Poggio Picenze

Poggio Picenze castle's position repeatedly exposed it to raids. In 1423, the castle withstood the siege for two long days by Braccio da Montone, giving time for the denizens to organize resistance, but eventually capitulated before the ruthless conqueror. One of the castles of the Contado Aquilano (L’Aquila Countryside), was given by Emperor Charles the V, after a peasant rebellion in 1533 to Antonio Aldana; later it belonged to the Alfieri family from L'Aquila.[4]

Poggio Picenze was assigned to the Spaniard Giagiacomo of Léognan Castriota, a talented leader who in 1566 settled there in preference to all his many possessions. After Léognan, the estate passed in the 18th century to the Marquis De Sterlich of Chieti, Italy. The town was badly damaged in the October 6th, 1762 earthquake and required substantial reconstruction work. In 1806, the era of feudalism endeded, and Poggio Picenze's castle was partially demolished in 1832 as it became unsafe due to continual earthquakes.[4]

In the late 19th century, Poggio Picenze would experience out migration that affected most of Italy, where 75 percent of the population would leave in the span of a century.[5] Despite air raids on nearby L’Aquila during World War II, Poggio Picenze's historical buildings remained relatively unscathed .

In 2009, Poggio Picenze would suffer fatalities from an earthquake that occurred at 3:32 local time (1:32 UTC) on 6 April 2009, and was rated 5.8 on the Richter scale and 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale; its epicenter was near L'Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo, which together with surrounding villages suffered the most damage. There have been several thousand aftershocks since, and more than thirty of which had a Richter magnitude greater than 3.5.[6]

The fountain is bounded by a staircase and is characterized by two tanks closed in niches with three columns topped by capitals. The tanks are supported by small piers.[3]

The parish church is dedicated to Saint Felix the Martyr. It was originally built around the mid-15th century, and suffered severe damage during the earthquake of 1762 but was soon rebuilt and enlarged. Its stone façade of the late 16th century was finally restored in 1870 with local stone.

The interior has a nave and two aisles divided by columns, with a Baroque-Classical style interior altars, statues and paintings. The altar is dedicated to St. John and was the work of Renaissance master Thomas Rocco of Vicenza.[3]

This church was built between the 15th and 16th centuries. Its facade is Romanesque, whose upper part has a crucifix in high relief. In the early 20th century, farmers attended the Mass before going to work in the fields.

This church's construction dates from the early 15th century, where previously there was a small hospital until 1447. It had a simple design with crisp front and pilasters in local stone, the interior has a single aisle with tettoe ceiling in wood. The church of San Rocco while notable, was destroyed by an earthquake January 13, 1915.[3]

A popular festival is the "Poggio Picenze in Blues," which is held traditionally on the second weekend of July. It is a music festival featuring rhythm and blues in the town square. The square's acoustics with medieval architecture make it popular with musicians.[7]

On June 18 the feast of the patron saint is celebrated. In the morning, the faithful attend a Mass in his honor, then the festival committee members take place the effigy in a case which was donated by the city of Girona, Catalonia, (Spain). The climax of the festival, La Banda Musicale (Music band) and bonfires announce the opening of the reliquary. The Saint is placed on the dais to be carried in a procession through the streets of the city. After completing the course, traditional gunfire announces that the saint made his appearance to the city and is ready to return to church.[7]

This festival is held annually on Friday Saturday and Sunday in the first week of August. Its advent was in the early 1970s and was devoted primarily to those who have migrated out but are still devoted to Poggio Picenze, it is sometimes referred to as "The Emigrant's Week." It celebrates being connected to those who have migrated throughout the world and to welcome them back.[7]