Fossa | |
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| Comune di Fossa | |
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-Stemma.png) Coat of arms | |
Location of Fossa  | |
  Fossa Location of Fossa in Italy Show map of Italy Fossa Fossa (Abruzzo) Show map of Abruzzo | |
| Coordinates:42°18′N13°29′E / 42.300°N 13.483°E /42.300; 13.483 | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Abruzzo |
| Province | L'Aquila (AQ) |
| Frazioni | Cerro, Le Chiuse, Osteria |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Fabrizio Boccabella (Fossa Bene Comune) |
| Area | |
• Total | 8 km2 (3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 644 m (2,113 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2010)[2] | |
• Total | 704 |
| • Density | 88/km2 (230/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Fossani |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 67020 |
| Dialing code | 0862 |
| Website | Official website |
Fossa (formerlyAveia) is acomune andtown in theprovince of L'Aquila in theAbruzzo region of southernItaly.Bernardino of Fossa was born in the town. The 2009L'Aquila earthquake contributed to the collapse of a bridge in Fossa,[3] and caused extensive damage to the residential buildings in the town.[4] The town was the epicentre of a major aftershock 5.4Mw on April 7, 2009.[5]
The first traces of human presence in the area in pre-Roman times date back to theVestini, with the remains of fortifications on Mount Cerro and thenecropolis from the 9th century BC.
Roman times witnessed the development of Aveia, a city that was a part of the prefecture and Roman municipality of the Augustan IV region (Samnium et Sabina) until theThird Samnite War, only for it to be incorporated within Rome after theBattle of Sentinum in 295 BC on par withPeltuinum andAmiternum.
The floods that procured the swamping of the countryside below present-day Fossa and the perching of the village on the mountain for defensive needs following the barbarian invasions caused the new medieval village to be superimposed on the ancient Roman city, to which it supplied much of the building material, as evidenced by the many artifacts visible in the new buildings.
The original settlement of Fossa dates from the early 12th century and consisted essentially of the keep on the summit and the dwellings contained in the fortified enclosure. Around the same time, theCastle of Fossa was built. The first mentions of the new nucleus of Fossa date back to this period, with the first document consisting of aPapal Bull of 1204 that includes the town to the Diocese Forconese and another document of 1269 that testifies to the town's participation in the founding of the city ofL'Aquila. Initially it was a fief of theBerardi and Fossa families (who derived their name from it) and later of theColonna andBarberini families.
Expansion of the hamlet began in the late 13th century along the ridge of the karst sinkhole itself with a concentric settlement around the fortified enclosure. The castle's efficiency lasted through the 16th century, overtaken then by the invention of firearms and the development of trade that broke the closed medieval economy. In a second phase the village developed along the main road set above the slope of the mountain.
On 6 April 2009 at 3:32 am, the town was impacted by the L'Aquila earthquake, which resulted in the collapse of a bridge and severe damage to most of the residential buildings in the town.[3]There was an aftershock happening on the following day with its epicenter located in Fossa.[6] Those events led to the town being largely abandoned.
Reconstruction of the severely damaged town began as early as May 2011, but the process was slow, partially due to the refusal of foreign aid by the Italian government under then-Prime MinisterSilvio Berlusconi and due to bureaucratic hurdles. Until 2019, the town remained largely abandoned, with reconstruction still progressing on a slow pace, although some buildings were already being restored.
On 28 April 2019, the churchSanta Maria ad Cryptas was reopened for worship, almost a decade after the disaster. As of June 2024, reconstruction is still ongoing, with many of Fossa's residents returning to their former homes, which by then had been fully rebuilt.
Fossa has astop on theTerni–Sulmona railway, with trains toL'Aquila andSulmona.
A 35 m long, 5 m wide three-span continuous reinforced concrete bridge at the crossing of SR261 on Aterno River for approaching Fossa Town collapsed[…] It seems that damage of the column which was induced prior to the earthquake progressed during the earthquake. Steel bars exposed due to very thin covering concrete were extensively corroded prior to the earthquake.
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