Taranta Peligna

Taranta Peligna
Comune
Comune di Taranta Peligna
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Coordinates: 42°01′N 14°10′E / 42.017°N 14.167°E / 42.017; 14.167Coordinates: 42°01′N 14°10′E / 42.017°N 14.167°E / 42.017; 14.167
Country	Italy
Region	Abruzzo
Province	Chieti (CH)
Frazioni	Ortole
Government
• Mayor	Marcello Di Martino (since June 2009)
Area [1]
• Total	21 km2 (8 sq mi)
Elevation	460 m (1,510 ft)
Population  (2004)[2]
• Total	500
• Density	24/km2 (62/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Tarantolesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	66018
Dialing code	0872
Patron saint	St. Ubaldo
Website	Official website

Taranta Peligna (Abruzzese: La Taranta) is a comune and town in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is 57 kilometres (35 mi) from Chieti, and it has a population of 521.

Located in the Aventino Valley, at the foot of the Maiella, in the past it was famous for its industry of woolen cloth called "taranta", a still thriving activity.^[3]

History[]

Taranta Peligna is already inhabited by prehistory as evidenced by the discovery of an axe of bronze from the first half of 2nd millennium BC In the 11th century it was a fief of the Counts of Sangro, if in 1065 Count Borrello son of Borrello and his son Borrello Infante donated to Bishop Attone, then Lord of Chieti, the Church of San Pietro di Taranta (now gone).^[4] In 12th century she was mentioned as Tarantam when she was a fief of a soldier run by the sub feudal lord of , count of Manoppello,^[5] while in the 13th century it was owned by Berardo of Acciano and Henry of Portella, instead, in 1316 Niccolò di Acciano owned half of the town, then bought a sixth part from and , then, in the fifteenth century the municipality was a fief of and in the 18th century it was . Meanwhile, over the years^{[clarification needed]} the country is mentioned in some tenths due to some clericals and churches,^[6] while, in 1568 a tombstone with an epigraph in Latin is found. Later, in 1943, during World War II the country was almost completely destroyed by the Germans, this will cause serious emigration.^[7] In fact, general Albert Kesselring, in the tactic of "scorched earth", ordered the population to leave the country on October 26, 1943, being Taranta in the Gustav Line. The same happened with the neighbor Lettopalena. During the Allied bombing, the entire church of San Biagio was blown up.

Geography[]

Taranta Peligna rises in the valley of the upper aventine river, on the slopes of the eastern Majella . The urban center initially arose on Le Ripe of the river, and then expanded in a more open position on the debris conoid of the valley. In the territory there are the river oasis of the Acquevive and la luggett, remains of a duct carved into the living rock.

Natural disasters[]

Several earthquakes struck the country, including one the which claimed 100 lives; ; another in 1933 when the church of San Biagio became dangerous and, finally, one the 1984. In addition, in 1929 there was a flood of the Aventine, when the river destroyed many houses and redesigned the path of the river itself.

Church of Our Lady of Carmine[]

Veduta dalla strada statale del sacrario militare della Brigata Maiella

The small church, built in the nineteenth century, but extensively redone in the twentieth century, is raised on the granite rock of the Rocchetta. Recently restored by Dr. Giuseppe Recchione whose family has always been very devoted to Our Lady of Carmine. The church is located from the eastern part of Via Duca degli Abruzzi, it is an exposed mountain stone temple, with a rectangular system with a hut ceiling and sloping roof, simple façade with a small sloping narthion, and sail bell tower.

Church of Our Lady of Graces[]

Disappeared due to the war^[which?], it was located in the district of San Biagio, it was little more than a rural chapel.

Military Shrine of the Maiella Brigade[]

On a rocky outcrop stretched like a balcony over the village, stands the cappelletta dedicated to the 55 fallen of the Majella Brigade, a unique partisan formation that has been awarded a gold medal for military valor despite not being a military formation.

