Camarda is a
frazione
A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...
(parish or
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
) in the comune of
L'Aquila
L'Aquila ( ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of the Province of L'Aquila and the Abruzzo region in Italy. , it has a population of 69,902. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the A ...
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. It is situated on the western slopes of the
Gran Sasso
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 Sasso ...
, at about 800 meters above sea level, along the state road 17-bis that from goes up to
Campo Imperatore
Campo Imperatore ("Emperor's Field") is a mountain grassland or alpine meadow formed by a high basin shaped plateau located above Gran Sasso massif, the largest plateau of Apennine ridge. Known as "Little Tibet", it is located in Gran Sasso ...
passing through
Paganica
Paganica is a hillside town in the province of L'Aquila, in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy. located at 669 meters above sea level, at the foot of the Gran Sasso d'Italia, about 7 kilometers east of the historic center, along the state road ...
, Tempera,
Assergi
Assergi is a frazione of the comune of L'Aquila, located about from the capital. With a population of just over 500, it is situated at an altitude of approximately 1,000 meters, below the western slope of the Gran Sasso d'Italia, Gran Sasso in a s ...
and
Fonte Cerreto, once an autonomous municipality before being aggregated to the capital and now seat of the ninth district of the municipality.
In literature, it is known, above all, through the novella in rima entitled ''
La Bella di Camarda,'' a work by
Emidio Cappelli, published in 1857 and reprinted in 1858.
History
Camarda has its origins during the
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history between and ; it was preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended according to historiographical convention ...
, when a raid by
Lombards
The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, 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 betwee ...
pushed many inhabitants of ''Forcona'' (an archaeological site located in the area of
Bagno) to take refuge in the neighboring areas. According to legend, the name Camarda derives from the cry "Cama ardet!", shouted by the peasants who saw their sheaves burning, which some Lombard soldiers had set on fire.
Afterwards, Camarda was one of the villages that contributed to the foundation of L'Aquila. Since then, this village has bound its destiny to that of the city.
In the 19th century, Camarda was elected
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 ...
, but soon lost this title, to become simply one of the
Frazione
A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...
s of L'Aquila.
The Royal Decree-Law of 29 July 1927 number 1564, decreed the suppression and annexation of the municipalities of
Arischia,
Bagno, Camarda,
Lucoli,
Paganica
Paganica is a hillside town in the province of L'Aquila, in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy. located at 669 meters above sea level, at the foot of the Gran Sasso d'Italia, about 7 kilometers east of the historic center, along the state road ...
,
Preturo,
Roio,
Sassa
Sassa is a frazione in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. After the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake, it has a population of about 2500 inhabitants considering small villages around this frazione.
The frazione of Sassa is compos ...
and the
frazione
A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...
of
San Vittorino
San Vittorino Amiterno is a village in the Abruzzo, region of central Italy. It is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of L'Aquila.
History
S. Vittorino is important because the ancient Roman city of Amiternum
Amiternum was an ancient Sabine ci ...
belonging to the
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 ...
of
Pizzoli to the
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 ...
of
L'Aquila
L'Aquila ( ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of the Province of L'Aquila and the Abruzzo region in Italy. , it has a population of 69,902. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the A ...
of
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 ...
. In 1947,
Lucoli, after having been a fraction of
L'Aquila
L'Aquila ( ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of the Province of L'Aquila and the Abruzzo region in Italy. , it has a population of 69,902. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the A ...
for 20 years, was the only one to be able to restore itself as an autonomous
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 ...
, unlike the other 7 suppressed
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 ...
s.
The towns that were part of the
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 ...
of Camarda in 1927 were: Camarda,
Filetto,
Assergi
Assergi is a frazione of the comune of L'Aquila, located about from the capital. With a population of just over 500, it is situated at an altitude of approximately 1,000 meters, below the western slope of the Gran Sasso d'Italia, Gran Sasso in a s ...
,
Aragno
Aragno is a frazione in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peni ...
and
Pescomaggiore.
The territory of the ex-
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 ...
constitutes the ninth circumscription of the
Comune of L'Aquila apart from the portion where
Aragno
Aragno is a frazione in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peni ...
is located, included in the land council of participation number eight with
Collebrincioni, San Giacomo, San Francesco, and Torrione.
{{authority control
Frazioni of L'Aquila
Former municipalities of the Province of L'Aquila