Alfedena

Alfedena is a comune in the province of L'Aquila of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is located in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park in the upper Sangro valley, near the Monti della Meta mountain chain. Alfedena, as we know it today, was founded by the Samnites, who called it Aufidena, because of its excellent strategic view over the high Sangro valley. Alfedena was the setting of several conflicts through its history because of this location. Alfedena was a district of the superior Samnites before it was the capital town of the Carecini tribe during their first settlement near the high Saro, the ancient name of today’s Sangro river. Alfedena was then conquered by the Romans in 298 b.c., and by the Longobards during the 11th century. Many valuable works of art, such as the Ponte Achille (Achille’s bridge), dating back to the Roman age, were destroyed by German mines during the defens of the Gustav line. The Germans took away, as spoils, many ruins of the Italic necropolis of Campo Consolino located next to the village, which counted 1400 tombs on a total amount of 12.000 tombs. Part of the stolen archeological finds were returned after an accurate restoration at the Tübingen University. The archaeological excavations bear witness to the ancient presence in the area and to its historically autonomous civilization. Some ruins of Cyclopian masonry can also be seen in the districts of Civitalta, Curino, and S. Nicola, with some columns and ruins of a temple brought to life by excavations. The village boasts an ancient tradition in the crafts of stone carving. The last craftsmen made the artistic paving of the town unique to its genre. In the historical center, people can admire the octagonal castle of the Simone’s feud, Count of Sangro. References ^ All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat. http://www.abruzzocitta.it/english/comuni/alfedena.html