Alfedena
Encyclopedia
Alfedena is a comune
in the province of L'Aquila
of the Abruzzo
region of central Italy
. It is located in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park in the upper Sangro valley, near the Monti della Meta
mountain chain.
Alfedena, as we know it today, was founded by the Samnites, who called it Aufidena, because of its excellent strategic view over the high Sangro valley. Alfedena was the setting of several conflicts through its history because of this location. Alfedena was a district of the superior Samnites before it was the capital town of the Carecini tribe during their first settlement near the high Saro, the ancient name of today’s Sangro river. Alfedena was then conquered by the Romans in 298 b.c., and by the Longobards during the 11th century.
Many valuable works of art, such as the Ponte Achille (Achille’s bridge), dating back to the Roman age, were destroyed by German mines during the defens of the Gustav line. The Germans took away, as spoils, many ruins of the Italic necropolis of Campo Consolino located next to the village, which counted 1400 tombs on a total amount of 12.000 tombs. Part of the stolen archeological finds were returned after an accurate restoration at the Tubingen University. The archaeological excavations bear witness to the ancient presence in the area and to its historically autonomous civilization.
Some ruins of Cyclopian masonry can also be seen in the districts of Civitalta, Curino, and S. Nicola, with some columns and ruins of a temple brought to life by excavations. The village boasts an ancient tradition in the crafts of stone carving. The last craftsmen made the artistic paving of the town unique to its genre. In the historical center, people can admire the octagonal castle of the Simone’s feud, Count of Sangro.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of L'Aquila
Province of L'Aquila
thumb|left|200px|Map of the province.The Province of L'Aquila is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated province of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part of the region...
of the Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
region of central Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It is located in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park in the upper Sangro valley, near the Monti della Meta
Monti della Meta
The Monti della Meta are a massif of central Italy located around the junction point of the boundaries between the regions of Lazio, Abruzzo and Molise. The major of three massifs of the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, they take their name from one of the peaks, Monte Meta...
mountain chain.
Alfedena, as we know it today, was founded by the Samnites, who called it Aufidena, because of its excellent strategic view over the high Sangro valley. Alfedena was the setting of several conflicts through its history because of this location. Alfedena was a district of the superior Samnites before it was the capital town of the Carecini tribe during their first settlement near the high Saro, the ancient name of today’s Sangro river. Alfedena was then conquered by the Romans in 298 b.c., and by the Longobards during the 11th century.
Many valuable works of art, such as the Ponte Achille (Achille’s bridge), dating back to the Roman age, were destroyed by German mines during the defens of the Gustav line. The Germans took away, as spoils, many ruins of the Italic necropolis of Campo Consolino located next to the village, which counted 1400 tombs on a total amount of 12.000 tombs. Part of the stolen archeological finds were returned after an accurate restoration at the Tubingen University. The archaeological excavations bear witness to the ancient presence in the area and to its historically autonomous civilization.
Some ruins of Cyclopian masonry can also be seen in the districts of Civitalta, Curino, and S. Nicola, with some columns and ruins of a temple brought to life by excavations. The village boasts an ancient tradition in the crafts of stone carving. The last craftsmen made the artistic paving of the town unique to its genre. In the historical center, people can admire the octagonal castle of the Simone’s feud, Count of Sangro.