Teramo - Teramo

Teramo
Teramo Cathedral - main facade
Coat of arms
Teramo - Coat of arms
StateItaly
RegionAbruzzo
TerritoryTeramo
Altitude265 m a.s.l.
Surface152.84 km²
Inhabitants54.892 (2015)
Name inhabitantsTeramani
Prefix tel 39 0861
POSTAL CODE64100
Time zone UTC 1
PatronSan Berardo Bishop (December 19)
Position
Map of Italy
Reddot.svg
Teramo
Institutional website

Teramo is a city ofAbruzzo.

To know

Geographical notes

Near the Gran Sasso and the Monti della Laga, on the first Apennine foothills of northern Abruzzo, Teramo enjoys a splendid panoramic position between the highest peaks of Abruzzo and the nearby Adriatic coast.

Background

The ancient city of Teramo was called Pretut, and it was the most important center in the area. City of Pretuzi, it is said that it was founded by the Phoenicians as a commercial emporium and was independent until the third century BC, when it was subjected to the Romans who changed its name into Interamnia Pretutiorum, "city between rivers" (in particular the Tordino and the Vezzola). With Rome, the city experienced a period of great prosperity thanks to the connections with the capital. Temples, the theater and the amphitheater were built.

The barbarian invasions exposed it to the sack of the Visigoths in 410 AD, who razed it to the ground. In 568 its reconstruction took place; subject to the Normans, it was then bishopric, a period that saw the construction of the new cathedral in the fourteenth century. At the end of the century, the Acquaviva lordship was established, which silenced for a while the infighting that characterized the social life of Teramo. Occupied by the French at the end of the 16th century, it returned to the Spaniards and to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies whose events it followed until the unification of Italy.

How to orient yourself

Neighborhoods

  • Castle - Its reference territory coincides with that of the Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
  • Colleatterrato - The recently established district was born from the demographic expansion following the establishment of the "zone 167". It is located in the easternmost part of the city and is mainly divided into three areas: Colleatterrato Alto, Colleatterrato Basso and Contrada Casalena.
  • Colleparco - It is one of the most recently developed residential areas, it is located in the high hills and is home to the University of Teramo. Its remarkable altitude makes it the highest in the whole city.
  • Madonna della Cona also identified with the single name of Cona - It coincides with the territory of the Parish of the Madonna della Cona. It is located in the western part of the city and develops around the state road 80. Among the very first settlements outside the ancient walls and a place of discovery of Roman archaeological finds (necropolis etc ..), as well as one of the last examples of industrial archeology (Fornace of bricks with the Hoffman method). In the predominantly residential district, 3 high schools are located: the Hotel Management, the Surveyors and the Commercial Technical Institute for Programmers.
  • Gammarana - It is located behind the railway station, between the fifties and sixties it was an industrial area, then it became residential.
  • Madonna delle Grazie - Campo Fiera - It extends south of the city, just beyond the old city walls. It includes the park dedicated to Ivan Graziani and the sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie.
  • Piano della Lenta - It extends north of the urban area along the state road 81 Piceno Aprutina which leads to the nearby one Ascoli Piceno. It is almost totally residential and has more than 3000 inhabitants.
  • St. Benedict - Brand new district of Teramo. Built in the early 2000s in the eastern part of the city, close to the lower Colleatterrato area, populated by about 6,000 inhabitants.
  • San Berardo - Located in the east of Teramo, it is a mainly residential neighborhood dedicated to the patron saint of the city. It is one of the historic districts of the city, its banner is white and red and bears the symbol of the winged dragon. It coincides with the territory of the Parish of the Cathedral.
  • San Leonardo - It is one of the historic districts of the city, in the sixteenth century it incorporated the sestiere of Sant'Antonio, its banner is a galley, equipped with oars, on a red background. It coincides with the territory of the Parish of Sant'Antonio.
  • Santa Maria a Bitetto - It is one of the historic districts of the city, in the sixteenth century it incorporated the sestiere of Santa Croce; its banner is black and red and bears the symbol of the elephant with a tower on its back. It coincides with the territory of the Parish of Carmine. Santo Spirito Today known as Porta Romana, is one of the historic districts of the city; its banner is yellow, white and green with the symbol of the tower in the middle. It coincides with the territory of the Parish of Santo Spirito.
  • Villa Mosca - Predominantly residential area. It is the seat of the "Mazzini" hospital in Teramo.
  • Villa Pavone - Handicraft agglomeration located in the far east of the city.
  • Railway station - Residential and commercial district between the Gammarana and San Berardo districts.


