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Teramo
Our provincial capital, the antique city of Interamnia “the city between two rivers”, so called by the Romans as it is crossed by the rivers of Tordino and Vezzola, is located between the sea and the mountain, only 20 km from the adriatic coast and just 40 km from the Gran Sasso Mountain range.
The history of Teramo is an old and faschinating one and can be traced back to the Phoenicians, the founders of the “Petrut” Settlement, that is “high place enclosed by water”.As evidence to its preroman originis, there are also the large number of funerary remains, similar to those of the picene cists.
Capital of the Petrutium, Interamnia Petrutiorum achieved its maximum splendour after the roman conquest in 268 B.C., at first as a Municipium and then as a colony under the Emperors Augusto and Adriano. During this period of remarkable socioeconomic and architectural development the temples, baths, theatre and ampitheatre were built.
During the Middle ages the city suffered plunder from the Goths and Visigoths, and after it was conquered and restored by the Longobards who then joined it to the Duchy of Spoleto.
In 1234 Frederick the 2nd of Svevia divided up the Kingdom of Sicily into 9 Governances, awarding Teramo to Sulmona. These were very difficult years for the city, characterized by natural disasters, such as the disastrous earthquake in 1380,and by the brigands' incursions and by the internal struggles between the Melatini and Antonelli families contesting for power.
After the Acquaviva Seignoiry, Teramo was ruled by Francesco Sforza at first, then by Alfonso di Aragona.
From there on in and following the Spanish Civil War, Teramo came under the austrian dominion and since 1798 it was ruled by the French. In 1815 after the rebellion against Murat's power, Teramo was taken over by the Kingdom of Naples following in the footsteps of the history of Southern Italy .