Palena, Abruzzo

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Palena
Comune di Palena
Palena 2.JPG
View of Palena
Location of Palena
Palena, Abruzzo
Italy provincial location map 2016.svg
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Palena
Location of Palena in Italy
Italy Abruzzo location map.svg
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Palena
Palena (Abruzzo)
Coordinates: 41°58′54″N14°8′3″E / 41.98167°N 14.13417°E / 41.98167; 14.13417
Country Italy
Region Abruzzo
Province Province of Chieti (CH)
Frazioni Aia dei Cordoni, Palena stazione
Area
[1]
  Total91 km2 (35 sq mi)
Elevation
767 m (2,516 ft)
Population
 (2004) [2]
  Total1,504
  Density17/km2 (43/sq mi)
Demonym Palenesi
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
66017
Dialing code 0872
Patron saintSan Falco

Palena is a comune and town in the province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of Italy. [3]

Contents

It is the hometown of Pietro Como and Lucia Travaglini, the parents of Italian-American baritone Perry Como (1912–2001). There is a plaque commemorating Perry Como as well as the home of painter Oreste Recchione, who also lived in Palena.

It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). [4] The town lies within the border of Maiella National Park.

History

Origins

View of the upper part of Palena da Monte Porrara Palena 2.JPG
View of the upper part of Palena da Monte Porrara

Fossils have been found in the capo di Fiume, now on display in the municipal paleontological museum where it shows what the environment of the Maiella was like 7 million years ago. [5] The municipal territory of Palena has already been inhabited since the time Paleolithic, as proof of this, some artifacts from this period have been found in the Palena area. Later, in the period italico and Roman era, some districts of Palena, are inhabited as evidenced by some tombs and buildings of the time. The municipal capital dates back to early Middle Ages when the town is a fief of Gualtieri, Orsini, Antonio Caldora, Matteo di Capua and D'Aquino. Various Benedictine monks have inhabited the area.

Early Middle Ages and the Lombards

The colonization of the Lombards took place in the 9th century. They venerated the cult of St. Michael the Archangel and St. George, as they will found a chapel at the mountain cave of the same name of Sant'Angelo. The territory was part of the Diocese of Sulmona-Valva, at the extreme border with the diocese of Chieti. The territory in the 11th century was divided into various villas, i.e. groups of pastoral houses: Castello Alberico (the current center), Pizzo Superiore e Inferiore, Castelcieco, Forca di Palena, San Cristinziano and Sant'Egidio. All these districts already in the 15th century no longer existed due to earthquakes.

In 930, the monk Giovanni da San Vincenzo al Volturno wrote in the Chronicon Vulturnense of the presence of the church of Santa Maria de Palena, together with a plot of land for the work of the population. At the same time in Palena he settled San Falco, where he died there and was soon venerated as a patron saint of the obsessives and the accidious.

Late Middle Ages and the development of churches

Monasticism in Palena arose in the 12th century as evidenced by the bull of Pope Innocent II citing the church of San Vito in Furca, one of the oldest. This, together with the one dedicated to San Falco, just above the river, were under the jurisdiction of the diocese of Valva (Corfinio). The churches then existing were of Sant'Antonio Abate, Santa Croce, San Cristinziano, San Cataldo, San Tommaso and San Giovanni.

A special mention deserves the lost church of San Cristinziano (also known as San Cristiano or San Costantino): in 1065 the Counts of Sangro Borrello di Borrello and his son Borrello Infante donate it to Bishop Teatino Attone, then Lord of Chieti. [6]

Also in the 11th century, the Ducal Castle, by the Normans, on the highest point of the spur above the river, was founded. Meanwhile, a local barony developed: Count Beamondo is mentioned in a bull of 1130 in which he restored the small hermit church of San Nicola di Coccia. In the Catalogus Baronum Palena is mentioned as a large fortified village on the border with the Territory of Sulmonese and Chieti, strategically located towards the Fork Pass, which held the power of the small rural centers of Lettopalena, Gessopalena, Montenerodomo, Lama dei Peligni and Taranta Peligna. Together with the Manors of Pacentro, the lords fortified the streets with watchtowers, hence the first example of the medieval castle of Pacentro.

Hermitage of Pietro da Morrone

In 1235, Friar Pietro da Morrone, aka Celestine V, went to hermitage on the Majella, at a cave on the Fork pass, on the border between Palena and Field of Jupiter. He had already been in the romitorio of St. Onofrio at Sulmona. A few years later on site, at the behest of Charles of Angiò a hermitage was built divided into a fortified building to house pilgrims, and a smaller one as a place of worship.

Modern era and early 1900s

A testimony of 1587 tells of the feast of the Palii San Falco, feast of January 13 to honor the patron, in which the faithful made a race on the pebbles of the mountain barefoot.

In 1706, the center was damaged by the Majella earthquake with severe damage. In fact, the church of San Falco was demolished and rebuilt to accommodate more pilgrims. In 1915, Palena was connected by the line of the Sangritana Railway, with toll booth in an elevated position above the village, compared to the normal lower level station, for reasons of practicality. The toll booth connected it to Castel di Sangro. In 1933 a new earthquake damaged Palena and neighboring municipalities, forcing the podestà to tear down the castle's control towers, which were dangerous.

