Pescara
Encyclopedia
Pescara is the capital city of the Province of Pescara
, in the Abruzzo
region
of Italy
. As of January 1, 2007 it was the most populated city within Abruzzo at 123,059 residents, 400,000 with the surrounding metropolitan area. Located on the Adriatic coast at the mouth of the Aterno-Pescara river, the present-day municipality was formed in 1926 joining the municiplaties of Pescara, the part of the city to the south of the river (then in the province of Chieti
), and Castellamare Adriatico, the part of the city to the north of the river (then in the province of Teramo
). The surrounding area was formed into the province of Pescara. The poet Gabriele D'Annunzio
, a native of Pescara, was a major sponsor for the creation of the new city.
The main commercial street of the city is Corso Umberto I, which runs from Piazza della Republica and reaches the seacoast at Piazza Primo Maggio. The rectangle that it forms with Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and Via Nicola Fabrizi encloses the main shopping district, where several of the best fashion shops are located. Corso Manthonè, the course of the old Pescara has, for many years, been the center of the nightlife of the city. City hall and the administration of the province are in Piazza Italia, near the river, and in the area between here and the faculties of Economics, Architecture, Foreign Languages and Literature of G. d'Annunzio University to the south, a business district has grown up over the years. To the immediate south of the mouth of the river is the marina. Pescara have also an important international airport, called Abruzzo Airport and one of the most important and major ports of Adriatic Sea
and Italy
, the Port of Pescara
.
The urban fabric of the city spreads over a flat T-shaped area, which occupies the valley around the river and the coastal strip. To the northwest and the southwest, the city is also expanding into the surrounding hills which were first occupied in the neolithic period.
The whole city is affected by the presence of groundwater, the level of which varies by up to a meter, being at its highest in spring due to snow melting in the mountains inland.
typical of Adriatic Sea
, with dry, hot summers, rainy winters and high humidity all year round. The average temperature
is around 7 °C (45 °F) in the coldest month (January) and 24.5 °C (76 °F) in the warmest month (July). The lowest temperature recorded in the city was -13 °C on January 4, 1979. The highest was registered on August 30, 2007 at 45 °C (113 °F). Precipitation
is low (around 676 mm per annum) and concentrated mainly in the late autumn.
Pescara is a coastal city but its climate is influenced by the surrounding mountains (the Maiella
and the chain of Gran Sasso
). When the wind is southwesterly, Pescara experiences a Foehn wind that often reaches 100 km/h, causing a sudden increase in temperature and decrease in relative humidity, and for that reason winters with temperatures that exceed 20 °C (68 °F) almost daily are not unknown. Under northeasterly winds Pescara suffers precipitation which is generally weak, but can be much more intense if accompanied by a depression
. Also from the north east comes winter weather from Siberia that, on average, brings abundant snowfalls every 3–4 years. In summer the weather is mostly stable and sunny with temperatures that, thanks to the sea breeze, rarely exceed 35 degrees unless a southwesterly Libeccio
is blowing. Particularly in summer, but also in winter, the high humidity leads to morning and evening mist or haze.
conquest. The name of both the ancient city and the river was Aternum
: it was connected to Rome through the Via Claudia Valeria and the Via Tiburtina
. The main building was the temple of Jovis Aternium. The city was an important port for trade with the Eastern provinces of the Empire.
In the Middle Ages
it was destroyed by the Lombards
(597). Saint Cetteus, the city's patron saint, was a bishop
of the 6th century, elected to the see of Amiternum
in Sabina (today the city of San Vittorino) in 590, during the pontificate of Gregory the Great. His legend goes that he was executed by the Lombards at Amiternum by being thrown off a bridge with a stone tied around his neck; his body floated to Pescara.
In 1095 Pescara was a rich city with an important series of monuments and churches. In 1140 Roger of Sicily conquered the city, giving rise to a period in which it was destroyed by armies ravaging the Kingdom of Sicily. The name of Piscaria ("abounding with fish") is mentioned for the first time in this period. Several seignors ruled over Pescara afterwards, including Rainaldo Orsini, Louis of Savoy and Francesco del Borgo, the vicar of king Ladislaus of Naples, who had the fortress and the tower built.
