 | This articledoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved. Find sources: "Abruzzi e Molise" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(September 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Abruzzi e Molise (known asAbruzzi alone when part of theKingdom of Two Sicilies) is a formerregion of Italy encompassing a total of 16,600 km2 (6,400 sq mi) and corresponding to the territories ofAbruzzo,Molise and (until 1927) theCittaducale District [it] (presently a part ofLazio).
From the time of theKingdom of Naples, this region was considered a single entity with the regional capital atL'Aquila. The nameAbruzzo appears to be derivative of the Latin wordAprutium, in turn from the tribePraetutii. During the Kingdom of Naples, the region was further divided into four provinces: Abruzzo Citra (nearer Abruzzo), Abruzzo Ultra I (farther Abruzzo I), Abruzzo Ultra II (farther Abruzzo II), andContado di Molise. The Abruzzo provinces were named for their distance from Naples, the capital, and referred to collectively by the pluralAbruzzi.
In 1852, thePapal States annexedAncarano, then further changes occurred during the formation of theKingdom of Italy including the annexation ofVenafro and adjustments of the border withCampania.
In 1927 an additional adjustment was made when theCittaducale District [it], comprisingCittaducale and a number of other municipalities, was assigned toRieti.
In 1963, theprovince of Campobasso (which still included present-dayprovince of Isernia) was split from the region to formMolise, with the remaining four provinces,L'Aquila,Teramo,Pescara andChieti, comprising the present dayAbruzzo.
