History
Until recently, it was assumed that the origins of Villa Sant'Angelo dated back to the Middle Ages, however archaeological excavations have revealed the presence of buildings dating from Roman times. Ancient walls and portions of a necropolis (including tombs, terracotta and 4th Century bronze and silver coins) have been discovered in a series of digs conducted between 1986 and 2005.
In the early 20th century, numerous residents of Villa Sant'Angelo emigrated to the United States, beginning the decline of population from the peak of 1,027 recorded in the 1921 census. The communities of East Brady, Pennsylvania, and New Castle, Pennsylvania, in the United States absorbed many of these migrants.
At 3:32AM on the morning of April 6, 2009, a devastating earthquake hit central Italy, in particular Abruzzo. [3] Approximately 90% of the buildings in Villa Sant'Angelo were destroyed and 17 people were killed.
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.
L'Aquila is a city and comune in central Italy. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. As of 2024, it has a population of 69,902 inhabitants. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the Aterno river, it is surrounded by the Apennine Mountains, with the Gran Sasso d'Italia to the north-east.
Acciano is a comune in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. The small, medieval village is in the Subequana valley and is a part of the Sirentina Mountain Community.
Anversa degli Abruzzi is a comune and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia.
Bugnara is a comune and village in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia.
Cansano is a comune in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region, Southern Italy. It is part of the Maiella National Park. Cansano is known for the archaeological discovery of the Italic and Roman town of Ocriticum, which has become an archaeological park.
Fossa is a comune and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy. Bernardino of Fossa was born in the town. The 2009 L'Aquila earthquake contributed to the collapse of a bridge in Fossa, and caused extensive damage to the residential buildings in the town. The town was the epicentre of a major aftershock 5.4 Mw on April 7, 2009.
Molina Aterno is a comune and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. The name derives from Latin molina ("mill"), the second part having been added in 1889 due to the presence of the Aterno river.
Magliano de' Marsi is a comune and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of southern-central Italy. The town is in the historical region Marsica.
Ocre is a comune (municipality) and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy.
Pratola Peligna is a comune and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. As of 2015, it has a population of 7,652 inhabitants.
Raiano is a town and comune of the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
Rivisondoli is a village and comune in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is a ski resort.
Roccacasale is a comune in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Built on the slopes of the Monte della Rocca in the central Apennines, the village overlooks the Peligna Valley and the town of Sulmona.
San Demetrio ne'Vestini is a comune and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy
Tornimparte is a comune and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central-southern Italy.
Civitella Casanova is an Italian town of inland mountain of 1,950 inhabitants in the province of Pescara in Abruzzo and belongs to the mountain community Vestina. Listed on the National Park of Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga and the Regional Reserve Voltigno and Valle d'Angri, a regional reserve included in the National Park, the country bases its economy mainly on agriculture. It has pre-Roman origins of repute, the sources of the historian Livy emerges as the town of Civitella was called Cutina or Cingilia.
Torre de' Passeri is an Italian town of 3,172 inhabitants in the province of Pescara in Abruzzo. It owes its name to the ancient "Turris Passum", a tower located near the Abbey of San Clemente a Casauria. A prominent feature of Torre de' Passeri is Castello Gizzi, which overlooks the entire town. Historical-enological researches have suggested that the area might be the native land of the Montepulciano vine. Torre de' Passeri is twinned with Manteigas in Portugal.
Borgo Velino is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Rieti in the region of Latium, Italy. It is located about 70 kilometres (43 mi) northeast of Rome and about 15 kilometres (9 mi) east of the town Rieti. It has an area of 17.3 square kilometres (6.7 sq mi), and as of 31 December 2010 it had a population of 1,004. Until 1927 Borgo Velino was part of the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo. It is located near the site of a pre- or early-Roman Sabine village named Viario. Rare ruins of this ancient village, now occupied by a cultivated field, were found near a standing medieval tower. Borgo Velino is the birthplace of Giulio Pezzola, a notorious outlaw of the 17th century.
Tourism in Abruzzo has become one of the most prosperous sectors in the economy of Abruzzo, and in recent years has seen a remarkable growth attracting numerous tourists from Italy and Europe. According to statistics, in 2021 arrivals totaled 1,330,887. A total of 5,197,765 arrivals were tourists, a figure that puts the region seventeenth among the Italian regions for numbers of tourists per year. A moderate support to tourism is also given to the Abruzzo Airport with many low cost and charter flights connecting the entire region with the rest of Europe.