The subsequent rulers were the D'Avalos. In 1424 the famous condottiero
Muzio Attendolo
died here. Another adventurer, Jacopo Caldora
, conquered the city in 1435 and 1439. In the following years Pescara was repeatedly attacked by the Venetians, and later, as part of the Spanish Kingdom of Naples
, it was turned into a massive fortress.
In 1566 it was besieged by 105 Turk
galleys. It resisted fiercely and the Ottomans only managed to ravage the surrounding territory.
At the beginning of the 18th century Pescara had some 3,000 inhabitants, half of them living in the Castellammare. In 1707 it was attacked by Austria
n troops under the command of the duke of Wallis: the city, led by Giovanni Girolamo II Acquaviva, resisted for two months before capitulating.
Pescara was always part of the Kingdom of Naples
, apart from the brief age of the Republic of Naples of 1798–1799. The city was therefore attacked by the pro-Bourbon Giuseppe Pronio. In 1800 Pescara fell to French troops, becoming an important military stronghold of Joseph Bonaparte
's reign. Castellammare, which now had 3,000 inhabitants of its own, became a separate municipality.
In 1814, Pescara's Carboneria revolted against Joachim Murat
. There, on May 15, 1815, the king undersigned one of the first constitutions of the Italian
Risorgimento. In the following years Pescara became a symbol of the Bourbon's violent restoration as it housed one of the most notorious Bourbon jails. After a devastating flood in 1853, Pescara was liberated by Giuseppe Garibaldi
's collaborator Clemente De Caesaris in 1860. Seven years later the fortress was dismantled.
In the following years, Pescara was merged with the adjacent town of Castellammare degli Abruzzi and eventually became the largest city of its region. The new city received a hard blow during World War II
and has since been massively rebuilt, becoming a very modern coastal city of Italy.
The historic center, built within the Spanish walls, hosts the birthplace house of Gabriele D'Annunzio
, where the famous Italian poet was born in 1863. The house was refurbished in the 1930s, and is now open to the public. The Cathedral of St. Cetteus
, built between 1933 and 1938, houses a 17th century painting of Saint Francis, attributed to Guercino. The 'Madonna dei Sette Dolori' Basilica (dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows
) is a sanctuary build in 17th century on the place of several Marian apparitions. The Palazzo di Città, built in typical Fascist
style and inaugurated in 1936, is the City Hall. The Palazzo del Governo hosts the provincial library, with over 600,000 volumes. Pescara also houses the Museum of the Abruzzi people: the institution traces, towards 13 halls dedicated to the aspects of life, traditions and economy, 4,000 years of history of the Abruzzo
people.
region, and is one of the most important economic, commercial, and tourist centers on the Adriatic coast. Featuring a shoreline that extends for more than 20 kilometers, Pescara is a popular seaside resort on the Adriatic Coast during summer. Situated in the sea at a short distance from the waterline there are many breakwaters made with large rocks, that were placed to preserve the shore from water-flood erosion.
Every July Pescara holds an International Jazz Festival: Pescara Jazz
was the first Italian summer festival dedicated to jazz
music. Since 1969, it has been one of the most important jazz festivals in Europe
, as reported by the main dedicated international magazines.
Pescara was the birthplace of Gabriele D'Annunzio
and Ennio Flaiano
. Vittoria Colonna
was the marchioness of Pescara.
, is the home of the G. d'Annunzio University and houses the school of architecture, economics, foreign languages and literature and science management for a total of about 31.257 students in the 2011 http://www.ilcorrieredabruzzo.it/chieti/cronaca/9561-universita-dannunzio-in-dieci-anni-iscritti-aumentati-del-424-i-tagli-la-nota-dolente.html.
Bologna - Taranto and autostrada A25 (Italy)
Torano - Pescara.
(Aeroporto di Pescara) that connects not only the city but also the entire region with many Italian and European destinations like Barcellona-Girona, Bruxelles-Charleroi, Francoforte-Hahn, Londra-Stansted, Parigi-Beauvais, Milano-Bergamo, Cagliari, Eindhoven, Oslo-Torp, Verona, Tirana, Toronto, and Milan.
