Roccaraso | |
---|---|
Comune di Roccaraso | |
Coordinates: 41°51′4″N14°4′45″E / 41.85111°N 14.07917°E | |
Country | Italy |
Region | Abruzzo |
Province | L'Aquila (AQ) |
Frazioni | Aremogna, Pietransieri, Soggiorno Montano Enel |
Government | |
• Mayor | Francesco Di Donato |
Area | |
• Total | 19.91 km2 (7.69 sq mi) |
Elevation | 1,236 m (4,055 ft) |
Population (31 December 2021) [2] | |
• Total | 1,524 |
• Density | 77/km2 (200/sq mi) |
Demonym | Roccolani |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 67037 |
Dialing code | 0864 |
Patron saint | Sant'Ippolito ( Hippolytus of Rome ) |
Saint day | 13 August |
Website | Official website |
Roccaraso is a town and comune in central Italy, in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region.
The town of Roccaraso dates back to around 975 AD, and is located near the Rasinus stream, from which some believe it took its original name, Rocca Rasini. It developed as a farming village, inhabited by herdsmen and craftsmen, which guaranteed its people a peaceful and prosperous life. During the late 19th century, the opening of the rail link with Naples begins to bring the first tourists, attracted by the beauty of the natural environment, who were soon welcomed by various hotels that at that time were beginning to rise. [3]
A sharp setback came with the Second World War. Roccaraso was located right on the head of the Gustav line, the system of fortifications with which the Germans tried to stop the advance of the Allies after the landing at Salerno in September 1943. The town was completely destroyed by a bombing, which caused the loss of 'Interalia', a theater built in 1698, one of the oldest in Italy. The roccolani did not lose heart; after the end of the war the town returned to everyday life and soon became one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy. [3]
Roccaraso's frazione of Pietransieri is among the villages decorated for Valor for the War of Liberation that has been awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour for the sacrifices of its people (which culminated in the Limmari Massacre) and its activities in the partisan struggle during the Second World War. [4]
The ski resort of Roccaraso is structured around the Mountains of Roccaraso, subgroup of Mont Greek (2,283 m (7,490 ft)), the Piano Aremogna and Pizzalto, connected directly to the plants of Rivisondoli-Monte Pratello (2,012 m (6,600 ft)), the heart of the largest ski area in central and southern Italy, the area of Alto Sangro, including around 160 km (100 mi) of downhill slopes and 36 lifts.
The first ski race was held in 1910 and the first ski lift was the 'Slittovia' in Monte Zurrone, built in 1936. Numerous competitions, both national and international, are held every year. In March 2005, Roccaraso hosted the men's and women's finals of the European Cup, and the World Junior Championships in 2012. The participants, representing dozens of countries from all five continents, contended areas laurels of victory. But only eleven teams were able to savour the joy of the podium. In particular, Norway has dominated the race winning 4 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze. Italy settled for a silver medal obtained in the team event, the parallel team played on the Gran track Pizzalto, where blue colors were represented by Alex Zingerle, Giordano Ronci, and Pichler.
During the 1950s and 1960s US servicemen and their families enjoyed the recreation facilities especially riding "saucers"; like riding on a metal trash can lid.
Climate data for Roccaraso, elevation 1,245 m (4,085 ft), (1951–2000) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 15.4 (59.7) | 18.3 (64.9) | 19.8 (67.6) | 22.0 (71.6) | 27.5 (81.5) | 31.2 (88.2) | 34.0 (93.2) | 34.3 (93.7) | 30.2 (86.4) | 27.0 (80.6) | 19.9 (67.8) | 20.0 (68.0) | 34.3 (93.7) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 3.7 (38.7) | 4.9 (40.8) | 7.7 (45.9) | 10.7 (51.3) | 15.6 (60.1) | 19.6 (67.3) | 22.9 (73.2) | 23.2 (73.8) | 18.8 (65.8) | 14.1 (57.4) | 9.0 (48.2) | 4.4 (39.9) | 12.9 (55.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.3 (31.5) | 0.5 (32.9) | 3.1 (37.6) | 5.9 (42.6) | 10.2 (50.4) | 13.7 (56.7) | 16.3 (61.3) | 16.5 (61.7) | 13.0 (55.4) | 8.9 (48.0) | 4.7 (40.5) | 0.7 (33.3) | 7.8 (46.0) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.3 (24.3) | −3.9 (25.0) | −1.5 (29.3) | 1.2 (34.2) | 4.8 (40.6) | 7.7 (45.9) | 9.8 (49.6) | 9.7 (49.5) | 7.3 (45.1) | 3.7 (38.7) | 0.3 (32.5) | −3.1 (26.4) | 2.6 (36.8) |
Record low °C (°F) | −22.2 (−8.0) | −21.5 (−6.7) | −22.3 (−8.1) | −12.0 (10.4) | −5.9 (21.4) | −2.6 (27.3) | −2.2 (28.0) | −0.6 (30.9) | −3.0 (26.6) | −8.9 (16.0) | −16.6 (2.1) | −19.4 (−2.9) | −22.3 (−8.1) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 106.1 (4.18) | 91.0 (3.58) | 81.1 (3.19) | 84.0 (3.31) | 68.7 (2.70) | 51.0 (2.01) | 46.4 (1.83) | 42.8 (1.69) | 71.3 (2.81) | 95.0 (3.74) | 139.4 (5.49) | 133.4 (5.25) | 1,010.2 (39.78) |
Average precipitation days | 9.6 | 9.2 | 10.2 | 10.3 | 9.5 | 7.4 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 7.0 | 8.5 | 10.8 | 11.0 | 105.2 |
Source: Regione Abruzzo [5] |
Abruzzo, historically known as Abruzzi, is a region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four provinces: L'Aquila, Teramo, Pescara, and Chieti. Its western border lies 80 km (50 mi) east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and north-west, Molise to the south and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Geographically, Abruzzo is divided into a mountainous area in the west, which includes the highest massifs of the Apennines, such as the Gran Sasso d'Italia and the Maiella, and a coastal area in the east with beaches on the Adriatic Sea.
The 1st Parachute Division was an elite German military parachute-landing division that fought during World War II. A division of paratroopers was termed a Fallschirmjäger Division. For reasons of secrecy, it was originally raised as the 7th Air Division or (German: 7. Flieger-Division), before being renamed and reorganized as the 1st Parachute Division in 1943.
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Media related to Roccaraso at Wikimedia Commons