It was symbolically erected overhanging the rock of the Majella, along the road that leads from Lama dei Peligni to Palena, to signify the fortress and tenacity of the Abruzzo partisans, in guerrilla operations on the mountain heights. The shrine was built a few years after the end of the war in 1945, consisting of a chapel in the shape of a hut, in regular, very modest stone councils, with above the lintel of the portal the tombstone with the inscription "Honor to the fallen" and the official coat of arms of the Brigade. The interior preserves the tombstones with photographs of the main Brigadiers who died during the liberation operations of the territory of Sangro-Aventino. The shrine is preceded by a path on foot along the rock face, where the main stages are carved, from Casoli to Brisighello in Veneto, conquered by the patriots of Ettore Troilo, this path is called "della Liberazione", until reaching the square of the shrine, m where there are commemorative tombstones that recall the visits of honourable and presidents of the Republic , of which we remember Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (2001-2003-2005), strongly linked to the territory of Abruzzo, since it was housed by exiles in a palace in Scanno (AQ), then Luigi Einaudi, also displaced him in Abruzzo, and recently, on the special visit of April 25, 2018, the president Sergio Mattarella, who also visited Casoli, and the Museum of Memory set up in the ducal castle.

The patriotic formation, born in Casoli in December 1943, worked for the Resistance in Abruzzo and throughout the advance of liberation, up to Bologna and Asiago. The break-up took place in Brisighella on July 15, 1945.

Economy[]

Tourism[]

Taranta Valley[]

The Tagliata, the ancient name of the Taranta Valley, is a grandiose rift that deeply affects the eastern side of the Majella for over seven kilometers. It originates at the Sella del Macellaro (2646 m), a small depression located between Mount Macellaro and the Canosa cave. The valley offers a natural environment that includes karst phenomena, botanical rarities and particular fauna. There are numerous cavities such as the Donkey Cave, the Bove cave and the Cavallone tourist cave, reachable by a cable car system. Very popular in summer is an ideal place for hiking, the Macchia di Taranta hut (1703 m) facilitates excursions to the Colle d'Acquaviva (2200 m), Mount Macellaro (2646 m), the Stincone Altar (2426 m) and the farthest Mount Amaro (2793 m), the second highest peak in the Apennines.

Cavallone Cave[]

Ingresso della grotta del Cavallone

The Grotta del Cavallone opens onto the overhang of the rock face located on the left side of the Taranta Valley at an altitude of 1475 and extends over 1400 meters. Rich in concreal formations, it offers visions of great suggestion. From the base the opening is similar to a large bird's nest; it actually strikes the grandeur and grandeur of the entrance on the fantastic wall. The cave consists of a series of conduits and concrectioned rooms, equipped for the tourist visit for about 800 meters, whose topography is largely regulated on characters of the Dannunzian tragedy and more or less happy similarities. It is also called Grotta della figlia di Iorio because Francesco Paolo Michetti, she took inspiration from the entrance cave for the scenery of the second act of the Dannunzian tragedy that was staged at the Teatro lirico in Milan on March 4, 1904; and in the wake of the success arriso at the work of the vate, the cave recalled numerous visitors and scholars, many of whom described it in imaginative terms and rich in inspired metaphors.

Canosa Cave[]

The cavity is a shelter under rock at an altitude of 2604, between the valley of Femmina Morta and the Cannella valley, clearly visible from afar and a point of convergence of some itineraries for Mount Amaro. The common finitimes of Taranta Peligna, Lama dei Peligni and Pacentro chose it as the boundary term of their respective territories.

Events[]

^[8]

• February 3; Saint Blaise, on February 1 the centuries-old rite of "panicelle" is renewed.
• End of April; The , since 2001 is the re-enactment march of the path: Sulmona-Campo di Giove-Ford of Coccia-Taranta Peligna-Casoli that crossed the Gustav Line through the Majella, in the years of the German occupation, and reached the land liberated by the Allies.
• May 16: Patronal feast of
• July 1–2: Feast of Our Lady of the Valley
• August: Taranteno, a competition that compares the judgment of the evaluators in grass with that of international experts in judging wines of small and niche productions.
• August 16: Feast of San Rocco

See also[]

• Grotta del Cavallone

References[]