Sulmona

Coordinates: 42°02′N 13°56′E / 42.033°N 13.933°E / 42.033; 13.933
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Sulmona
Sulmóne (Neapolitan)
Sulmona
Coat of arms of Sulmona
Location of Sulmona
Map
UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
67039
Dialing code0864
Patron saintSaint Pamphilus
Saint day28 April
WebsiteOfficial website

Sulmona (

romanized: Soulmôn) is a comune (municipality) in the province of L'Aquila, in the Italian region of Abruzzo. It is located in the Valle Peligna, a plain once occupied by a lake that disappeared in prehistoric times. In the ancient era, it was one of the most important cities of the Paeligni and is known for being the native town of the Roman poet Ovid
, of whom there is a bronze statue, located on the town's main road and named after him.

History

Ancient era

The Roman poet Ovid, born in the city.
Basilica della Santissima Annunziata.

Sulmona was one of the principal cities of the

Domitius Calvinus with a garrison of seven cohorts; but the citizens, who were favorably inclined towards Julius Caesar, opened their gates to his lieutenant M. Antonius as soon as he presented himself.[8]

Not much more is known historically of Sulmo, which, however, appears to have continued to be a considerable provincial town. Ovid speaks of it as one of the three municipal towns whose districts composed the territory of the Paeligni:[9] and this is confirmed both by Pliny and the Liber Coloniarum; yet it does not seem to have ever been large, and Ovid himself designates it as a small provincial town.[10] From the Liber Coloniarum we learn also that it had received the status of a colony, probably in the time of Augustus;[11] though Pliny does not give it the title of a Colonia. Inscriptions, as well as the geographers and Itineraries, attest its continued existence as a municipal town throughout the Roman Empire.[12]

Campo 78 Sulmona (Abruzzo)

The chief claim to fame of Sulmona is derived from its having been the birthplace of Ovid, who repeatedly alludes to it as such, and celebrates its salubrity, and the numerous permanent streams of clear water in which its neighbourhood abounded. But, like the whole district of the Paeligni, it was extremely cold in winter, whence Ovid himself, and Silius Italicus in imitation of him, calls it "gelidus Sulmo"[13] Its territory was fertile, cultivation of both in grain and wine are common, and one district, the Pagus Fabianus, is particularly mentioned by Pliny[14] for the care bestowed on the irrigation of the vineyards.

Middle Ages and Renaissance

Church of Santa Maria della Tomba.

Traditionally, the beginning of the

diocese of Valva, while a Sulmonese bishop is known from the 5th century. One of the earliest bishops was Saint Pamphilus (San Panfilo), an Italian pagan convert to Christianity in the 7th century from nearby Corfinium. He was elected bishop of Valva in 682 and died in 706. He is the patron saint of Sulmona and is buried in the church dedicated to him, the present Sulmona Cathedral
.

Sulmona became a free commune under the Normans. Under Emperor Frederick II an aqueduct was built in the town, one of the most important constructions of the era in the Abruzzo; the emperor made it the capital of a large province, as well the seat of a tribunal and of a fair, which it however lost with the arrival of the Angevins. Despite that, it continued to expand and a new line of walls was added in the 14th century.

In the 16th century a flourishing paper industry was started.

Modern age

Badia Morronese
.

In 1706 the city was nearly razed by an earthquake. While much of the medieval city was destroyed by the earthquake, some remarkable buildings survive such as the Church of Santa Maria della Tomba, the Palazzo Annunziata, the Aqueduct and the Gothic portal on Corso Ovidio.

Much of the city was then rebuilt in the prevailing elegant Baroque style of the 18th century.

Sulmona experienced an economic boom in the late 19th century, becoming a railway hub given its strategic geographic position between Rome and the Adriatic coast.

The anarchist and labour organiser Carlo Tresca was born there in 1879 and was active in the Italian Railroad Workers' Federation until emigrating to the US in 1904 to escape a prison term.

Sulmona's strategic position also made it a target for air raids during World War II. The railway station, the industrial sections and parts of the old town were damaged, but today they have been mostly restored.

