Bomba (Italy) - Bomba (Italia)

Disambiguation - For toponyms of identical name, see Bomb (disambiguation).

Bomb is a center ofAbruzzo.

To know

Formerly part of the Valsangro mountain community, it is merged with the Sangro-Vastese mountain community.

Background

The first historical mention of Bomba is found in parchments now in the Archiepiscopal Curia of Chieti inherent church taxes in the twelfth century.

In 1269, Charles of Anjou donated Bomba, together with Chieti and many villages in the Sangro valley and the surrounding area, to Ranulfo di Courtenay.During the census for the focatico tax, established by Alfonso V of Aragon, they were counted in Bomba 79 fires, which amounted to about 400 inhabitants. In the sixteenth century the fires had become 121 (per 600 inhabitants approximately). Feudatory of this period was the pro-French Giovanni Maria Annechino, who subsequently lost his fief as he did not want to swear allegiance to the Spanish victors. The fief was then granted to Giovanni Genovoyx, lord of Chalem.

Later it passed to Giovan Battista Marino and from these, in 1631, to his son Vincenzo. When the latter died without heirs, the fiefdom returned to the royal state property and was first purchased by the Dominican friars of Rome and then by Giuseppe Caravita on behalf of Cardinal Carlo Pio of Savoy. Later it passed to Giuseppe's son, Nicola Caravita, and in 1699 it was bought by the Marquis Tommaso Adinari, whose family kept it until the end of feudalism. The population had dropped to 61 fires (ie about 300 inhabitants).

In 1866 Bomba had 4 deputies in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy. Electric lighting was built in 1908. At the beginning of the twentieth century, aqueducts were built for the water system.

How to orient yourself

Its municipal territory also includes the towns of Sambuceto and Vallecupa.

How to get

By plane

• Pescara airport (Abruzzo International Airport), Via Tiburtina Km 229.100, ☎ 39 085 4324201. 

By car

• Val di Sangro motorway tollbooth on the Adriatic motorway.
• It is affected by the former state road 652 at the bottom of the Sangro valley

By bus

• Bus lines managed by ARPA - Abruzzesi regional public bus lines [1]

How to get around

What see

• 42.0349514.3657861 Parish Church of Santa Maria del Popolo. The first building, erected on a cliff in a dominant position in the Sangro Valley, dates back to around 1100. No traces remain of the previous place of worship, since on commission from Don Bertrando Spaventa (parish priest of Bomba from 1741 to 1761 and uncle of the famous Silvio and Bertrando Spaventa), it was completely rebuilt around the middle of the 18th century. The side portal dates back to 1742, as evidenced by an inscription. To expand the church, the bell tower was also built into the walls, then raising it by one floor. The tombstone of the religious, placed on the counter-façade next to the main entrance, certifies that the renovation work ended in 1757.

The facade faces west, with its baroque style harmonizing with the bell tower. The interior has a Greek cross plan with an elongated apse.

The walnut choir, located in the apse, the confessionals and the pulpit are the work of Domenico De Simone of Agnone. The first, decorated with high and bas-reliefs, has three panels representing King David who makes an act of repentance (left), the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the earthly Paradise (center) and the prophet Nathan who reproaches David for having committed adultery (right). In the upper left corner of the right pane there is a Madonna with features similar to that of the altarpiece above the altar.

On the lateral sides there are several chapels, all dating back to the eighteenth century. The paintings that dominate the altars of the same are almost all attributed to Ludovico De Majo. On the right side there are the chapels of Purgatory, of the Madonna del Rosario and, after the baptistery, that of Sant'Antonio. On the left side those of San Giuseppe, San Donato (patron saint of Bomba), and San Domenico, attributed to the Neapolitan leader Cavalier Giacomo Farelli. In the chapel of San Donato there are also numerous relics.

The church is equipped with wooden and terracotta statues, mainly dating back to the 18th century, with the exception of one from the 15th century depicting San Sebastiano, probably of the Tuscan school.

The stuccos show scenes from the Old and New Testament, such as St. Michael and Lucifer, the expulsion of the merchants from the Temple, the Magdalene washing Jesus' feet, the prodigal son, the Baptism of Christ, Queen Esther begging for salvation for his people, the Samaritan woman, Zacchaeus, the adulteress. The capitals and columns are enriched with gold decorations. In the dome there are the symbols of the four evangelists with the cardinal virtues. 

• 42.03554214.3615372 Sanctuary of San Mauro Abate. The original church dates from the 12th century, while the current building was begun in 1954 on a project by Alessio Mancini and inaugurated in 1963. Some stuccos are by Reni and some works by the Bravo brothers. Above the entrance there is a mosaic rear window made depicting San Mauro with the sick. In front of the facade there is a portico. The interior has a single nave.

The cult of San Mauro is widespread in Abruzzo and is lost in the origins of Christianity; the Saint is one of the patrons of Bomba. He is invoked for arthritic pain, rheumatism and toothache.

For those suffering from arthrosis and rheumatism, an oil is offered by the monks of the sanctuary (after begging), placed on a centuries-old stone, to be applied on the painful parts on site, but this oil can also be brought home in cruets. Instead, for toothache, the faithful have to grab a rope connected to a bell, also located in the sanctuary, called San Mauro, and give it tugs by making the bell ring.

These are medieval traditions mixed with superstitions and faith; the fact is that the cult building attracts many faithful who leave votive offerings that cover the walls of the building. 