. In the summer there are ferries and hydrofoils to Croatia
run primarily by SNAV
to Split
and islands in central Dalmatia
.
, Milan
, Turin
, Bologna
, Bari
, Ancona
, Trieste
and many other cities. Other stations are less than those of Pescara Porta Nuova, Pescara Tribunale and Pescara San Marco.
) via Pescara Centrale (about a two and a half hour ride).
line that will connect the city with its strategic points like Pescara Centrale railway station and the Abruzzo International Airport
and other nearby cities.
1936, which in June 2010 was promoted to Serie B. Pescara Calcio, and which played 30 tournaments in the cadet championship, has holdings in five Serie A, especially in the eighties-nineties years.
Pescara has been set to host the XVI Mediterranean Games
in 2009, having defeated Rijeka
, Croatia
and Patras
, Greece
for the privilege.
Between 1924 and 1961, Pescara hosted the Coppa Acerbo
automobile race, which in 1957 formed the penultimate round of the Formula One World Championship.
Arcachon
, France
Miami Beach, United States
Lima
, Peru
Split
, Croatia
Casale Monferrato
, Italy
Province of Pescara
The Province of Pescara is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pescara.It has an area of 1,225 km², and a total population of 295,463 . There are 46 comunes in the province. At May 31, 2005, the main communes by population are:For a complete list, see Comunes of...
, 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
Regions of Italy
The regions of Italy are the first-level administrative divisions of the state, constituting its first NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, of which five are constitutionally given a broader amount of autonomy granted by special statutes....
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 January 1, 2007 it was the most populated city within Abruzzo at 123,059 residents, 400,000 with the surrounding metropolitan area. Located on the Adriatic coast at the mouth of the Aterno-Pescara river, the present-day municipality was formed in 1926 joining the municiplaties of Pescara, the part of the city to the south of the river (then in the province of Chieti
Province of Chieti
The Province of Chieti is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Chieti.It has an area of 2,588 km², and a total population of 381,993...
), and Castellamare Adriatico, the part of the city to the north of the river (then in the province of Teramo
Province of Teramo
The Province of Teramo is located in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Teramo. The province has an area of 1,948 km², a population of 296,063 , and is subdivided into 47 comunes , see Comunes of the Province of Teramo...
). The surrounding area was formed into the province of Pescara. The poet Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio or d'Annunzio was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist, and dramatist...
, a native of Pescara, was a major sponsor for the creation of the new city.
The main commercial street of the city is Corso Umberto I, which runs from Piazza della Republica and reaches the seacoast at Piazza Primo Maggio. The rectangle that it forms with Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and Via Nicola Fabrizi encloses the main shopping district, where several of the best fashion shops are located. Corso Manthonè, the course of the old Pescara has, for many years, been the center of the nightlife of the city. City hall and the administration of the province are in Piazza Italia, near the river, and in the area between here and the faculties of Economics, Architecture, Foreign Languages and Literature of G. d'Annunzio University to the south, a business district has grown up over the years. To the immediate south of the mouth of the river is the marina. Pescara have also an important international airport, called Abruzzo Airport and one of the most important and major ports of Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
and 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...
, the Port of Pescara
Port of Pescara
The port of Pescara is an Italian port on the Adriatic Sea at the mouth of the River Pescara in the city of Pescara. It is located at latitude 28.14 north and longitude 42 ° 14 ° 13 ', 78 East-History:...
.
Geography
Pescara is situated at sea level on the Adriatic coast and has developed from around 1600 BC onwards at the strategic position around the mouth of the Aterno-Pescara river. The coast is low and sandy and the beach extends, unbroken for some distance to both the north and the south of the river, reaching a width of approximately 140m in the area around Pineta to the north. To the south the pine forest that once gave shade to bathers along much of the Adriatic coast, has almost disappeared near the beach, but remains within the Pineta Dannunziana Provincial Nature Reserve.The urban fabric of the city spreads over a flat T-shaped area, which occupies the valley around the river and the coastal strip. To the northwest and the southwest, the city is also expanding into the surrounding hills which were first occupied in the neolithic period.