How to get

By plane

Italian traffic signs - verso bianco.svg

By car

On the train

By bus

The city can be reached thanks to the bus lines managed by the YOUR company.

How to get around

By public transport

The city is served by city buses managed by the company STAUR.


What see

Bell tower of the Duomo
Duomo
  • Main attraction1 Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. The Cathedral of Teramo was commissioned by Bishop Guido II; its construction began in 1158 and was dictated by the need to rebuild the city that had been destroyed and set on fire, including the ancient cathedral of Sancta Maria Aprutiensis. In the fourteenth century the bishop Nicolò degli Arcioni provided for its extension; other works took place in the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, when the Cathedral was adapted to Baroque forms that a repairing intervention in 1932 fortunately eliminated. The 2007 restorations helped to further restore the building's original characteristics.
The church shows both Romanesque and Gothic stylistic influences and has the particularity of having two opposite facades. The most spectacular one overlooks Piazza Orsini and has the characteristic horizontal crowning of most of the churches in Abruzzo; here the horizontal facade is decorated with a battlements and interrupted from the slender tympanum that, starting from the central portal, develops in height for the whole facade and beyond, greatly streamlining and moving the whole. The imposing splayed portal is decorated by a frieze with mosaics that welcome musical angels and by twisted columns and columns, supported by two crouching lions.
The other facade, opposite to the main one, overlooks Piazza Martiri della Libertà; it's less striking, with a simpler and more linear style. The access door, located at the end of the staircase, is a false door that serves as an embellishment. Within the space of the light of the false passage, from the year 2000, the bronze work performed by the Julian Venanzo Crocetti representing the Annunciation has been inserted.
The interior of the imposing building is marked by three naves with columns and round arches of considerable momentum. The altar shows a work of great value: a silver frontal made up of thirty-five sheets of gilded silver, embossed and chiseled, depicting episodes from the life of Christ, a fifteenth-century work by the engraver Nicola da Guardiagrele. Another great work is the Polyptych of Sant'Agostino of sixteen panels, also from the fifteenth century, by the Venetian Iacobello del Fiore.
In addition to the undeniable beauty of the church, the bell tower also gives prestige to the cathedral which is one of the best examples of Lombard Gothic existing in Abruzzo. The lower part was built between the thirteenth and twelve hundred; in the fourteenth century two floors were added to it; In the fifteenth century the octagonal-shaped spire, whose corners are surmounted by spiers or small towers. 
Interior of the church of Sant'Anna dei Pompetti
  • Ancient cathedral of Sancta Maria Aprutiensis. The current building is what remains of the ancient Teramo Cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Aprutiensis built in the 4th century. It is part of a recovery area that also includes the ancient bishopric. Cathedral and bishopric were both built on Roman buildings, including the Domus of Largo Torre Bruciata. Many Roman materials of reuse emerged during the recovery of the church, which was the city's Cathedral until 1157, when it was destroyed by the devastation and fire of Teramo by the troops of the Count of Loretello. The origin of Sancta Maria Aprutiensis is very ancient, as a document of Gregory the Great already mentions it.
Reconstructed between 1980 and 1993, the building has three naves with different floors, divided by colonnades built with bare materials. The church of Sant'Anna dei Pompetti which insists on the area. The old cathedral was further impoverished with the removal of material for the construction of the new cathedral. 
Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie
  • 2 Sanctuary and convent of the Madonna delle Grazie, Largo Madonna delle Grazie. The current church has the appearance that it derives from the works of the last decade of the nineteenth century. Inside there is a valuable wooden statue of the Madonna and Child exhibited on the high altar and dates back to the late fifteenth century. Ancient ex voto (15th century), a crucifix for processions from the 16th century are other works worthy of attention preserved in the building. The church was then dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie for the protection it was believed to have given to the city in ancient times against enemy troops and in recent times for the narrow escape from war destruction.
