Alanno is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' and town in the

province of Pescara The province of Pescara (; Abruzzese: ') is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pescara, which has a population of 119,483 inhabitants. As of 2017, it has a total population of 319,936 inhabitants over an area o ...

in the

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

region of Italy. The first settlement of Alanno dates probably from the medieval Lombard domination. Later it was a possession of the heirs of

Ettore Fieramosca Ettore Fieramosca (born Ferramosca) (1476 in Capua – 20 January 1515 in Valladolid) was an Italian condottiero and nobleman during the Italian Wars. His father was Rainaldo, baron of Rocca d'Evandro, and it is thought that his mother was a no ...

History

Even if the territory of Alanno was inhabited since the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

, Alanno was likely founded as a

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

(''

castrum ''Castra'' () is a Latin language, Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'Fortification, fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified milita ...

'') by the

Longobards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the '' History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 and 796) t ...

around the 4th or 5th centuries. After having been a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

of the

Abbey of San Clemente a Casauria The abbey of San Clemente a Casauria is an abbey in the territory of Castiglione a Casauria, in the province of Pescara, Abruzzo, Central Italy. History The abbey was founded in 871 by Louis II of Italy, Louis II, great-grandson of Charlemagne, af ...

for centuries, it was ruled by a succession of feudal families since the 14th century: , Caracciolo, , and (since 1739). 114 families were recorded as taxpayers in 1443, and 190 families were fiscally registered in 1532. San Biagio

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

was rebuilt as a consequence of the

1915 Avezzano earthquake The 1915 Avezzano earthquake or 1915 Fucino earthquake occurred on 13 January in central Italy at . The shock had a moment magnitude of 6.7 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). The epicenter was located in the city of Avezzano ...

Geography

Alanno lies at the southeastern

foothills Foothills or piedmont are geography, geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an highland, upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low terrain, relief hill ...

of the

Gran Sasso d'Italia Gran Sasso d'Italia (; ) is a massif in the Apennine Mountains of Italy. Its highest peak, Corno Grande , is the highest mountain in the Apennines, and the second-highest mountain in Italy outside the Alps. The mountain lies within Gran Sass ...

massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...

. The

old town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

of Alanno is located on a

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as Mountain, mountains. Hills ...

, which is surrounded by Aterno river and a

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...

named Cigno. The old town is close to the small economic center (Alanno Scalo), which benefits economically from local

manufacturing plants A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...

, on the

Rome–Sulmona–Pescara railway The Rome–Pescara railway is an Italian long railway line, that connects Rome with Tivoli, Avezzano, Sulmona and Pescara. The route operates through the regions of Lazio and Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), ...

, and access to the A25 motorway. A

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

() on the Aterno river led to the birth of a natural reserve called , for the

preservation Preservation may refer to: Heritage and conservation * Preservation (library and archival science), activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record while making as few changes as possible * ''Preservation'' (magazine), published by the Nat ...

of animal and plant species, including some species of

waterbirds A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term ''water bird'' is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabi ...

and the yellow iris.

Climate

Attractions

The most important landmark of Alanno is the Renaissance church of ''Santa Maria delle Grazie'', built around 1485, it was said that the Madonna appeared to a shepherd and asked him to organize the building of a church on that position overlooking the valley. The church was built outside the town. It has an elegant portal (1505) surmounted by a lunette with a fresco of the ''Deposition''. The single nave ends with an apse with frescoes attributed to Andrea De Litio's workshop (1522) and a 15th-century triptych with ''Madonna, Angels and Saints''. The decoration of the interior is otherwise in Baroque style. The altar, finished in 1642, has a precious 15th century triptych with the ''Madonna between St. Sebastian and a Holy Pope''. Other points of interest include the three towers, remains of the medieval walls and castle, the 16th century church of St. Francis and the Wildlife Oasis of Alanno, characterized by numerous birds species and a rich river vegetation.

References

Cities and towns in Abruzzo {{Abruzzo-geo-stub