The whole city is affected by the presence of groundwater, the level of which varies by up to a meter, being at its highest in spring due to snow melting in the mountains inland.
Climate
Pescara has a Mediterranean climateMediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
typical of Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
, with dry, hot summers, rainy winters and high humidity all year round. The average temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
is around 7 °C (45 °F) in the coldest month (January) and 24.5 °C (76 °F) in the warmest month (July). The lowest temperature recorded in the city was -13 °C on January 4, 1979. The highest was registered on August 30, 2007 at 45 °C (113 °F). Precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
is low (around 676 mm per annum) and concentrated mainly in the late autumn.
Pescara is a coastal city but its climate is influenced by the surrounding mountains (the Maiella
Majella National Park
The Majella National Park is a national park located in the provinces of Chieti, Pescara and L'Aquila, in the region Abruzzo, Italy....
and the chain of Gran Sasso
Gran Sasso
Gran Sasso d'Italia is a mountain located in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. The Gran Sasso forms the centerpiece of the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park which was established in 1993 and holds the highest mountains in continental Italy south of the Alps and is part of the...
). When the wind is southwesterly, Pescara experiences a Foehn wind that often reaches 100 km/h, causing a sudden increase in temperature and decrease in relative humidity, and for that reason winters with temperatures that exceed 20 °C (68 °F) almost daily are not unknown. Under northeasterly winds Pescara suffers precipitation which is generally weak, but can be much more intense if accompanied by a depression
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
. Also from the north east comes winter weather from Siberia that, on average, brings abundant snowfalls every 3–4 years. In summer the weather is mostly stable and sunny with temperatures that, thanks to the sea breeze, rarely exceed 35 degrees unless a southwesterly Libeccio
Libeccio
The libeccio is the westerly or south-westerly wind which predominates in northern Corsica all year round; it frequently raises high seas and may give violent westerly squalls. In summer it is most persistent, but in winter it alternates with the Tramontane...
is blowing. Particularly in summer, but also in winter, the high humidity leads to morning and evening mist or haze.
History
Pescara's origins precede the 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....
conquest. The name of both the ancient city and the river was Aternum
Aternum
Aternum was a Roman town, on the site of Pescara, in Italy. Some historians refer to Aternum with the name of Ostia Aterni: in fact, the town was built at the mouth of the river Aternus. Aternum had an important role in Italian transport and it was connected to Rome through the Via Tiburtina, and...
: it was connected to Rome through the Via Claudia Valeria and the Via Tiburtina
Via Tiburtina
Via Tiburtina is an ancient road in Italy leading east-northeast from Rome to Tivoli . It was built by the Roman consul Marcus Valerius Maximus around 286 BC and later lengthened to the territories of the Marsi and the Equi, in the Abruzzo, as Via Valeria. Its total length was approximately...
. The main building was the temple of Jovis Aternium. The city was an important port for trade with the Eastern provinces of the Empire.
In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
it was destroyed by the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
(597). Saint Cetteus, the city's patron saint, was a bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the 6th century, elected to the see of Amiternum
Amiternum
Amiternum, a traditional cradle of the Sabines, is an ancient Sabine prefecture in the Abruzzo region of modern Italy at 9 km from L'Aquila. Amiternum was the birthplace of the historian Sallust .It was stormed by the Romans in 293 BC...
in Sabina (today the city of San Vittorino) in 590, during the pontificate of Gregory the Great. His legend goes that he was executed by the Lombards at Amiternum by being thrown off a bridge with a stone tied around his neck; his body floated to Pescara.
In 1095 Pescara was a rich city with an important series of monuments and churches. In 1140 Roger of Sicily conquered the city, giving rise to a period in which it was destroyed by armies ravaging the Kingdom of Sicily. The name of Piscaria ("abounding with fish") is mentioned for the first time in this period. Several seignors ruled over Pescara afterwards, including Rainaldo Orsini, Louis of Savoy and Francesco del Borgo, the vicar of king Ladislaus of Naples, who had the fortress and the tower built.
The subsequent rulers were the D'Avalos. In 1424 the famous condottiero
Condottieri
thumb|Depiction of [[Farinata degli Uberti]] by [[Andrea del Castagno]], showing a 15th century condottiero's typical attire.Condottieri were the mercenary soldier leaders of the professional, military free companies contracted by the Italian city-states and the Papacy, from the late Middle Ages...
