Castel di Sangro (locally ''Caštiéllë'') is a city and ''
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 6,461 people (as of 2013) in the
Province of L'Aquila
The province of L'Aquila () is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated Provinces of Italy, province of the Abruzzo region of Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part of the region. It ...
, in
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 ...
, central
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. It is the main city of the Alto Sangro e Altopiano delle Cinque Miglia area.
Geography
Castel di Sangro is located near the
Sangro River, in a valley in the
Apennine Mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...
.
Neighbouring towns include
Roccaraso
Roccaraso is a town and ''comune'' in southern Italy, in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region.
History
Founding
The town of Roccaraso dates back to around 975 AD, and is located near the Rasinus stream, from which some believe it ...
,
Pescocostanzo,
Rivisondoli,
San Pietro Avellana and
Montenero Val Cocchiara.
History
Castel di Sangro was known to the
Romans as Aufidena (a city of the
Samnites
The Samnites () were an ancient Italic peoples, Italic people who lived in Samnium, which is located in modern inland Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania in south-central Italy.
An Oscan language, Oscan-speaking Osci, people, who originated as an offsh ...
). It is the ancestral home of the third and last line of the House of Caesar (Catulus Caesar).
In the Second World War, the city was liberated by the
West Nova Scotia Regiment of the
First Canadian Division in November 1943. The regiment launched a night attack against the hilltop monastery which overlooks the city on November 22 but had to withdraw after suffering heavy losses from machine gun positions of the 3rd Battalion of the German 1st Parachute Regiment. The Canadians attacked a second time on November 24 supported by a heavy artillery bombardment which forced the Germans to withdraw, allowing the regiment to occupy the monastery without losses bringing Castel di Sangro and the south bank of the Sangro River into Allied hands.
Main sights
*
Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta
*
Museo civico aufidenate
Sport
The town gained some popularity in the mid-1990s thanks to the exploits of local
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club
Castel di Sangro Calcio In 1996, Castel di Sangro was visited by
American author
Joe McGinniss who wrote ''The Miracle of Castel di Sangro'', a book about the team that made it up through 5 leagues to get to
Serie B
The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
, the second-highest league in Italian football. The club now plays at Abruzzo's
Promozione
The Promozione (, "promotion") is the sixth level in the Italian football league system. Each individual league winner within the Promozione level progresses to their closest regional league in the Eccellenza level. Depending on each league's ...
level, five levels below Serie B.
Districts
Castel di Sangro is divided into six districts:
* Civita
* Stazione
* Colle
* Codacchiola
* Ara
* Piazza
Transportation
Castel di Sangro has for years been a transit point for many people, because of its location making it the gateway into Abruzzo.
Roads
The main roads are:
* The Sangro Valley road, a highway connecting Castel di Sangro with the Val di Sangro, and then with the Adriatic Sea. The same road continues for a long stretch southward and is used by thousands of tourists who come from areas of Campania and other regions of southern Italy.
* The SS 17, a fast road connecting L'Aquila to Foggia. This road is very busy, with both local and through traffic. Its true capacity is often exceeded and it has seen a large number of accidents, some fatal. It is, however, generally well-managed, remaining open throughout the winter, despite the high altitude of the route.
* The Isernia - Castel di Sangro highway. Completed in 2011, this road halved the driving time from the Alto Molise to the Alto Sangro.
Sister city
*
Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada, in honour of the city's liberation in 1943 by the
West Nova Scotia Regiment based at Kentville.
Climate
References
External links
Official website
Castel di Sangro 1 Scout Group official website
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