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Frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) 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 consolidate territ ...

, motto = , image_skyline = Pietransieri1.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_flag = , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Abruzzo#Italy , pushpin_label_position = bottom , pushpin_mapsize = , pushpin_map_caption = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 =

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

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Abruzzo , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1 ...

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Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

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L'Aquila L'Aquila ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 70,967 inhabitants. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide vall ...

, subdivision_type3 = Commune , subdivision_name3 =

Roccaraso Roccaraso is a town and ''comune'' in central 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 t ...

, government_footnotes = , government_type = , leader_title = , leader_name = , established_title = , established_date = 975 , area_magnitude = , unit_pref = Metric , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = , area_land_km2 = , population_as_of = 2004 , population_footnotes = , population_note = , population_total = 467 , population_density_km2 = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST = CEST , utc_offset_DST = +2 , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = 1359 , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code = , blank_name = , blank_info = , website = , footnotes = , name = , population_demonym = Pietransieresi Pietransieri ( it, Pietransieri) is a

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) 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 consolidate territ ...

in the Province of

in the

Abruzzo , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1 ...

region of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It is included in the mountain community of the Alto Sangro and the Cinque Miglia plateau.

History

The village was built around 975 AD on a small rocky outcrop. The village changed its name several times (Pietra d'Anserio, Pietranziero), before the current name was adopted in the 16th century. The village was an independent municipality until 1811, when it passed to the administration of Roccaraso.

Overview

Pietransieri is situated at an altitude of 1359 meters, on a side of the Tocco mountain. It leans behind a big rocky stone (in Italian ''la Pietra''). This village is known mostly because of the Limmari Massacre during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. This massacre was committed as a retaliation by

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...

on 21 November 1943 because of the suspicion that the inhabitants were helping the partisans. 128 inhabitants were killed, including 38 children, and the corpses were left in the woods. There is an annual candlelight vigil to commemorate the victims of the massacre. In November 2018, on the 75th anniversary of the massacre, the mayor of Roccaraso, Francesco Di Donato, promoted a conference of jurists and historians about the event and also announced a project to create a Memorial Park in Pietransieri.

Honors

The village of Pietransieri was among the locations awarded the

Gold Medal of Military Valour The Gold Medal of Military Valour ( it, Medaglia d'oro al valor militare) is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers. The fac ...

for the sacrifices of its people and for its activity in the partisan struggle during the Second World War.

References

Frazioni of the Province of L'Aquila Roccaraso {{Abruzzo-geo-stub