Muzio Attendolo
Muzio Sforza
Muzio Attendolo Sforza was an Italian condottiero. Founder of the Sforza dynasty, he led a Bolognese-Florentine army at the Battle of Casalecchio.He was the father of Francesco Sforza, who ruled Milan for 16 years....
died here. Another adventurer, Jacopo Caldora
Jacopo Caldora
-Biography:Caldora was born in Castel del Giudice , into a feudatory family. He began his military career under Braccio da Montone, and, returned to his lands, expanded them by hiring mercenaries from the surrounding mountains...
, conquered the city in 1435 and 1439. In the following years Pescara was repeatedly attacked by the Venetians, and later, as part of the Spanish Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
, it was turned into a massive fortress.
In 1566 it was besieged by 105 Turk
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
galleys. It resisted fiercely and the Ottomans only managed to ravage the surrounding territory.
At the beginning of the 18th century Pescara had some 3,000 inhabitants, half of them living in the Castellammare. In 1707 it was attacked by Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n troops under the command of the duke of Wallis: the city, led by Giovanni Girolamo II Acquaviva, resisted for two months before capitulating.
Pescara was always part of the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
, apart from the brief age of the Republic of Naples of 1798–1799. The city was therefore attacked by the pro-Bourbon Giuseppe Pronio. In 1800 Pescara fell to French troops, becoming an important military stronghold of Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...
's reign. Castellammare, which now had 3,000 inhabitants of its own, became a separate municipality.
In 1814, Pescara's Carboneria revolted against Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat
Joachim-Napoléon Murat , Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815...
. There, on May 15, 1815, the king undersigned one of the first constitutions of the Italian
History of Italy
Italy, united in 1861, has significantly contributed to the political, cultural and social development of the entire Mediterranean region. Many cultures and civilizations have existed there since prehistoric times....
Risorgimento. In the following years Pescara became a symbol of the Bourbon's violent restoration as it housed one of the most notorious Bourbon jails. After a devastating flood in 1853, Pescara was liberated by Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
's collaborator Clemente De Caesaris in 1860. Seven years later the fortress was dismantled.
In the following years, Pescara was merged with the adjacent town of Castellammare degli Abruzzi and eventually became the largest city of its region. The new city received a hard blow during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and has since been massively rebuilt, becoming a very modern coastal city of Italy.
Main sights
Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio or d'Annunzio was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist, and dramatist...
, where the famous Italian poet was born in 1863. The house was refurbished in the 1930s, and is now open to the public. The Cathedral of St. Cetteus
Pescara Cathedral
Pescara Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Via D'Annunzio in the city of Pescara. The cathedral, dedicated to Saint Cetteus, patron saint of Pescara, has been the seat of the Archbishop of Pescara-Penne since the creation of the archdiocese in 1982...
, built between 1933 and 1938, houses a 17th century painting of Saint Francis, attributed to Guercino. The 'Madonna dei Sette Dolori' Basilica (dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows , the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows , and Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to sorrows in her life...
) is a sanctuary build in 17th century on the place of several Marian apparitions. The Palazzo di Città, built in typical Fascist
Fascist architecture
Rationalist-Fascist architecture was an Italian architectural style developed during the fascism regime and in particular starting from the late 1920s. It was promoted and practiced initially by the Gruppo 7 group, whose architects included Luigi Figini, Guido Frette, Sebastiano Larco, Gino...
style and inaugurated in 1936, is the City Hall. The Palazzo del Governo hosts the provincial library, with over 600,000 volumes. Pescara also houses the Museum of the Abruzzi people: the institution traces, towards 13 halls dedicated to the aspects of life, traditions and economy, 4,000 years of history of 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...
people.
Economy and culture
Pescara is the major city of its AbruzzoAbruzzo
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, and is one of the most important economic, commercial, and tourist centers on the Adriatic coast. Featuring a shoreline that extends for more than 20 kilometers, Pescara is a popular seaside resort on the Adriatic Coast during summer. Situated in the sea at a short distance from the waterline there are many breakwaters made with large rocks, that were placed to preserve the shore from water-flood erosion.