The Second World War and current events

In November 1943, the country was joined by the Nazis, being along the path of the Gustav line. It was used as a prison camp, and was later bombed by the Allies. The symbol of the destruction was the church of San Falco, razed to the ground completely, except for the bell tower. The partisans of the "Maiella Brigade also contributed to the re-esasing of the Germans.

In the years of reconstruction, the church of San Falco was completed in 1953, in a modern-ancient key, and the center developed considerably further downstream, near Villa Sant'Antonio. Also in the 1950s a controversy arose about the demolition of the civic tower in front of the church of San Falco, considered dangerous. After the felling, a new turret was built at the castle. In the 1970s, to facilitate access, the so-called "Tagliata di Palena" was built, that is, the provincial road that runs along the Majella, coming from Lama.

In 1992, the municipality was included in the Majella National Park

Religious architecture

the Church of San Falco. San Falco Palena.jpg
the Church of San Falco.
The Church of Madonna del Rosario. Madonna del Rosario Palena.JPG
The Church of Madonna del Rosario.

Civil and military architecture

Il castello ducale Palena - Castello ducale 02.jpg
Il castello ducale
Ex convento di Sant'Antonio, oggi sede del Museo dell'orso marsicano Palena - Museo dell'orso marsicano 02.jpg
Ex convento di Sant'Antonio, oggi sede del Museo dell'orso marsicano

Climate

Climate data for Palena, elevation 767 m (2,516 ft), (1951–2000)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)21.3
(70.3)
21.0
(69.8)
26.0
(78.8)
26.9
(80.4)
30.2
(86.4)
39.0
(102.2)
39.0
(102.2)
38.7
(101.7)
34.7
(94.5)
29.1
(84.4)
24.9
(76.8)
21.7
(71.1)
39.0
(102.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)7.5
(45.5)
8.3
(46.9)
10.8
(51.4)
14.6
(58.3)
19.0
(66.2)
23.3
(73.9)
26.5
(79.7)
26.4
(79.5)
22.3
(72.1)
16.9
(62.4)
12.0
(53.6)
8.5
(47.3)
16.3
(61.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)4.0
(39.2)
4.6
(40.3)
6.8
(44.2)
10.0
(50.0)
14.3
(57.7)
18.2
(64.8)
21.0
(69.8)
21.0
(69.8)
17.5
(63.5)
12.8
(55.0)
8.4
(47.1)
5.2
(41.4)
12.0
(53.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)0.6
(33.1)
0.9
(33.6)
2.9
(37.2)
5.7
(42.3)
9.6
(49.3)
13.1
(55.6)
15.5
(59.9)
15.6
(60.1)
12.8
(55.0)
8.8
(47.8)
4.9
(40.8)
1.9
(35.4)
7.7
(45.8)
Record low °C (°F)−14.0
(6.8)
−10.8
(12.6)
−11.0
(12.2)
−5.3
(22.5)
−1.0
(30.2)
3.6
(38.5)
6.7
(44.1)
6.0
(42.8)
1.8
(35.2)
−1.0
(30.2)
−6.0
(21.2)
−12.0
(10.4)
−14.0
(6.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)91.0
(3.58)
83.5
(3.29)
88.7
(3.49)
87.7
(3.45)
66.0
(2.60)
58.2
(2.29)
49.5
(1.95)
50.0
(1.97)
70.8
(2.79)
94.2
(3.71)
122.9
(4.84)
116.6
(4.59)
979.1
(38.55)
Average precipitation days9.79.810.510.19.77.65.75.37.59.511.111.5108
Source: Regione Abruzzo [13]

See also

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References

  1. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  2. "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  3. "Palena in Tasca". 2017.
  4. "Abruzzo" (in Italian). Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  5. Various Authors (2004). "Palena and its history (Part 2)". Sangroaventino. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  6. A. L. Antinori (1971). Annals of Abruzzi. Vol. VI. Bologna: Forni Editore. pp. sub anno 1065 sub voce "Chieti".
  7. From seedling 83 of the Great Atlas Road De Agostini, 1993, Novara
  8. Various Authors (2004). "Church of San Cataldo". Sangroaventino. Archived from the original on February 27, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  9. Various Authors (2004). "Castle". Sangroaventino. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  10. Various Authors (2004). "La Castelletta". Sangroaventino. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  11. From photo and text in: Various authors (2000). "La Castelletta in the paragraph Il territorio del Sangro-Aventino (CH)". Guide to the castles of Abruzzo. Carsa Edizioni. pp. 144–145. ISBN   88-85854-87-7.
  12. Various Authors (2004). "Houses with porches". Sangroaventino. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  13. "VALORI MEDI CLIMATICI DAL 1951 AL 2000 NELLA REGIONE ABRUZZO" (PDF). Regione Abruzzo. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 30, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.