The convent has a Romanesque - Gothic cloister, evidence of the repeated architectural adaptations that have taken place over time. Founded in the twelfth century as a female Benedictine monastery and dedicated to Sant'Angelo delle Donne, from 1448 it was converted into a convent of the observant Friars Minor who in the decade 1460-70 rebuilt it almost completely, keeping traces of the ancient only in the cloister. Fifteenth-century round arches characterize the long sides; pointed arches on the short sides seem to survive from the fourteenth century. 
Church of San Domenico
  • 3 Church and convent of San Domenico, Corso Porta Romana. Built in the late fourteenth century, it was rebuilt at the beginning of the twentieth century in the forms we see. The interior has a single nave, with pointed arches built with a late Gothic consolidation intervention. The church preserves the remains of fourteenth-century frescoes especially on the walls of the choir and on the left wall of the nave, which present stories of Christ and St. Thomas and are attributed to Luca d'Atri.
The frescoes on the counter-façade (San Donato bishop, Sant'Antonio Abate, San Giobbe). A Annunciation on the nearby wall is by the Maestro del Judgement of Loreto Aprutino.
The church is completed by a fourteenth-century convent; the cloister remained with round arches and wide pilastried an ogive portal. Remains of frescoes of the stories of San Domenico are of the seventeenth-century invoice. 
Casa Catenacci - epigraph from 1510
  • 4 Casa Catenacci, then Corradi, now Capuani, Via Vittorio Veneto. The present appearance of this ancient brick house dates back to the 15th century, with ogival arched arcades. Originally belonging to the Catenacci family, the building had subsequent modifications and additions, such as the loggia on the lower body and a series of windows. Traces of the late fourteenth century of reuse are a twisted column and a coat of arms walled up under the portico. A plaque bears the motto NOT GOOD PRO TOTO LIBERTAS VENDITUR AURO "Freedom is not even sold for all the gold in the world." The Corradi family, which is documented in the city since the fourteenth century, owned it for a long time. In the eighteenth century the building was a city theater, until Teramo obtained permission to build a theater, an idea long opposed by the Bourbon government. Finally built in 1868 the municipal theater, the Corradi theater was gradually deserted; when it was closed, the house returned to a private residence and is currently also known as Casa Capuani. 
  • Capuchin Church, Viale Mazzini. The chronicles report that the church was founded in 819; it then had numerous renovations. The portal is in stone ashlars, and the facade has decorations made with placed bricks cut or rhomboidal geometric figures in brick, a type of decoration that leads back to the decorations of the ancient cathedral of Sancta Maria Aprutiensis. Of the 14th century extension, with the addition of two aisles, the right aisle remains, interrupted by the insertion of rooms used as sacristy, as well as small chapels, which show sixteenth-century characteristics. No trace remains of the ancient cloister that the church used to have.
The building retains an inlaid tabernacle and eighteenth-century wooden altars by Giovanni Palombieri and his school; the paintings of the main altar are also from the eighteenth century, showing older works on the back that can be attributed to the end of the sixteenth century. A Madonna and Child by Giacomo da Campli, once belonging to the church, is exhibited in the collections of the Civic Art Gallery. 
Monica Castle
  • 5 Medieval village, also known as Castello della Monica, Street of the Castle. The medieval village is a complex of nineteenth-century buildings built on the small hill of San Venanzio, through an extravagant fusion in a single structure of different architectural and artistic styles, from neo-Gothic to Moorish, with numerous contaminations deriving from the many formative experiences matured over time by its author and owner Gennaro della Monica. This group of buildings and green areas is also identified, less exactly, with the name of Castello Della Monica. The building is undergoing restoration and its interior is currently not open to visitors. (October 2015) 

Roman period

Teramo - The sites of the Roman theater and the amphitheater seen from above

There are many testimonies of the Roman Teramo, which over time were incorporated into subsequent architectural structures; now they are being recovered, as far as possible, and being restored to make them accessible to the public.

