Cerchio (AQ)
Encyclopedia
Cerchio is a comune
and town
in the Province of L'Aquila
in the Abruzzo
region of Italy
. The Church of S. Bartolomeo is mentioned in a papal bull of 1300. During the medieval period the village was held by the Colonna and Piccolomini families of Rome, who granted it to Camilla Peretti in 1591, along with the County of Celano and the Barony of Pescina. Over the centuries the Fucino plain was resubmerged, until it was drained in the mid-nineteenth century by Alessandro Torlonia, 2nd Prince di Civitella-Cesi
. Families from Cerchio then farmed the rich soils of the lake bed, working as tenant farmers, share-croppers and day-laborers under the Torlonia Administration. The town was badly damaged by the earthquake of 1915
.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
and town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Province of L'Aquila
L'Aquila
L'Aquila is a city and comune in central Italy, both the capital city of the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 73,150 inhabitants, but has a daily presence in the territory of 100,000 people for study, tertiary activities, jobs and tourism...
in the Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
region of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Geography
The village is situated on the lower slopes of Mt. Sirente, overlooking the Fucino plain. Present population is 1720, with 656 families. Patron saints of the town are S. Giovanni and S. Paolo (John and Paul).History
Local legend says that the town arose from a small group of houses constructed around a theater (circo) set up by the Romans to celebrate the inauguration of Emperor Claudius, who drained the ancient Fucine lakeFucine Lake
The Fucine Lake was a large lake in central Italy, stretching from Avezzano in the northwest to Ortuccio in the southeast, and touching Trasacco in the southwest. It was drained in 1875.-Roman drainage:...
. The Church of S. Bartolomeo is mentioned in a papal bull of 1300. During the medieval period the village was held by the Colonna and Piccolomini families of Rome, who granted it to Camilla Peretti in 1591, along with the County of Celano and the Barony of Pescina. Over the centuries the Fucino plain was resubmerged, until it was drained in the mid-nineteenth century by Alessandro Torlonia, 2nd Prince di Civitella-Cesi
Alessandro Torlonia, 2nd Prince di Civitella-Cesi
Don Alessandro Torlonia, of the House of Torlonia, was an Italian nobleman titled Duca di Ceri, Prince di Fucino. He was the second Prince of Civitella-Cesi, and the son of Giovanni Torlonia. He greatly expanded Villa Torlonia, which was started by his father....
. Families from Cerchio then farmed the rich soils of the lake bed, working as tenant farmers, share-croppers and day-laborers under the Torlonia Administration. The town was badly damaged by the earthquake of 1915
1915 Avezzano earthquake
The 1915 Avezzano earthquake or 1915 L'Aquila earthquake occurred on January 13 in southern Italy, near the city of L'Aquila. The epicenter was located in the town of Avezzano in southern Italy...
.