Pescara

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Comune di Pescara
Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Abruzzo
Province	Pescara (PE)
Mayor	Luciano D'Alfonso

Elevation	0 m
Area	33 km²
Population
- Total (as of December 31, 2004)	122,577 (300.000 in metro)
- Density	3,492/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	42°28′N, 14°12′E
Gentilic	Pescaresi
Dialing code	085
Postal code	65100

Patron	San Cetteo
- Day	October 10
Location of Pescara in Italy
Website: www.comune.pescara.it

Pescara's port in the afterglow.

Pescara is a city in central Italy, in the region of Abruzzo. The city is divided in two by the river of the same name. In 1926, Pescara, the part of the city on the south of Pescara river (in the province of Chieti), and Castellamare Adriatico, the part of the city on the north of Pescara river (in the province of Teramo) were unified in a single city, the current Pescara. The poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, who was born here, was a major sponsor for the creation of the new city.

1 History
2 Economy and culture
3 Main sights
4 Transportation
5 External links

[edit] History

Pescara's origins precede the Roman conquest. The name of both the ancient city and the river was Aternum: it was connected to Rome through the Via Claudia Valeria and the Via Tiburtina. The main building was the temple of Jovis Aternium. The city was an important port for trade with the Eastern provinces of the Empire.

In the Middle Ages it was destroyed by the Lombards (597). On that occasion the city's bishop, Cetteus (Pescara's current patron saint), was charged with fraternising with the Greek Christians (the Lombards being Arians) and thrown from the marble bridge with a stone tied to his neck.

Romantino Amicone was born there.

In 1095 Pescara was a rich city with an important series of monuments and churches. In 1140 Roger of Sicily conquered the city, giving rise to a period in which it was destroyed by armies ravaging the Kingdom of Sicily. The name of Piscaria ("abounding with fish") is mentioned for the first time in this period. Several seignors ruled over Pescara afterwards, including Rainaldo Orsini, Louis of Savoy and Francesco del Borgo, the vicar of king Ladislas, who had the fortress and the tower built.

The "Sacro Cuore" (Holy Heart) church in Pescara.

The subsequent rulers were the D'Avalos. In 1424 the famous condottiero Muzio Attendolo died here. Another adventurer, Giacomo Caldore, conquered the city in 1435 and 1439. In the following years Pescara was repeatedly attacked by the Venetians, and later, as part of the Spanish Kingdom of Naples, it was turned into a massive fortress.

In 1566 it was besieged by 105 Turk galleys. It resisted fiercely and the Ottomans only managed to ravage the surrounding territory.

At the beginning of the 18th century Pescara had some 3,000 inhabitants, half of them living in the Castellammare. In 1707 it was attacked by Austrian troops under the command of the duke of Wallis: the city, led by Giovanni Girolamo II Acquaviva, resisted for two months before capitulating.

Pescara was always part of the Kingdom of Naples, apart from the brief age of the Republic of Naples of 1798-1799. The city was therefore attacked by the pro-Bourbon Giuseppe Pronio. In 1800 Pescara fell to French troops, becoming an important military stronghold of Joseph Bonaparte's reign. Castellammare, which now had 3,000 inhabitants of its own, became a separate municipality.

In 1814, Pescara's Carboneria revolted against Joachim Murat. There, on May 15, 1815, the king undersigned one of the first constitutions of the Italian Risorgimento. In the following years Pescara became a symbol of the Bourbon's violent restoration as it housed one of the most notorious Bourbon jails. After a devastating flood in 1853, Pescara was liberated by Giuseppe Garibaldi's collaborator Clemente De Cesaris in 1860. Seven years later the fortress was dismantled.

In the following years Pescara became the largest city of Abruzzi. The new city received a hard blow during World War II and has since been massively rebuilt, becoming one of the "newest" cities in Italy.

Gabriele d'Annunzio's house was refurbished in the 1930s, and is now open to the public.

[edit] Economy and culture

Seaside of Pescara.

Pescara is the major city of its Abruzzo region, and is one of the most important economic, commercial, and tourist centers on the Adriatic coast. Featuring a shoreline that extends for more than 20 kilometers, Pescara is a large vacation spot on the Adriatic Coast. It is most popular among Italian tourists during the summer months. Situated in the sea are many breakwaters made with large rocks, placed to provide calm waters near the shore. Along its shoreline, Pescara has clubs that one may join in order to enjoy the beach; in Italian, they are called stabilimenti, which means establishments. In these clubs, there are restaurants, playgrounds, and permanent stationary umbrellas that one obtains by joining the club. There is a large shopping district with many fashion boutiques and a lively nightlife. Its university is named for Gabriele D'Annunzio (Università D'Annunzio). Between Pescara and nearby Chieti lies a major industrial district.

Between 1924 and 1961, Pescara hosted the Coppa Acerbo automobile race. Every July Pescara holds an International Jazz Festival.

Pescara was the birthplace of Gabriele D'Annunzio and Ennio Flaiano. Vittoria Colonna was the marchioness of Pescara.

Pescara has been set to host the XVI Mediterranean Games in 2009, having defeated Rijeka, Croatia and Patras, Greece for the privilege.

[edit] Main sights

Gabriele D'Annunzio's House in the Porta Nuova Section of Pescara.

The ancient center, built within the Spanish walls, holds Gabriele D'Annunzio's House, where the famous Italian poet was born. The Palazzo del Governo hosts the provincial library, with 600,000 volumes. Noteworthy is the Cathedral of St. Cetteus, with a 17th century painting of St. Francis attributed to Guercino. The Madonna dei Sette Dolori ("Madonna of Seven Pains") is from 1757 and has a Neoclassical facade.

The harbour of Pescara.

[edit] Transportation

The city is crossed by two pan-European roads:

E55 Helsingborg - Kalamáta (local name: A14)
E80 Lisbon - Gürbulak (local name: A25).

Pescara holds an airport (Aeroporto di Pescara, also known as Abruzzo International Airport), three train stations (Pescara Centrale, Pescara Porta Nuova, Pescara San Marco), and several bus lines. Pescara Centrale train station is the largest in Abruzzo, and one of the largest in the whole of Europe. There is a direct bus line to Roma Tiburtina (Rome) via Pescara Centrale (about a two and a half hour ride).