Cocullo
Encyclopedia
Cocullo is a comune
and town
in the Province of L'Aquila
, located in the Abruzzo
region of Italy
. As of 2007 its population was of 285.
, between the towns of Avezzano
and Sulmona
. It is linked with them by the A25 motorway
and the Rome-Pescara railway line.
It conuts a single civil parish (frazione
), named Casale and borders with the municipalities of Anversa degli Abruzzi
, Bugnara
, Castel di Ieri
, Castelvecchio Subequo
, Goriano Sicoli
, Ortona dei Marsi
and Prezza.
town of Koukoulon, situated betwenn Cocullo village and Casale.
covered with lot of snake
s (mainly four-lined
, aesculapian
, grass
and green whip snakes). The reptiles themselves are transported in procession by local serpari, a sort of "snake breeders
", and released in the surrounding woods at the end of the holiday. The festival, set every first thursday in May, is a receptive event for Italian and foreigner tourists. In 2009 it was cancelled due to some structural damages occurred into the village after the L'Aquila earthquake
. This tradition, present also in coat of arms symbology, substituted the ancient Roman mythologic ritual
of Angitia
, a snake goddess
worshipped by the Marsi
.
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...
, located 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...
. As of 2007 its population was of 285.
Geography
The village is situated in the Peligna ValleyValle Peligna
The Valle Peligna, also known as Conca di Sulmona, is a plateau in central Abruzzo, southern Italy, included in the province of L'Aquila. It has a surface of some 100 km²....
, between the towns of Avezzano
Avezzano
Avezzano is a town and comune in the Abruzzo region, province of L'Aquila. It is the main commercial, industrial and agricultural centre of the Marsica area, with high-tech industries such as a Micron Technology semi-conductor plant, and a large Telespazio satellite farm.-History:There are two...
and Sulmona
Sulmona
thumb|150px|Celestine V's hermitage and the remains of the Shrine of Hercules Curinus.thumb|150px|Palazzo SS. Annunziata and Museo Civicothumb|150px|Church of SS...
. It is linked with them by the A25 motorway
Autostrada A25 (Italy)
The Autostrada A25 Roma–Pescara is a motorway which allows travel from Rome to Pescara in Italy. Along with the A24 it is also named the Autostrada dei Parchi . It runs through beautiful scenery from the A24 near Torano, past the Fucine Lake and Avezzano, through the Appennines and the valley of...
and the Rome-Pescara railway line.
It conuts a single civil parish (frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
), named Casale and borders with the municipalities of Anversa degli Abruzzi
Anversa degli Abruzzi
Anversa degli Abruzzi is a comune and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy-Points of interest:* Giardino Botanico Gole del Sagittario* Botanical Garden at the Sorgenti del Cavuto...
, Bugnara
Bugnara
Bugnara is a comune and village of 1,193 people in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy , an association that notes small Italian towns of strong artistic and historical interest.-Geography:Coming from the direction of the...
, Castel di Ieri
Castel di Ieri
Castel di Ieri is a comune and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy...
, Castelvecchio Subequo
Castelvecchio Subequo
Castelvecchio Subequo is a comune and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region, central Italy, at the feet on Mount Sirente.-History:...
, Goriano Sicoli
Goriano Sicoli
Goriano Sicoli is a comune and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy.Goriano is a medieval town of about 600 people...
, Ortona dei Marsi
Ortona dei Marsi
Ortona dei Marsi is a comune and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is included in the Marsica traditional area....
and Prezza.
History
The origins of Cocullo are closely related to the Ancient RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
town of Koukoulon, situated betwenn Cocullo village and Casale.
Snake Festival
Cocullo is known for his singular patron saint's holiday, named Festa dei Serpari, in which the patron saint's statue (Domenico di Sora) is transported in processionProcession
A procession is an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner.-Procession elements:...
covered with lot of snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s (mainly four-lined
Elaphe quatuorlineata
Elaphe quatuorlineata or the Four-lined Snake is Europe's largest non-venomous colubrid species.-Geographic range:It can be found in southern Europe, mostly in Italy and the Balkans from Croatia to Greece.-Description:...
, aesculapian
Aesculapian Snake
The Aesculapian Snake is a nonvenomous snake native to Europe.-Description:They hatch at around 30 cm and average at around 110 cm but can grow up to 200 cm . They are dark, long, slender, and shiny...
, grass
Grass Snake
The grass snake , sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake is a European non-venomous snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians.-Etymology:...
and green whip snakes). The reptiles themselves are transported in procession by local serpari, a sort of "snake breeders
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
", and released in the surrounding woods at the end of the holiday. The festival, set every first thursday in May, is a receptive event for Italian and foreigner tourists. In 2009 it was cancelled due to some structural damages occurred into the village after the L'Aquila earthquake
2009 L'Aquila earthquake
The 2009 L'Aquila earthquake occurred in the region of Abruzzo, in central Italy. The main shock occurred at 3:32 local time on 6 April 2009, and was rated 5.8 on the Richter scale and 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale; its epicentre was near L'Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo, which together...
. This tradition, present also in coat of arms symbology, substituted the ancient Roman mythologic ritual
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
of Angitia
Angitia
Angitia was a goddess among the Marsi, the Paeligni and other Oscan-Umbrian populations of central Italy. She was associated in antiquity as snake-charmers who claimed her as their ancestor. Roman interpretations probably obscure her Marsian significance.Her myths vary...
, a snake goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
worshipped by the Marsi
Marsi
Marsi is the Latin exonym for a people of ancient Italy, whose chief centre was Marruvium, on the eastern shore of Lake Fucinus, drained for agricultural land in the late 19th century. The area in which they lived is now called Marsica. During the Roman Republic the people of the region spoke a...
.
External links
Cocullo official website- Videos and photos of the snake festival and procession in Cocullo