Campo 78

Campo 78 at Sulmona served as a

POW camp in both world wars. During World War I, it housed Austrian prisoners captured in the Isonzo
and Trentino campaigns; during World War II, it was home to as many as 3,000 British and Commonwealth officers and other ranks captured in North Africa. The camp itself was built on a hillside and consisted of a number of brick barracks surrounded by a high wall. During World War II, conditions in Sulmona for both the officers and the men were indifferent. Accommodation was overcrowded. Normal rations of rice soup and bread were occasionally augmented by fresh fruit and cheese in the summer. Some food parcels from the International Committee of the Red Cross were distributed occasionally. For recreation, the prisoners laid out a football field, and they also had equipment for cricket and basketball. There was a theatre, a small lending library, at least one band, and a newspaper produced by a group of prisoners.

In September 1943, as the Italian government neared collapse, the inmates of Sulmona heard rumours that the evacuation of the camp was imminent. They awoke one morning to discover that their guards had deserted them. On 14 September, German troops arrived to escort the prisoners northwards, to captivity in Germany, but not before hundreds of them had escaped into the hills. One such escapee was the South African author, Uys Krige, who described his experience in a book titled The way out.

There were two other smaller camps nearby, Fontana d'Amore, which held British officers, and Villa Orsini, which held very senior Allied officers captured during World War II, including Air Marshal

Richard Nugent O'Connor. All were subsequently transferred to Castello di Vincigliata Campo PG12 near Florence.[15]

Main sights

Sights in Sulmona include:

Sulmona Cathedral.

The remains of the ancient city indicate the existence of a considerable town; among them are the vestiges of an

Monte Morrone is the site of the Roman sanctuary of Hercules Curinus
.

Nearby is the

Badia Morronese, a large (c. 119 by 140 metres [390 ft × 459 ft]) religious complex located near Pope Celestine V
's hermitage. It was founded by Celestine as a chapel in 1241, and was enlarged and later made into a convent.

Confetti

Flowers made from Confetti candy.

Sulmona is the home of the Italian confectionery known as

almonds and are traditionally given to friends and relatives on weddings and other special occasions. Confetti can be eaten or simply used as decoration. The local artisans also colour these candies and craft them into flowers and other creations. There are two main factories in town and several shops that sell these items, the most famous of which is Confetti Mario Pelino
.

International relations

Sulmona is

twinned
with:

Sports

The city has a football team, Pro Sulmona Calcio 1921. The club is currently disbanded, last competing in the 2015–16 season in the Promozione Abruzzo, the seventh division of Italian football.

Transports

Sulmona is served by the Sulmona railway station, an important station located at the intersection of three railway lines: the Rome–Sulmona–Pescara railway, the Terni–Sulmona railway and the Sulmona-Isernia railway.

People

See also

References

  1. ^ "Gianfranco Di Piero: Who Is the New Mayor of Sulmona". Sulmona OGGI (in Italian). 18 October 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  4. Ovid, Fasti iv. 79; Silius Italicus
    ix. 70-76.)
  5. ^ Livy xxvi. 11.
  6. ^ Flor. iii. 21.
  7. ^ August Wilhelm Zumpt, De Coloniis' p. 261.
  8. ^ Julius Caesar Commentarii de Bello Civili i. 18; Cicero ad Att. viii. 4, 12 a.)
  9. ^ "Peligni pars tertia ruris", Amor. ii. 16. 1.
  10. ^ Amor. iii. 15.
  11. ^ Plin. iii. 12. s. 17; Lib. Colon. pp. 229, 260.
  12. ^ (Strabo v. p. 241; Ptolemy iii. 1. § 64; Tabula Peutingeriana; Orell. Inscr. 3856; Mommsen, Inscr. R. N. pp. 287–289.
  13. ^ Ovid, Fasti iv. 81, Trist. iv. 10. 3, Amor. ii. 16; Sil. Ital. viii. 511.
  14. ^ xvii. 26. s. 43.
  15. ^ Hargest, Neame, Carton de Wiart, Leeming,
  16. ^ "Gemellaggio Serravalle - Sulmona" (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-01-14.

Sources

Relating to Sulmona POW camp, Villa Orsini and Fontana d'Amore:

External links