,
Cercemaggiore
Cercemaggiore is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about southeast of Campobasso.
Cercemaggiore borders the following municipalities: Castelpagano
Castelpagano (Benevento dialect, B ...
,
Colle Sannita
Colle Sannita (Campanian: ) is a (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about northeast of Naples and about north of Benevento.
Colle Sannita borders the following municipalities: Baselice, Castel ...
,
Gambatesa,
Jelsi,
Pietracatella,
Tufara.
History
The first people who lived there came with
Oscan
Oscan is an extinct Indo-European language of southern Italy. The language is in the Osco-Umbrian or Sabellic branch of the Italic languages. Oscan is therefore a close relative of Umbrian and South Picene.
Oscan was spoken by a number of t ...
s. By the time of the arrival of the
Samnites
The Samnites () were an ancient Italic peoples, Italic people who lived in Samnium, which is located in modern inland Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania in south-central Italy.
An Oscan language, Oscan-speaking Osci, people, who originated as an offsh ...
(4th century BC) the area was well developed and prosperous, as noted by objects found in the excavations of the area.
During the
Social War (90–88 BC) the area was destroyed and the Romans colonized the Sannio area. The colonists included Roman troops from
Ariccia, near Rome. They named the place "Ariccia" which then was changed to "Saricia", then to "Ricia" and finally, "Riccia".
In the second half of the 6th century, Riccia came under the rule of the
Lombard Duke of Benevento.
In the 13th century, Riccia became part of the Monastery St. Pietro e Severo (St. Peter and St. Xavier), located in the nearby town of Torremaggiore. This ecclesiastical feudalism lasted throughout the Hohenstaufen period.
In 1238,
Frederick II linked the properties of the castle of Riccia with that at the town of St. Severo, and exchanged it for the monastery at Torremaggiore. This exchange was confirmed in 1266 by King
Charles of Anjou
Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 a ...
, who conceded Riccia to the famous jurist Bartolomeo De Capua, whose family ruled Riccia until 1792.
In May 1397, Count Andrea De Capua brought
Costanza Chiaramonte, the former queen of Naples, to Riccia. Three years earlier, after the fortunes of her family had precipitously fallen, her marriage to King
Ladislaus of Naples was annulled at
Gaeta
Gaeta (; ; Southern Latian dialect, Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a seaside resort in the province of Latina in Lazio, Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples.
The city has played ...
. She remained in Riccia until her death in 1422; she is buried in the
Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (also called Church of St. Stefano Corumano).
In 1500, Bartolomeo II De Capua built an elegant castle in Riccia and also restored the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Tuscan style, where five feudal lords and their ladies are buried.
In the beginning of this feudal period, the rulers of Riccia, the noble De Capua family, were viewed as fair and generous with the peasants. But over the years the peasants endured many hardships. Finally they rebelled, releasing enough hate and fury to burn down the castle in 1799. Today only a few ruins of the castle with its medieval watchtower may still be seen in the historical quarter of Riccia. The noble family De Capua became extinct with Bartolomeo VI in 1792.
During World War II, 84 townspeople of Riccia were among the dead and wounded, but it was not bombed. After the war, because of the scarcity of work locally, Riccia had a strong outflow of immigration to northern Europe (France, Switzerland, Belgium Germany) and to Latin America (Venezuela and Argentina). However, in recent years, efforts by the town have increased the prosperity.
By decree of the President of the Republic, dated 15 October 1986, Riccia earned the title of "City".
See also
*
Church of the Santissima Annunciata
*
Sanctuary of the Madonna del Carmine
*
Santa Maria Assunta, 13th-century church
*
Monument to the Fallen, Riccia
References
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