Every July Pescara holds an International Jazz Festival: Pescara Jazz
Pescara Jazz
Pescara Jazz is the name of an international jazz festival that takes place every year in July at Pescara, Italy.When it started in 1969 it was the first Italian summer festival dedicated to jazz music, and it is one of the most important in Europe. In 2009 the 37th edition of the festival to place...
was the first Italian summer festival dedicated to jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music. Since 1969, it has been one of the most important jazz festivals in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, as reported by the main dedicated international magazines.
Pescara was the birthplace of Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio or d'Annunzio was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist, and dramatist...
and Ennio Flaiano
Ennio Flaiano
Ennio Flaiano , was an Italian screenwriter, playwright, novelist, journalist and drama critic...
. Vittoria Colonna
Vittoria Colonna
Vittoria Colonna , marchioness of Pescara, was an Italian noblewoman and poet.-Biography:The daughter of Fabrizio Colonna, grand constable of the kingdom of Naples, and of Agnese da Montefeltro, Vittoria Colonna was born at Marinoa fief of the Colonna family in the Alban Hills near Rome.Betrothed...
was the marchioness of Pescara.
University
Pescara with ChietiChieti
Chieti is a city and comune in Central Italy, 200 km northeast of Rome. It is the capital of the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region...
, is the home of the G. d'Annunzio University and houses the school of architecture, economics, foreign languages and literature and science management for a total of about 31.257 students in the 2011 http://www.ilcorrieredabruzzo.it/chieti/cronaca/9561-universita-dannunzio-in-dieci-anni-iscritti-aumentati-del-424-i-tagli-la-nota-dolente.html.
Transportation
As regards public transport Pescara has a wide assortment of services, the city benefits from it a very favorable position with regard to roads.Motorways
The city is crossed by two pan-European roads, autostrada A14 (Italy)Autostrada A14 (Italy)
The Autostrada A14, called also Autostrada Adriatica, is a motorway which connects the town of Bologna to the town of Taranto. For most of its route if follows the Adriatic Sea coast of the Italian peninsula...
Bologna - Taranto and autostrada A25 (Italy)
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...
Torano - Pescara.
Airport
Pescara is served from an airport international called Abruzzo International AirportAbruzzo International Airport
-Mail flights:-Charter flights:-Statistics:-External links:*...
(Aeroporto di Pescara) that connects not only the city but also the entire region with many Italian and European destinations like Barcellona-Girona, Bruxelles-Charleroi, Francoforte-Hahn, Londra-Stansted, Parigi-Beauvais, Milano-Bergamo, Cagliari, Eindhoven, Oslo-Torp, Verona, Tirana, Toronto, and Milan.
Port
Pescara also has a port: Port of PescaraPort of Pescara
The port of Pescara is an Italian port on the Adriatic Sea at the mouth of the River Pescara in the city of Pescara. It is located at latitude 28.14 north and longitude 42 ° 14 ° 13 ', 78 East-History:...
. In the summer there are ferries and hydrofoils to Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
run primarily by SNAV
SNAV
SNAV is an Italian company that operates ferry services from Italy to Sardinia, Croatia and Sicily.- Routes :SNAV operates a large network of routes across the Mediterranean and Adriatic....
to Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
and islands in central Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
.
Rail
The city also has a train station Pescara Centrale railway station which is the largest in Abruzzo and one of the largest in the whole of Europe, connecting it with the most important Italian cities like RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
, Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
and many other cities. Other stations are less than those of Pescara Porta Nuova, Pescara Tribunale and Pescara San Marco.
Bus
Pescara is served from several bus lines (operated by GTM, Gestioni Trasporti Metropolitani) and Arpa (Autolinee regionali pubbliche abruzzesi). There is a direct bus line to Roma Tiburtina (RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
) via Pescara Centrale (about a two and a half hour ride).
Trolleybus
It is building a trolleybusTrolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
line that will connect the city with its strategic points like Pescara Centrale railway station and the Abruzzo International Airport
Abruzzo International Airport
-Mail flights:-Charter flights:-Statistics:-External links:*...
and other nearby cities.
