| Pens | ||
 | ||
Coat of arms  | ||
| State | Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Abruzzo | |
| Territory | Vestina | |
| Altitude | 438 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 91.20 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 12.267 (2015) | |
| Name inhabitants | Pennesi | |
| Prefix tel | 39 085 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 65017 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
| Patron | San Massimo (May 7) | |
Position
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| Institutional website | ||
Pens is a city ofAbruzzo.
To know
It is the main center of the Vestina mountain community of which it has hosted the headquarters for many years. The use of brick, present in all buildings and in the remains of some flooring, has earned it the title of "City of bricks". In 2006 she was awarded the Silver Medal of Civil Merit for the suffering, destruction and victims caused by the last world conflict. Since 2012 it has been one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
Geographical notes
Penne is one of the most important centers in the area Vestina, an area that perpetuates the memory of the ancient people of Vestini who developed their civilization here before the advent of Rome. The town is located at an equal distance between the Adriatic Sea and the Gran Sasso of Italy; it looks like the natural gateway to the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park through the “Lago di Penne” Nature Reserve. In a hilly position between the valleys of the Tavo and Fino rivers, it is 31 km from Pescara , 35 from Chieti, 67 from Teramo, 7 from Loreto Aprutino, 30 from Atri.
Background
A pre-Roman city, Penne rises in an area whose frequentation by man dates back to at least the Middle Neolithic; it was the ancient capital of the Italic population of the Vestini, and known to the Romans as Pinna Vestinorum. It is mentioned in the texts of Silio Italico, Plinio, Tolomeo, Vitruvio, Valerio Massimo, Frontino and Paolo Diacono. During the civil war it was destroyed by Silla.
Charlemagne declared it the capital of the province and subjected it to the power of the Bishop. Roger II declared it a royal city. Granted with the title of duchy in 1522 by Charles V to Alessandro de 'Medici, it then passed in 1539 to the patrimony of Margherita of Austria who married Ottavio Farnese, remaining in the domain of the Farnese family and later of the Bourbon family of Naples. to the Kingdom of Naples (which later became the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1816), it was the capital of the District until 1837. It ceased to be as a punishment by the Bourbon Government due to the Risorgimento riots that occurred in that year, in which eight of the insurgents were shot in Teramo. Penne erected the monument in Piazza XX Settembre in their memory. The city then became the administrative district capital in the province of Teramo until 1926.
A branch of the Aliprandi family, originally from Milan, moved to Abruzzo with Giovanni who, as butler and personal confidant of Margherita of Austria, followed her around 1575. Giovanni's son, Odoardo, settled in Penne after having received awards and privileges from Philip II, king of Spain. In 1670, Antonio, son of Odoardo, took possession of the fief of Nocciano. The Aliprandis died out in 1910 with the death of the baron and parliamentarian Diego.
On January 24, 1944, it suffered an Allied bombing that seriously damaged the Cathedral, the hospital and destroyed the municipal theater and other civil buildings. Starting from the sixties, in the underlying basin of the Tavo river, an artificial dam was created, giving rise to Lake Penne, inside which a renowned naturalistic oasis was created.
How to orient yourself
Penne (Italy): full screen map.The urban structure of Penne is divided into four hills: Colle Sacro, Colle Romano, Colle Castello and Colle Cappuccio. They are represented on the municipal coat of arms by as many towers dominated on the right and, on the left, by two wings. The current city system is characterized, above all, by the building imprint of the medieval period, with narrow streets, alleys and houses characterized by the use of exposed brick.
Neighborhoods
There are numerous inhabited centers in its municipal area: Baricelle, Casale, Collalto, Colle d'Omero, Colle Formica, Colle Maggio, Colle San Giovanni, Colle Sant'Angelo, Colle Stella, Colletrotta, Conaprato, Mallo, Pagliari, Ponte Sant ' Antonio, Porta Caldaia, Roccafinadamo, San Pellegrino, Serpacchio, Teto and Villa Degna.
How to get
By plane
- Pescara airport (Abruzzo International Airport), Via Tiburtina Km 229.100, ☎ 39 085 4324201.
By car
It is crossed by the highway 81 Teramo - Chieti
Provincial road 151 Penne - Montesilvano
It is crossed by the highway 81 
Provincial road 151 Penne - By bus
Bus lines managed by ARPA - Abruzzesi regional public bus lines [1]
Bus lines managed by ARPA - Abruzzesi regional public bus lines How to get around
What see
- 1 Cathedral of San Massimo Levita, Piazza del Duomo. It is the co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Pescara-Penne. Documentary and archaeological sources have made it possible to attest to the existence of several churches prior to the year one thousand, whose origin is perhaps to be placed an ancient pagan temple from the Roman era. The church is attested for the first time in 868, when the relics of St. Maximus, to whom the church has been dedicated since that time, were moved to the building (the one that today corresponds to the crypt dating back to the 10th-11th century). It was then rebuilt in the Romanesque style in the 12th century, in the Gothic style in the 13th century, and restored in the Baroque style in the 17th century. Damaged during the Second World War, it underwent profound restorations in the façade (rebuilt), in the transept and in the apses; following these interventions it has almost totally lost all traces of its medieval layout, with the exception of the crypt.
