Popoli is a comune

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 Pescara

Province of Pescara

The Province of Pescara is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pescara.It has an area of 1,225 km², and a total population of 295,463 . There are 46 comunes in the province. At May 31, 2005, the main communes by population are:For a complete list, see Comunes of...

 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...

.

History

Its Latin name was Castrum Properi (Waystation Fortress), which name was recorded as early as 1016 as the property of Girardo, son of Roccone. The castle above the town was built between 1000 and 1015 for Tidolfo, Bishop of Valva

Valva (city)

Valva is an ancient Italian city that was built on the site of more ancient Corfinium. The site is now occupied by Corfinio a comune and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Valva was the site of an episcopal see, which has since been transferred to Sulmona....

.

Popoli was bombarded twice during World War II by the British Air Force. On 20 January 1944, the most important bridge in the region, the "Julius Caesar" bridge connecting Rome with Pescara, was destroyed. On 22 March 1944 at noon the city center and city hall were destroyed by substantial bombing by the British. Unfortunately, it was a day that rations were being distributed to town at the city hall, and there were long lines of women and children, many of whom were killed or wounded. The day is still remembered with sorrow by the town's inhabitants.

Honors

Following World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the Italian Republic awarded the town of Popoli with the "Silver Medal of Civil Merit" (Medaglia d'argento al merito civile)
"Crucial center, occupied by German troops the day after the armistice, was subjected to repeated and violent bombardments which caused the deaths of ninety-one civilians and the destruction of nearly all of the public property. The whole population knew how to react, with dignity and courage, to the horrors of war and to face, with the return of peace, the difficult works of moral and material reconstruction."
-- Popoli (PE), 1943–1944

Main sights

The town and the surrounding area have several objects of interest:

• The Taverna Ducale from the mid 14th century ranks among the most beautiful non-church buildings in Abruzzo.
• Torre de' Passeri
• The abbey of San Clemente a Casauria (12th century )
• The church of San Francesco, was begun in the 15th century
• The church of Santissima Trinità (1562) with an altar and a wooden choir from 1745
• The area around the springs which are the source of the Aterno river is a regionally protected area
• The castle ruin above Popoli

Festivals

The main festivity is in August. The historical parade with people dressed in costume is held in celebration of historical event of the city (1495). The parade is followed by a fair, called "Certamen de la Balestra". Strength and ability are necessary for the knight to win the Certamen or the grand prize.

Further reading

• Damiani, Fernando (1975) La città di Popoli: memorie storiche ed artistiche (The town of Popoli: Historical and Artistic Memoir) Di Cioccio, Sulmona, Italy, OCLC 2796471, in Italian
• Di Donato, Ugo (1980) Popoli e i Popolesi (Popoli and the People of Popoli) Fracasso, Popoli, Italy, OCLC 15314442, in Italian
• Hamilton, Mary and Nodier, Charles (1810) La famille du duc de Popoli: mémories de M. de Cantelmo, son frere (The Family of the Duke of Popoli: A Memoir of Monsieur de Cantelmo, his Brother) P. Didot l'áiné, Paris, OCLC 65223502, in French

External links

• "Popoli" Abruzzo 2000