• 42.03867114.3638733 Church of Sant'Anna. It was built in 1730 by Bernardo Carlini of Casoli, as recalled by an inscription at the entrance. The interior has a single nave. On the wall behind the altar there was a painting of the Madonna with angels and a praying noble attributed to Felice Ciccarelli (16th century). In 1930 the church collapsed due to work on the nearby sewers, after the subsequent restoration the painting by Ciccarelli mysteriously disappeared. The church preserves Sant'Anna, San Francesco di Paola and the Madonna del Carmine. 
• Church of Santa Maria del Sambuco (in Sambuceto). The name of the church derives from the fact that the Madonna appeared to some faithful on an elderberry plant; therefore the faithful from 1649 began to build the church, at first a simple chapel, then gradually enlarged to its present appearance.

The first extension dates back to 1738, an era of which a holy water stoup remains. The second extension (with restoration) was in 1967. In recent times there is a new painting of the church which, however, leaves the original writings.

Main works inside, baroque and with a single nave, are a painting depicting the apparition of the Madonna of the Elder to which the church is dedicated; a statue of the Madonna; a crucifix. 

• Church of San Rocco (in Vallecupa in Valle dei Monaci). The church is of recent construction and stands on the site of a pre-existing Celestinian convent, of which some ruins remain.

The facade is Romanesque-Gothic with pilasters and rose windows that enliven the whole; at the top right it supports a small bell cell. The interior consists of a single nave with a chapel on each side. 

• Church of Sant'Antonio al Ponte (in the homonymous locality of Sant'Antonio al Ponte). It was built in 1525 by the will of Baron Antonio Annechino. The dedication to Sant'Antonio Abate is perhaps due to its location at the intersection of various branches of the tratturo. In the area there was probably a pre-existing chapel of a "hospital of Sant'Antonio a Bomba" mentioned in 1339.

The facade of the building has a crowning with a curved tympanum with a double row of Romanelle inserted into the masonry. The wooden architraved portal has a decoration in the center and two votive windows with limestone jambs and architraves. Above the entrance there is a large window with a lowered arch and a circular window-porthole. The rectangular hall is surmounted by a low frescoed dome; in the apse with a frescoed barrel vault there is the statue of Sant'Antonio da Padova. On the sides of the hall there are paintings by Francesco de Benedictis. The old priest's house, leaning against the church, is now used as a warehouse. 

• Church of San Mauro outside the walls. Built in the 13th century, it houses the tombs of the last marquises who ruled the city in the 18th century. 
• Church of Sant'Antonio Abate. 
• Museum, via Roma. Founded in 1990, the museum is spread over six rooms that reproduce the typical peasant dwelling of the area and in which the ancient tools used for millennia in the daily life of local populations are collected. 
• City walls and doors. Perhaps dating back to the 12th century. One of the doors was remodeled in the eighteenth century, while others are damaged by the passage of time or disappeared leaving only traces. An under-portico leads from the central square to the historic center: it is accessed via a round arch on whose jambs there is the inscription VB, which would indicate Universitas Bumbae. 
• Spaventa Palace. probably made in the 19th century. 
• Palazzo Scotto. made in the 18th century. 
• Nasuti Palace. it has partially frescoed vaulted ceilings. 
• Town Hall, piazza Matteotti. made in the nineteenth century. 
• Baronial palace. perhaps of sixteenth-century origin. 

Of environmental interest

• 41.99937914.3614754 Lake of Bomba. Belonging to the municipalities of Bomba, Pietraferrazzana, Colledimezzo, Villa Santa Maria, is a body of water of artificial origin; Lake Bomba was created by blocking the valley of the Sangro river by means of an earth dam with alluvial materials from the river.

The basin created upstream of the dam is 863 km² with a capacity of 64 million m³. The dam conveys water to the ACEA hydroelectric plant in the municipality of Altino, where the waters of the Aventino river also arrive, collected in the artificial reservoir of Casoli.

A destination for summer tourism as well as for fishing, on the southern shore you can enjoy a view of the Maiella; all the municipalities that insist on the lake offer tourist services such as camping, restaurants and farmhouses.

Lake Bomba is also an official rowing competition area and in 2009 the competitions of this sport were held as part of the Mediterranean Games of Pescara.

In September 2010 it was the seat of the absolute Italian canoe and kayak championships. 

Events and parties

What to do

Shopping

In its territory an excellent olive oil is produced; Bomba is part of theNational Association City of oil.

How to have fun

Where to eat

Where stay

Safety

Pharmacy

• 42.03460114.3663541 Nasuti Pharmacy, Via Spaventa, 14, ☎ 39 0872 860125. 

How to keep in touch

Post office

• 42.03559714.3659892 Italian post, piazza Matteotti 7, ☎ 39 0872 860603. 

Around

• Atessa - The inhabited area winds on the top of a relief with a crescent-shaped plan. It boasts a historic center with city walls and gates dotted with numerous ancient churches.
• Casoli - The urban center, gathered around the ducal castle and the parish church, is perched on a hill to the right of the Aventino river, at the foot of the Majella.
• Roccascalegna - Its castle, located on the top of a rocky ledge like an eagle's nest, dominates the town; the small village, made up of a few low houses, develops at the foot of the fortress.
• Torricella Peligna

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Bomba (Italy)
• Commons contains images or other files on Bomba (Italy)

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