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ABRUZZI E MOLISE

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Originally appearing in Volume V01, Page 73 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ABRUZZI E MOLISE , a See also:

group of provinces (compartimento) of See also:Southern See also:Italy, bounded N. by the See also:province of See also:Ascoli, N.W. and W. by See also:Perugia, S.W. by See also:Rome and See also:Caserta, S. by See also:Benevento, E. by See also:Foggia and N.E. by the Adriatic See also:Sea. It comprises the provinces of See also:Teramo (See also:population in 1901, 307,444), See also:Aquila (396,629), See also:Chieti (370,907) and See also:Campobasso (366,571), which, under the See also:kingdom of See also:Naples, respectively See also:bore the names Abruzzo Uiteriore I., Abruzzo Uiteriore II., Abruzzo Citeriore (the reference being to their distance from the See also:capital) and Molise. The See also:total See also:area is 6567 sq. m. and the population (1901) 1,441,551. The See also:district is mainly mountainous in the interior, including as it does the central portion of the whole See also:system of the See also:Apennines and their culminating point, the Gran Sasso d'Italia. Towards the sea the See also:elevation is less considerable, the hills consisting mainly of somewhat unstable See also:clay and See also:sand, but the See also:zone of level ground along the See also:coast is quite inconsiderable. The coast See also:line itself, though over See also:loo See also:miles in length, has not a single See also:harbour of importance. The See also:climate varies considerably with the See also:altitude, the highest peaks being covered with See also:snow for the greater See also:part of the See also:year, while the valleys See also:running N.E. towards the sea are fertile and well watered by several small See also:rivers, the See also:chief of which are the Tronto, Vomano, See also:Pescara, Sangro, Trigno and Biferno. These are fed by less important streams, such as the Aterno and Gizio, which See also:water the valleys between the See also:main chains of the Apennines. They are liable to be suddenly swollen by rains, and floods and See also:land-slips often cause considerable damage. This danger has been increased, as elsewhere in Italy, by indiscriminate See also:timber-See also:felling on the higher mountains without See also:provision for re-afforestation, though considerable See also:oak, See also:beech, See also:elm and See also:pine forests still exist and are the See also:home of wolves, See also:wild boars and even bears. They also afford feeding-ground for large herds of See also:swine, and the hams and sausages of the Abruzzi enjoy a high reputation. The rearing of See also:cattle and See also:sheep was at one See also:time the chief occupation of the inhabitants, and many of them still drive their flocks down to the Campagna di See also:Roma for the See also:winter months and back again in the summer, but more See also:attention is now devoted to cultivation.

This flourishes especially in the valleys and in the now drained See also:

bed of the Lago See also:Fucino. The See also:industries are various, but none of them is of See also:great importance. Arms and See also:cutlery are produced at Campobasso and Agnone. At the See also:exhibition of Abruzzese See also:art, held at Chieti in 1905, See also:fine specimens of goldsmiths' See also:work of the 15th and 16th centuries, of See also:majolica of the 17th and 18th centuries, and of tapestries and laces were brought together; and the See also:reproduction of some of these is still carried on, the small See also:town of See also:Castelli being the centre of the manufacture. The See also:river Pescara and its tributary the Tirino See also:form an important source of See also:power for generating See also:electricity. The chief towns are (r) Teramo, See also:Atri, Campli, See also:Penne, Castellammare Adriatico; (2) Aquila, See also:Avezzano, See also:Celano, See also:Tagliacozzo, See also:Sulmona; (3) Chieti, See also:Lanciano, Ortona, See also:Vasto; (4) Campobasso, Agnone, Isernia. Owing to the nature of the See also:country, communications are not easy. See also:Railways are (1) the coast railway (a part of the Bologna–Gallipoli line), with branches from Giulianova to Teramo and from Termoli to Campobasso; (2) a line diverging S.E. from this at Pescara and running via Sulmona (whence there are branches via Aquila and See also:Rieti to See also:Terni, and via Carpinone to (a) Isernia and Caianello, on the line from Rome to Naples, and (b) Campobasso and Benevento), and Avezzano (whence there is a See also:branch to Roccasecca) to Rome. The name Abruzzi is conjectured to be a See also:medieval corruption of See also:Praetuttii. The district was, in Lombard times, part of the duchy of See also:Spoleto, and, under the See also:Normans, a part of that of See also:Apulia; it was first formed into a single province in 1240 by See also:Frederick II., who placed the Justiciarius Aprutii at Solmona and founded the See also:city of Aquila. After the Hohenstauffen lost their See also:Italian dominions, the Abruzzi became a province of the Angevin kingdom of Naples, to which it was of great strategic importance. The See also:division into three parts was not made until the 17th See also:century.

The Molise, on the other See also:

hand, formed part of the Lombard duchy of Benevento, and was,placed under the Justiciarius of Terra di Lavoro by Frederick II.: after various changes it became part of the Capitanata, and was only formed See also:ABSALON 73 into an See also:independent province in 1811. The See also:people are remark, ably conservative in beliefs, superstitions and traditions. See V. Bindi, Monumenti storici ed artistici degli Abruzzi (Naples, 1889); A. de Nino, Usi e costumi Abruzzesi (See also:Florence, 1879-1883).

End of Article: ABRUZZI E MOLISE

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