Scanzano
Scanzano: a hamlet of Sante Marie
Hello friends, today we will talk about Scanzano, a hamlet about 3.8 km from the municipal capital of Sante Marie, in Abruzzo. The village has about 180 inhabitants and is located at the foot of Mount Faito at an altitude of 896. Scanzano dominates the Macina valley and is on the borders with the hamlets of Santo Stefano, Tubione (also of Sante Marie) and those of Gallo and Poggetello belonging to the municipal territory of Tagliacozzo.
A bit of history
Scanzano has an interesting history. In the pre-Roman period, an Oppidum with areas of Worship and Italic sanctuaries was built there. In the Middle Ages, it housed a convent at the site of San Martino and traces of a vicus of Roman history in the plateau of Santa Maria. In 1150 it was already present in the Catalogus baronum, a document updated in 1167 by the official Matteo da Salerno, and in 1188 in the bull of Pope Clement III that described the boundaries of the diocese of Avezzano.
Scanzano was positively influenced by the presence of the Franciscan Order, particularly by Tommaso da Celano who spread the word of the order from the nearby monastery of San Giovanni in Barri, whose ruins are located near the village of Val de' Varri.
Scanzano was part of the county of Tagliacozzo which, originally belonging to the Orsini family, was later granted to the Colonna family. In 1806 Giuseppe Bonaparte made the town lose its secular administrative autonomy. However, the gradual depopulation of peripheral rural nuclei allowed the town to develop at an urban and socio-economic level.
Curiosities about the village
In the 19th century, the village had a population of about 570 inhabitants. The most important churches were that of San Cipriano, located in the square of the contemporary center, that of Santa Maria near the cemetery, and finally those of San Michele Arcangelo and San Giovanni.
The Marsica earthquake of 1915 also caused damage to Scanzano, but fortunately only one victim was recorded. In the area of "Castejo", the old medieval castle, already in a state of ruin, was completely destroyed, including the internal chapel of San Giovanni.
Conclusions
Here are some information about Scanzano's history, a hamlet of Sante Marie. We hope to have intrigued you and to have taught you something new. We can only wish you to visit the village and enjoy the beauty of the panorama it offers!
