San Pietro Avellana

San Pietro Avellana is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region of Molise, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) northwest of Campobasso and some 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Isernia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 630 and an area of 45.0 square kilometres (17.4 sq mi). In local dialect, or dialetto sampietrese, Saint Amico is called Sand'Amig. History The town was originally a religious settlement, Volana, named in honor of Saint Peter. The patron saint of San Pietro Avellana is Sant' Amico (Saint Amico/Saint Friend), a saint whose remains rest on hillside in the woods, overlooking the village where he worked. The shrine of Sant'Amico is referred to as Il Bosco di Sant'Amico. He was an Italian monk who worked in the Apennine region of Southcentral Italy (al confine coll'Abruzzo e Molise), known for the story of a wolf who slayed a donkey and was cursed, forced to serve Sant'Amico as a ciuccio for the rest of his life, carrying chopped wood from the church to the monastery. The municipality of San Pietro Avellana contains the frazione (subdivision) Masserie di Cristo. San Pietro Avellana borders municipalities Ateleta, Capracotta, Castel del Giudice, Castel di Sangro, Roccaraso and Vastogirardi. Many descendants of the original San Pietro Avellana, a village with a population well over 2,000, live in the Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Youngstown areas in the United States. They have spread out all across the globe, from Rock Springs, Wyoming, to Argentina, to northern New Jersey, and back to northern Italy's Industrial Triangle. Sport San Pietro Avellana has a soccer team called "ASD San Pietro Avellana." Population change References ^ All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat. ^ [1] External links www.comune.sanpietroavellana.is.it/ St Amico Website