Abruzzo summary

Learn about the history of Abruzzo region and its importance to the Roman conquest by the Normans

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Abruzzi.

Abruzzi, Italy
Countryside of the Abruzzi region, Italy, with the Adriatic Sea in the background.

Abruzzo, or Abruzzi, Region (pop., 2004 est.: 1,285,896), central Italy. Its capital is L’Aquila. Most of the region is mountainous or hilly, traversed by the Apennines. The ancient Italic tribes of the region long resisted conquest by the Romans. The Normans established themselves in the 12th century, and the region later sided with the Hohenstaufens against the papacy. As Abruzzi e Molise, the area became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1860–61; in 1965 it was divided into the separate regions of Abruzzo and Molise. The economy is primarily agricultural.

Apennine Range Summary

Apennine Range, series of mountain ranges bordered by narrow coastlands that form the physical backbone of peninsular Italy. From Cadibona Pass in the northwest, close to the Maritime Alps, they form a great arc, which extends as far as the Egadi Islands to the west of Sicily. Their total length is

Italy Summary

Italy, country of south-central Europe, occupying a peninsula that juts deep into the Mediterranean Sea. Italy comprises some of the most varied and scenic landscapes on Earth and is often described as a country shaped like a boot. At its broad top stand the Alps, which are among the world’s most