Francavilla al Mare
Encyclopedia
Francavilla al Mare is a comune
and town
in the Province of Chieti
in the Abruzzo
region of Italy
The area was inhabited since prehistory, and early remains have been found at St. Cecilia. In 1162 the village was granted immunity from all taxations for 12 years, and this episode also gave origin to the name "Francavilla" (Latin, meaning free town). The harbour was a flourishing commercial key point in the Adriatic Sea, but in the 16th century was plundered by Turkish troops. It was under such important families as the Caracciolo and D'Avalos. In the late 19th century was already a well known seaside resort and the seat of an artistic literary circle with relevant figures as F.P. Michetti, G. D'Annunzio, F.P. Tosti, who met at the "Conventino", in the former monastery of Santa Maria di Gesù.
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:...
and town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Province of Chieti
Chieti
Chieti is a city and comune in Central Italy, 200 km northeast of Rome. It is the capital of the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region...
in 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 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...
The area was inhabited since prehistory, and early remains have been found at St. Cecilia. In 1162 the village was granted immunity from all taxations for 12 years, and this episode also gave origin to the name "Francavilla" (Latin, meaning free town). The harbour was a flourishing commercial key point in the Adriatic Sea, but in the 16th century was plundered by Turkish troops. It was under such important families as the Caracciolo and D'Avalos. In the late 19th century was already a well known seaside resort and the seat of an artistic literary circle with relevant figures as F.P. Michetti, G. D'Annunzio, F.P. Tosti, who met at the "Conventino", in the former monastery of Santa Maria di Gesù.