Villa Popolo is a small village 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...

, 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 central Italy. It is a 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...

of the comune

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:...

of Torricella Sicura

Torricella Sicura

Torricella Sicura is a town and comune in the province of Teramo, in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is located in the natural park known as the "Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park".-Geography:...

.

Geography

It is located next to the small community of Ioanella and about 1.5 miles from Teramo

Teramo

Teramo is a city and comune in the central Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo.The city, from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines and the Adriatic coast...

, the provincial capital.

The village of Villa Popola is divided into three small localities: Villa Torre (site of most of the residences), Popolo Alta and Popola Bassa. The last two locations are dominated by small, often economically impoverished, clusters of farmsteads.

History

Villa Popolo is famous for the Church of Saint Bartholomew containing precious fresco

Fresco

Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...

es. Historical records from the year 1267 make mention of this important parish church and interior and exterior engravings suggest that a renovation was completed the 1684. It is somewhat unusual for a church this small and isolated to have such frescoes dating back to this time period. Ceiling frieze decorations depict saints and martyrs in symbolic form. Notable is their having been painted in the style of the great Spanish cathedral in Toledo

Toledo, Spain

Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...

. They have been signed although it is not entirely clear if the names on the paintings refer to the master scenic artist or to an assistant. It goes without saying that such precious masterpieces of this genre are quite rare 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.

Festivals

Each year, during the first part of June, the "Sagra del Formaggio Fritto" (Festival of Fried Cheese) takes place. In addition to a celebration of this famous dish, other delicacies and local wines are available for tastings. Exhibitions feature the transumanza

Transumanza

The transumanza is the Italian term for transhumance, the traditional twice yearly migration of sheep and cows from the highlands to the lowlands, and vice versa. The word literally means "crossing the land"...

 (sheepherding migrations initiating in areas of Abruzzo and leading to Puglia, Lazio and other areas in more southern Italy). Various displays also depict the ancient professions of milling, cheese production, forestry, and woodworking.