Roman amphitheater of Teramo
  • 6 Roman amphitheater, Via Irelli. What survives of the ancient structure is only a few meters west of the Roman theater. The most evident portion of the remaining perimeter brickwork of this building is visible in via San Berardo and in the area immediately to the left of the Duomo. The plan from which it developed had an elliptical shape with a perimeter of 208 meters, the major axis measuring 74 meters and the minor axis 56 meters. The ancient plan is located 6 meters below the current street level. In the wall perimeter it is possible to read the different entrances that once led inside the structure. A series of secondary passages led directly to the stands for the public. In the Middle Ages the amphitheater, as well as the nearby Roman theater, was used as a quarry for the construction of various limitorph buildings, in particular the Cathedral built in the 12th century on the area occupied by the north-western part of the amphitheater same. In the external right wall of the Cathedral and in some internal walls, you can see carved stones removed from the amphitheater and put back in place. In the perimeter where the amphitheater once stood, the aprutino seminary building now stands, erected by the will of the Armenian bishop and destroyed and rebuilt by bishop Pirelli. 
  • 7 Roman theatre (Via Paris). The theater was built in a period of great economic prosperity in the city, at the beginning of the 2nd century AD, during the empire of Hadrian. The fabric of the urban center of the time stretched between Piazza Martiri della Libertà and the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie, between via Stazio and Torre Bruciata it was surrounded by walls. The area intended for the theater expanded into 20 arches of travertine blocks that surrounded the auditorium, some still visible. The tiers, arranged in a semicircle, could accommodate about 3,000 spectators. The passage of time has seen it be included and partially covered by the construction of houses, looted in the Middle Ages when it became a sort of quarry for the elevation of other buildings. 
  • Roman domus. The four are important archaeological evidence of the Roman city domus brought to light following excavations: the Domus of largo Torre burned; there Domus of Madonna delle Grazie; there Domus of Porta Carrese; there Domus Savini or of the Lion. 
Statue of Sor Paolo Proconsole
  • 8 Sor Paolo Proconsole, Largo Proconsul. Statue dating back to the 1st century BC which portrays the Roman robed dignitary Paolo Proconsole. This effigy is very dear to all Teramans and enjoys great sympathy and popularity. Locally they call it, with ancient confidence, in the picturesque dialect, with the only name of: «Gnor Paolo" or "Sor Paolo". Over time, he has played an important role within social life as talking statue. In his left hand, where perhaps there was a parchment, satirical notes were inserted, complaints of discontent, complaints and protests addressed to the rulers and lords of the city. In more recent times, the leaflets have also been entrusted with words of love poems and the fans have given the statue their flags to show them. The Middle Adriatic Popular University has chosen the image of Sor Paolo Proconsole as its emblem. 
  • Mosaic of Bacchus. 
Mosaic floor decoration of the Tablino with the Lion Mosaic in the center (before restoration)
  • 9 Mosaic of the Lion, Via Antica Cathedral (at Palazzo Savini). The Lion Mosaic is a floor decoration of the tablinum of the homonymous Domus, located in the basement of Palazzo Savini. Listed among the emblems of the archaeological history of Teramo, it can be dated around the first century BC, as well as those, similar in the invoice, found in Pompeii and in Villa Adriana in Tivoli. It has been universally recognized as one of the highest examples of mosaic art. The background tiles are quadrangular, those of the mustache elongated, those of the pupil and iris round. Overall, the centripetal arrangement is applied here, ie the one in which the size of the tesserae decreases from the outside towards the inside; the perimeter of the Teramo emblem is decorated with a two-ply braid motif with tight knots on a dark background. The colors used are two: orange and green gray in different tonal gradations; four rows of tiles make up each ribbon. At the center of the scene is a lion in an attacking position, while with its foreleg it claws a snake, which in turn wraps its tail around the lion's left hind leg. Almost to occupy the whole scene is the head with the wide open jaws and the thick mane rendered with tesserae in different shades of golden yellow. The snake skin is rendered by orange and dark green colors on the back, while the belly is made of minute beige fragments with dark spots. The setting is that at the edge of a blue waterhole, all around there are plant elements: two trees, one with a gnarled and wide stem and wide crown, the other with a thin stem and palmate leaves with berries and fruits . The chiaroscuro effect is very accentuated: a light source seems to come from the right, completely flooding the lion's face. The discovery dates back to 1891, during the renovation of Palazzo Savini. 