- The terracotta façade was rebuilt after the war, while original elements are represented by the portal and the rose window (13th century). The low and massive bell tower dates back to the 14th century. Another Renaissance portal dates back to 1574 and opens on the right side.
- The interior of the cathedral has three naves divided by pillars on which half-columns rest, with a trussed ceiling. The presbytery area is raised due to the presence of the crypt. This consists of five small naves consisting of two pillars and two columns, which end with three apses. The style in which the pillars, columns and capitals are built and the material used date the crypt to the 10th-11th century. Important works are preserved in the crypt and in the church, such as:
- -a wooden crucifix of the fourteenth century with the arms detached from the cross;
- -the main altar, dating back to 1180-1190, with a frontal decorated with carving
- - fragments of a presbytery enclosure, decorated with animal figures (11th century)
- Other works of local history and archeology are kept in the adjacent bishop's palace which houses the diocesan civic museum.
- 2 Diocesan Civic Museum. Founded in 1978, it is housed in rooms annexed to the crypt of the cathedral of Penne (entrance and courtyard, crypt, silver room, art gallery, codex room and bishop's vestments room), specially restored.
- The materials on display include paintings from the late 13th to the 18th century, sculptures from the 12th to the 18th century, precious liturgical objects from the 14th to the 19th century, codices from the 14th to the 18th century and bishop's vestments from the 16th-18th centuries.
- Particular mention should be made of the head of a statue from the Roman era, a Christ deposed of the Master of Tivoli (13th-14th century), a Madonna with Child and Saint it's a Crucifixion attributed to the Master of Offida (14th century), a Madonna del Latte attributed to the workshop of Arnolfo di Cambio (14th century), the altarpiece by Saint John by the painter Samberlotti di Montorio (dated 1617), St. John writes the Apocalypse by Battista Gamba (18th century), and a series of portraits of ladies and knights of Malta from Penne (16th-18th century). The tour itinerary includes the crypt of the cathedral with a frescoed vault from the 14th-15th century.
- 3 Church of the Holy Cross (Formerly of Sant'Erasmo). It has a facade with the symbols of the Passion installed by the Passionists in the nineteenth century.
- 4 Church of Santa Chiara. Built in 1600 next to the primitive church of Santo Spirito, it has a Greek cross plan. Completely renovated in 1702, it shows in the dome a fresco by Domiziano Vallarola from Pennese. The convent of the Poor Clares was entirely incorporated by the "San Massimo" Civil Hospital in 1912.
- 5 Church of San Ciro. Built in the second half of the eighteenth century, it was restored in 1843 by the priest Quintangeli. Passed to the nuns of the Holy Family in the early twentieth century.
- Collegiate Church of San Giovanni Evangelista. Documented since 1324, the main portal dates from 1604, the lateral one from 1594. The Renaissance bell tower is in Lombard style.
- Church of Sant'Antonio di Padova. It is the noble chapel of the Aliprandi family dating back to 1648. It has a diamond-tipped stone portal.
- 6 Church of San Domenico. The facade has a portal from 1667 and one Madonna with Child in stone from the 1400s. The interior is in Baroque style with a 17th century walnut choir and an 18th century organ. In the side altars it shows some canvases by the Ragazzini brothers and remains of Giottesque frescoes. The seventeenth-century church is annexed to the church Cappellone del Rosario with sumptuous ceiling. The cloister was built in 1330. Above the entrance portal there is a statue of San Biagio by Matteo De Capro. It houses a civic lapidary.
- 7 Church of SS. Annunziata. The church has Romanesque origins, while the interior is baroque. Of great importance is the façade, from 1801, defined as one of the most beautiful pages of the Abruzzo Baroque. Bell tower by the engineer F. Dottorelli.
- Church of San Giovanni Battista. It is a temple of the Order of the Knights of Malta, with a central plan. The façade dates back to 1701. It still has stuccoes by the Piazzola. The Dames of Malta had their seat in the adjacent former convent.
- 8 Church of Sant'Agostino. The church houses the fourteenth-century fresco of the Crucifixion. The bell tower, built in the fifteenth century in Atrian style, has a valuable polychrome decoration in majolica. Adjacent to the church is the Oratory of the Madonna della Cintura.