Sports
The city has a football team, Pescara CalcioPescara Calcio
Delfino Pescara 1936 is an Italian football club based in Pescara, Abruzzo.The club was formed in 1936 and currently plays in Italian Serie B. Pescara has competed in 5 seasons in Serie A...
1936, which in June 2010 was promoted to Serie B. Pescara Calcio, and which played 30 tournaments in the cadet championship, has holdings in five Serie A, especially in the eighties-nineties years.
Pescara has been set to host the XVI Mediterranean Games
Mediterranean Games
The Mediterranean Games are a multi-sport games held every four years, mainly for nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea, where Europe, Africa and Asia meet. The idea was proposed at the 1948 Summer Olympics by Muhammed Taher Pasha, chairman of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, and they were first...
in 2009, having defeated Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
for the privilege.
Between 1924 and 1961, Pescara hosted the Coppa Acerbo
Coppa Acerbo
The Coppa Acerbo was an automobile race held in Italy, named after Tito Acerbo, the brother of Giacomo Acerbo, a prominent fascist politician. Following Italy's defeat in World War II, and the consequent demise of fascism, the race was renamed the Circuito di Pescara, and in some years was also...
automobile race, which in 1957 formed the penultimate round of the Formula One World Championship.
People born in Pescara
- Giada ColagrandeGiada ColagrandeGiada Colagrande is an Italian film director and actress.Colagrande was born in Pescara, Abruzzo.She studied in Italy, Switzerland and Australia, and in 1995 she moved to Rome where she began making videoart and documentaries on the work of contemporary artists.From 1997 to 2000 she joined the art...
, actress and movie director. - Gabriele D'AnnunzioGabriele D'AnnunzioGabriele D'Annunzio or d'Annunzio was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist, and dramatist...
, poetPoetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, novelist and politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. - Giovanni De BenedictisGiovanni De BenedictisGiovanni De Benedictis is a retired Italian race walker.-Achievements:-References:...
, retired race walkerRace walkingRacewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance athletic event. Although it is a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times...
. - Ennio FlaianoEnnio FlaianoEnnio Flaiano , was an Italian screenwriter, playwright, novelist, journalist and drama critic...
, screenwriterScreenwriterScreenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, novelist, journalist. - Floria SigismondiFloria SigismondiFloria Sigismondi is an Italian, naturalised Canadian, photographer and director.Apart from her art exhibitions, she is best known for writing and directing The Runaways, starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning...
, Canadian photographer and directorMusic video directorA music video director is driven by a given music track. These are called music videos and are then used as promotional tools for popular music singles...
. - Jarno TrulliJarno TrulliJarno Trulli is an Italian Formula One racing driver. He has been a regular in Formula One since 1997, driving for Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault and Toyota. He won the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix for Renault, his only Grand Prix victory to date. He is known for being a qualification expert...
, Formula OneFormula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
driver, currently racing for Lotus F1 Racing. - Ildebrando D'ArcangeloIldebrando D'ArcangeloIldebrando D'Arcangelo is an Italian bass-baritone opera singer.-Biography:A Native of Pescara, Abruzzo, D'Arcangelo began his studies in 1985 at the conservatory of Luisa D'Annunzio in Pescara, under Maria Vittoria Romano, honing his skills under Paride Venturi in Bologna.From 1989 to 1991 he...
, opera singer. - Vitantonio LiuzziVitantonio LiuzziVitantonio "Tonio" Liuzzi is an Italian race driver who is currently racing in Formula One for the HRT F1 Team. He has homes in Lugano, Switzerland and Pescara, Italy.-Karting:...
, F1 driver - Maria Pellegrini, opera singer living in Canada.
Twin towns
Pescara is a sister city with:Arcachon
Arcachon
Arcachon is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France.It is a popular bathing location on the Atlantic coast southwest of Bordeaux in the Landes forest...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Miami Beach, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
Casale Monferrato
Casale Monferrato
Casale Monferrato, population 36,058, is a town and comune in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy, part of the province of Alessandria. It is situated about 60 km east of Turin on the right bank of the Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montferrato hills. Beyond the river lies the...
, 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...