Astronomical Observatory of Collurania
  • 10 Astronomical Observatory of Collurania, Contrada Specola, ☎ 39 0861 439711, fax: 39 0861 439740. It is one of the twelve Italian public astronomical observatories and is part of the National Institute of Astrophysics. It was founded and wanted by the Teramo astronomer Vincenzo Cerulli, to whom it was later dedicated. It was built between 1890 and 1891 in the lands owned by the Cerulli family on a hill facing the city of Teramo. The Institute is located inside a grove of pine and fir trees, the silver dome of the Observatory stands out in the panorama and represents one of the characteristic features of the local landscape. The structure, together with the Museum of Scientific Instruments, where the instrumental material used for the astronomical research of this Institute in the last century is collected, can be visited upon reservation by pupils of primary and secondary schools. For each visit, the presence of a maximum of 50 people is allowed. It is mandatory to book by phone by contacting Mrs. Sandra Forti at 39 0861-439711. (October 2015) 
Inscription of the words of the historian Mutio dè Muzji from Teramo on the plaque placed at Fonte della Noce
  • 11 Source of the Walnut, Via Fonte della Noce. Ecb copyright.svgfree. It is a historic fountain of the city of Teramo which takes its name from the dense presence of the walnut trees that surround it. Built in medieval times, in stone and bricks, on a large rectangular area it is equipped with a public wash house and two drinking troughs. It is located within the natural area of ​​the Vezzola River Park a few steps from the city center. It supplied the entire northern area of ​​Teramo with drinking water until the 1930s. The site is also known and remembered in local events, in particular in the History of Teramo written in 1588 by the historian Mutio dè Muzji who handed down, in great detail, the visit to the Abruzzo town of Queen Giovanna di Trastámara, better known as Joan of Aragon, widow of King Ferdinand I of Naples. The sovereign, in the year 1514, spent five days in the city of Teramo to acquire possession and was particularly impressed by the waters of this source and ordered to set up a banquet for a dinner, enlivened by musicians and dancers, to be consumed in the area. of the fountain. In memory of this event, a plaque bearing the words of the description of the Muzji was placed on the occasion of the 400th year of the sovereign's visit. 
  • 12 Church of Sant'Anna dei Pompetti, Piazza Sant'Anna, ☎ 39 0861 250301. In the heart of the historic and archaeological center of Piazza Sant'Anna, the religious building, leaning against the bastion of the Torre Bruciata, is very close to the church of Santa Caterina. Both churches were originally part of the complex of the ancient cathedral of Santa Maria Aprutiensis and now belong to the local parish of the church of Sant'Antonio. The construction consists of what has survived and has been preserved from the building of the ancient cathedral. This identification of the current structure with a portion of the first liturgical and spiritual center of the city was revealed by the excavations and studies that Francesco Savini conducted in the archaeological area from the year 1896 and which lasted until the early twentieth century. Since 1902 it has been included in the list of Italian National Monuments. The current church has modest dimensions, is entirely built in stone and bricks, the facade is opened by the modest entrance and is completed by the bell gable that rises to the right of the façade. The left longitudinal wall shows the ferrules of three tompagnato arches and two windows. In the central arch there is a second entrance. These openings added between the 11th and 12th centuries, walled up in the modern age, belonged to a frescoed atrium of which the painting of the central arch remains. Church of Sant'Anna dei Pompetti on Wikipedia church of Sant'Anna dei Pompetti (Q3672556) on Wikidata 