- 9 Church of Santa Maria del Carmine (Madonna del Carmine). The façade was made by Aniello Francia from Pennese. The Carmelite convent is annexed to it, which until 1979 was used as a district prison.
- Convent of Santa Maria in Colleromano. Born as a Cistercian stronghold in 1197, the convent stands on the Roman Hill. Of particular interest are the stone portal, the picture gallery and the library, equipped with precious codes.
- Convent of the Nativity of Holy Mary. The monastic complex of the Capuchin Friars is located on Colle Cappuccio, just outside the town of Penne. The church has a tabernacle, a high altar and other wooden ornaments of exquisite workmanship.
- Porta San Francesco. Rebuilt in 1780 to a design by the architect Di Sio, on the pediment it houses the half-length statue of San Massimo, patron saint of the city. Together with the surrounding buildings, it constitutes the monumental entrance to the village.
- Door da Capo (Porta di Santa Croce or Porta Teramo). The ogival stone arch contained in the court is medieval. On its right there is a stone dated 1523.
- Gate of the Ringa. It is the ancient gate of the Arengo, rebuilt in 1832 by Baron Diego Aliprandi.
- Door of the Ashlars (Porta dei Ferrari or Portella). It has an ogival stone arch from the 14th century.
- 10 De Dura Palace. It shows an exposed brick Renaissance facade.
- 11 Scorpio Palace. It was the home of Margarita of Austria, Duchess of Penne. The courtyard is brick Renaissance style, with cubic columns and capitals
- 12 Stefanucci Palace. Seat of the Stefanuccis originally from Florence, then inhabited by the De Torres, it has a 17th-century facade and portal. In the nineteenth century a wing was inhabited by the Dottorelli.
- 13 Palace of the executioner. In 1400 it was the seat of the executioner of Abruzzo Ultra. The Renaissance building has a fine terracotta facade. The string course is the element of relationship with the crenellated crowning, today modified by a subsequent covering.
- Aliprandi Palace, via dei Martiri Pennesi. The imposing 17th century building has a stone portal on via dei Martiri Pennesi dated 1773 by De Cicco.
- Palace of Teseo Castiglione. It is the result of the renovation of a medieval building designed by the architect Di Sio in 1766. The baroque façade has two orders of loggias and a majolica clock from 1770 by Antonio Papa.
- Medieval courtyard, alley of Remittances. An example of local architecture, the courtyard is built on two rows of columns with cubic capitals.
Events and parties
What to do
- 1 Sports activities and excursions (Lake of Penne). The nearby Lake of Penne offers the possibility of practicing sporting activities as well as hiking around its shores and in its woods with equipped paths.
Shopping
How to have fun
Where to eat
Average prices
- 1 Bar Pizzeria San Francesco, Largo S. Francesco, 21, ☎ 39 085 8210122.
- 2 Antica Trattoria Del Lago (in Colle Formica), ☎ 39 085 8270132. On the lake of Penne
- 3 Il Parco Restaurant, Contrada Sant'Antonio, 8, ☎ 39 085 827 9490.
Where stay
Moderate prices
- Lapiss (Youth hostel), Contrada Collalto, 40, ☎ 39 085 8279489.
Average prices
Bed and Breakfast
- 1 By Giansante, Via del Carmine, 11, ☎ 39 085 8270775. Near the lake of Penne
- Ancient Borgo, Ascent of the Gardens, 37, ☎ 39 085 8289652.
- Bettina, Corso Alessandrini, 29, ☎ 39 085 8278818, 39 389 4388265, fax: 39 085 9152832.
- By Giansante, Contrada Carmine, 11, ☎ 39 085 8270775, fax: 39 085 8270775.
Farmhouses
- Cignale, Contrada Cignale, ☎ 39 085 8210113, fax: 39 085 8210113.
- Of the Castles, Via Collalto, 25, ☎ 39 085 8215107.
- La Pietra Farm, Contrada Pagliaporci, 1, ☎ 39 085 8285194, 39 347 8127447.
Safety
Pharmacies
- 1 Barlaam, Luca da Penne square, ☎ 39 085 8279654.
- 2 Bianchini Giancarlo, Corso Alessandrini, 1, ☎ 39 085 8279543.
- 3 San Massimo, Via Ringa, 6, ☎ 39 085 8279627.
How to keep in touch
Post office
- 4 Italian post, via Aldo Moro 110, ☎ 39 085 8216531, fax: 39 085 8210961.
Around
Useful information
- Tourist Office, ☎ 39 085 82167219, 39 085 82167220, 39 085 82167221.
Mon-Fri 9: 30-12: 30; pom. Tue and Thu 15: 00-18: 00.
Mon-Fri 9: 30-12: 30; pom. Tue and Thu 15: 00-18: 00.Other projects
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