Avezzano

Sister cities

• Santa María
• Belén
• Câmpulung Moldovenesc
• Ayacucho

History

There are different common etymologies for the name of the city: from "Avidianum" or "fundus Avidianus" which is derived from the noble Avidius ("Avidia gens") domiciled in the nearby ancient town of Alba Fucens; from "Ad Vettianum" which means a "to the Vettia family" ("Vettia gens") or for an unlikely hypothesis from "Ave Jane", an invocation to the Roman god Janus. The presence of hunters dates back to the palaeolithic period about 18,000 to 14,000 years ago. There are several sites that bear witness to the presence of humans in prehistoric times, as in the Cave of Ciccio Felice located just south of Avezzano. Traces of necropoleis dating to 8-5th centuries BC have emerged along the border between the Aequi and Marsi at Colle Sabulo, Cretaro-Brecciara and Valle Solegara. Avezzano was a rural area in the ager (state land) of Alba Fucens founded by Rome between 304-3 BC after the Roman conquest and colonisation of the territory of the Aequi bordering that of the Marsi. Several Roman villas have been found in the area. The remains of the so-called Villa of Avezzano of the 2nd century BC are along the ancient via Tiburtina Valeria. The grandiose remains of a Roman villa on terraces can be seen at San Pelino with an aqueduct conduit upstream of the fountain with an opening on a beautiful wall in opus isodoma. Below the spring, a long terracing wall in opus cementicium is visible, 36 m long and preserved (for the first 8 m) to a height of 4.4 m: below is a curtain (2.60 m high) of blocks, molded in steps on the edges, in polygonal work 40 cm thick in six rows surmounted by a coating of opus reticulatum up to 1.8 m. On the slopes is a terrace wall about 5 m high with masonry 70 cm thick. Other villas of considerable size are at nearby Paterno, one on terraces in…

Geography

The city is located north-west of the Fucino. It is dominated in the north by Monte Velino and west by Monte Salviano. Avezzano is considered "the city territory" of Marsica, Abruzzo sub-region that includes 37 municipalities, for a total of about 134,000 inhabitants. The city is located about 100 kilometers east of Rome, 110 km west of Pescara The Climate classification is: Zone E, 2561 GR / G.