Events and parties

  • Interamnia World Cup. is an international sporting event for clubs that takes on the role of the youth handball world cup under 21 (the categories concerned are under 10-12-14-16-18-21). Since 1972, the year in which the first edition was organized, it has been held annually in Teramo in the first days of July (usually from 4 to 10 July each year), with competitions held in sports fields set up in various areas of the city and also in other localities of the province of Teramo. Youth teams from all continents participate in the tournament and every year over thirty nations take part in the event: this usually lasts a week and opens with perhaps the most anticipated moment of the whole tournament, a great inaugural parade of all participating athletes starting from Corso San Giorgio, the main street of Teramo, and then moving towards Piazza Martiri della Libertà. Since 2005, the Teramo city open to the world event has been associated with it, which aims to promote the culture of peace among peoples. This title derives from the recognition that UNICEF attributed to Teramo in 1989, thanks to the Interamnia World Cup, when it declared, in fact, “Teramo, a city open to the world”. 
  • Rites of Holy Week. 


What to do


Shopping


How to have fun


Where to eat

Typical dishes of the area include: mazzarelle, scrippelle 'mbusse, spaghetti alla chitarra, timbale and virtue, a Teramo dish that is prepared in May.

The cooked wine is a sweet wine from Teramo.

Average prices


Where stay

Average prices

Bed and Breakfast


Safety

Italian traffic signs - pharmacy icon.svgPharmacy


How to keep in touch


Around

  • Civitella del Tronto - The city-fortress on the ancient border between the Papal State and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. There is a Bourbon fortress and the sanctuary and convent of Santa Maria dei Lumi.
  • Campli - It includes the Palazzo Farnese, the Scala Santa and the Eastern Gate.
  • Abbey of San Clemente al Vomano - Romanesque church among the most beautiful inAbruzzo, is shown in the form given to it by the restorations of the millennium that affected the previous construction of the ninth century. It is in excellent condition; it is used as a cemetery church.
  • Atri - One of the oldest cities in the region, it preserves a first-rate artistic heritage, the excellence of which (among many) is certainly recognizable in the stupendous Cathedral, distinguished among the noteworthy churches ofAbruzzo.
  • Tortoreto - The historic center is a characteristic medieval hilltop village; its position allows you to wander over a long range of sea and mountains, so much so that it is defined Adriatic sentinel. The hamlet of Tortoreto Lido is more famous and popular, a town built a few decades ago, which is located right along the coast.
  • Alba Adriatica - It has developed as a seaside resort since the sixties, so as to achieve administrative independence from Tortoreto.
  • Montepagano - Secluded on a hill, overlooking the sea, is the town that gave rise to Roseto degli Abruzzi, of which it is considered an ancient historical center. It is connected to Rose garden by means of ancient pedestrian paths, brought to light with a patient restoration work, which offer a unique opportunity for suggestive excursions in contact with nature. Montepagano for centuries was the main center of the area, owned by the Abbey of San Giovanni in Venere.
  • Gran Sasso Island of Italy - With its Sanctuary of San Gabriele dell'Addolorata.
  • Gran Sasso
  • Prati di Tivo - Ski resort at the foot of the Gran Sasso.
  • Giulianova - The ancient city, on a hill, preserves the remains of the fortifications and ancient churches; the urban development spread on the coast constitutes one of the most important seaside resorts in the region.
  • San Giovanni Valley - 8 kilometers from Teramo.
  • Varano


Other projects

  • Collaborate on WikipediaWikipedia contains an entry concerning Teramo
  • Collaborate on CommonsCommons contains images or other files on Teramo
  • Collaborate on WikiquoteWikiquote contains quotes from or about Teramo
  • Collaborate on WikinewsWikinews contains current news on Teramo
2-4 star.svgUsable : the article respects the characteristics of a draft but in addition it contains enough information to allow a short visit to the city. Use i correctly listing (the right type in the right sections).