Valle Castellana is a village and 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:...

in the Province of Teramo

Province of Teramo

The Province of Teramo is located in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Teramo. The province has an area of 1,948 km², a population of 296,063 , and is subdivided into 47 comunes , see Comunes of the Province of Teramo...

, 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 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 a member of the Italian community of surrounding mountain villages, Monti della Laga

Monti della Laga

Monti della Laga is a mountain range in the central Apennines, Italy. Their ruggedness and inaccessibility makes them one of the lesser known areas of the Italian peninsula.-Geography:...

. It is located in the natural park known as the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park

Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park

The Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park is a natural park in Italy, which was established in 1991. It has an area of 2,014 square kilometres...

.

Geography

The comune takes its name from the Castellana River, which travels north towards Ascoli Piceno

Ascoli Piceno

Ascoli Piceno is a town and comune in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is c. 51,400.-Geography:...

 in the Marche

Marche

The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...

 region. From here it joins the Tronto River before eventually leading out to the Adriatic Sea

Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...

.

The comune is bordered by Accumoli

Accumoli

Accumoli is a comune in the Province of Rieti in the Italian region Latium, located about 110 km northeast of Rome and about 45 km northeast of Rieti...

, Acquasanta Terme

Acquasanta Terme

Acquasanta Terme is a comune in the Province of Ascoli Piceno in the Italian region Marche, located about 90 km south of Ancona and about 15 km southwest of Ascoli Piceno...

, Amatrice

Amatrice

Amatrice is a town and comune in the province of Rieti, in northern Lazio . The city is seat of the food-agricultural base of "Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park".-History:...

, Arquata del Tronto

Arquata del Tronto

Arquata del Tronto is a comune in the Province of Ascoli Piceno in the Italian region Marche, located about 100 km south of Ancona and about 25 km southwest of Ascoli Piceno...

, Ascoli Piceno, Campli

Campli

Campli is a town and comune in the province of Teramo, in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is located in the natural park known as the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park.-Geography:...

, Civitella del Tronto

Civitella del Tronto

Civitella del Tronto is a town and comune in the province of Teramo, within the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is located in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park.-History:...

, Rocca Santa Maria

Rocca Santa Maria

Rocca Santa Maria is a town and comune in the province of Teramo, Abruzzo, eastern Italy. It is located in the nGran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park.The municipal seat is in the frazione of Imposte....

, Torricella Sicura

Torricella Sicura

Torricella Sicura is a town and comune in the province of Teramo, in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is located in the natural park known as the "Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park".-Geography:...

.

History

Some literary scholars have put forth the hypothesis that the Castellano River is the same "fiume Verde" (Verde River) where Manfred of Sicily

Manfred of Sicily

Manfred was the King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266. He was a natural son of the emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen but his mother, Bianca Lancia , is reported by Matthew of Paris to have been married to the emperor while on her deathbed.-Background:Manfred was born in Venosa...

 is claimed to have been buried in the Divine Comedy of Dante

DANTE

Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...

. The Castellana River basin, along with the Montagna dei Fiori

Montagna dei Fiori

Montagna dei Fiori is a mountain group in the Abruzzo, central Italy, forming the Monti Gemelli massif, together with the Montagna di Campli...

 formed the northern most portion of the Kingdom of Naples

Kingdom of Naples

The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...

.