Colonel William A. Phillips

Caramanico Terme is a comune and town in the province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy, situated near the confluence of the Orfento and Orta rivers, on a hilltop between the Monte Morrone and the Majella mountains.[3] It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").[4]

History

invernal view of Caramanico Terme

The town takes its name from cara, meaning rock and/or arimannia, a Lombard establishment in the late Middle Ages. Then the name Terme was added in 1960 because of the presence of a spa nearby.[5][6]

The present settlement is recorded since Lombard times. Then it underwent a remarkable development in the 14th-15th centuries, under the D'Aquino family, and in that period many important monuments were built. In 1706, an earthquake nearby destroyed the town.

Main sights

the Salle castle
  • Church of S. Maria Maggiore (15th century), with a Gothic exterior and an ogival portal with a depiction of the Coronation of the Virgin (1476). The exterior has also depictions of apostles, pilgrims and singers with 15th century musical instruments. The Assumption Chapel (17th century) has a Baroque interior.
  • Romanesque church of St. Tommaso, founded in the 13th century in honor of Thomas of Canterbury. It was built above a 9th-century pieve. It has a nave and two aisles, with different levels. The façade has a rose window and single mullioned windows, three portals and four semi-colons from a never built portico. The side portals have with floreal decorations, while the central one has a high-relief of the Twelve Apostles and Christ Enthroned (1118). The interior, with a nave and aisles divided by composite columns (right) and square columns (left). The interior houses also a Corinthian column (known as Colonna santa) which has alleged miraculous properties.
  • Archaeological Museum "P. Barrasso"
  • Museum of Abruzzo and Italy Fauna
  • Hermitage of San Giovanni all'Orfento

References

  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Caramanico Terme in the province of Pescara, Abruzzo". abruzzo2000.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Abruzzo" (in Italian). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Le Terme".
  6. ^ "Baths of Caramanico".

External links