Loreto Aprutino

Loreto Aprutino ('Lûrëtë in Abruzzese dialect) is a comune and town in the Province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. History The presence of necropoli at Colle-Fiorano and at Farina-Cardito suggest that a significant pre-Roman settlement once existed nearby the modern town. The Vestini, following their defeat by the Romans in the Social War, eventually built a town around the castellum and called it Laurentum, because of the many bay laurels (laurus) that then grew in the area. With the decline of the Romans, the area came under the control of Norman counts, and the modern town grew up around a castle and Benedictine abbey in the 11th century. In the 13th century, the d'Aquino family - Lombard nobility became lords of the town, and though there are legends that Tommaso d'Aquino once took residence in Loreto, evidence of this is obscure. In the Middle Ages many of the characteristic buildings of the city were built, with a particularly notable example being the parish church of San Pietro Apostolo. In 1863, after the unification of Italy, the adjective "Aprutino" was added to the name of the town to distinguish it from several other towns in Italy: in Ancona province, in Asti province, in Novara province, and two separate towns in Perugia province. Economy The production of olive oil and wine is a mainstay of the local economy. The most important estates include Valentini, Talamonti, Torre dei Beati. Festivals Each spring on the first Monday after Pentecost, the city celebrates the Festa di San Zopito and a parade is held. A child, dressed all in white and wearing a crown of flowers, rides a white ox that is decorated with colored ribbons on its horns and a red mantle bearing an image of San Zopito. See also Abruzzo (wine) Notes and references