The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( / ˈ æ p ə n aɪ n / AP -ə-nyne ; ‹See Tfd› Greek : Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; Latin : Appenninus or Apenninus Mons – a singular with plural meaning; Italian : Appennini [appenˈniːni] ) are a mountain range consisting of parallel smaller chains extending c. 1,200 km (750 mi) the length of peninsular Italy . In the northwest they join the Ligurian Alps at Altare . In the southwest they end at Reggio di Calabria , the coastal city at the tip of the peninsula. Since 2000 the Environment Ministry of Italy, following the recommendations of the Apennines Park of Europe Project, has defined the Apennines System to include the mountains of north Sicily , a total distance of 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) . The system forms an arc enclosing the east of the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian seas.
112-814: The Monti Sabini is a mountain range in the Apennines of Latium , central Italy . It is located in a north-south direction between the Monti Reatini at the east and the Tiber valley at the west. The upper section is the Monti Sabini proper, on the boundary between Latium and Umbria , and the Monti Lucretili sub-range, on the boundary between the province of Rieta and the Metropolitan City of Rome. The two sub-ranges are separated by
224-487: A harvest yield of no more than 10 tonnes/ha with a finished minimum alcohol level of at least 11%. For wines labeled as Bianco Superiore , the yield is further restricted to a maximum of 8 tonnes/ha with a minimum alcohol level of 12%. Only certain subareas of the Ischia DOC can produce Bianco Superiore with the blend needing to contain 50% Forastera, 40% Biancolella and 10% San Lunardo. Red wines produced under
336-544: A picked corps) on special police duty with a detachment of twenty men from the Ravenna fleet. Snow lies on the highest peaks of the Apennines for almost the whole year. The range produces no minerals, but there are a considerable number of good mineral springs , some of which are thermal (such as Bagni di Lucca , Montecatini , Monsummano , Porretta, Telese), while others are cool (such as Nocera, Sangemini , Cinciano),
448-715: A series of tunnels have been constructed to conduct "the Bologna-Florence rail line", which is neither a single line nor a single tunnel. The Porrettana Line went into service in 1864, the Direttissima in 1934 and the High Speed in 1996. A few dozen tunnels support the three of them, the longest on the High-Speed Line being the Voglia Tunnel at 16.757 km (10.412 mi). The longest is on
560-701: A stone marks the top of the pass. In the vicinity are fragments of the old road and three ruins of former fortifications. At Carcare , the main roads connect with the upper Bormida valley (Bormida di Mallare) before turning west. The Scrivia , the Trebbia and the Taro , tributaries of the Po River , drain the northeast slopes. The range contains dozens of peaks. Toward the southern end the Aveto Natural Regional Park includes Monte Penna . Nearby
672-661: Is a burnished ware incised with spirals, meanders and geometrical zones, filled with dots or transverse dashes. It has been found on Ischia island in association with LHII and LHIII pottery and on Lipari in association with LHIIIA pottery, which associations date it to the Late Bronze Age as it is defined in Greece and the Aegean. The people of the Apennine culture were alpine cattle herdsmen grazing their animals over
784-524: Is a popular tourist destination, welcoming up to 6 million visitors per year, mainly from the Italian mainland as well as other European countries like Germany and the United Kingdom (approximately 5,000 Germans are resident on the island), although it has become an increasingly popular destination for Eastern Europeans. The number of Russian guests rose steadily from the 2000s onwards, before
896-416: Is a volcanic horst consisting of green tuff that was submerged after its eruption and then uplifted . Volcanism on the island has been significantly affected by tectonism that formed a series of horsts and grabens ; resurgent doming produced at least 800 m (2,600 ft) of uplift during the past 33,000 years. Many small monogenetic volcanoes formed around the uplifted block. Volcanism during
1008-418: Is almost entirely mountainous; the highest peak is Mount Epomeo , at 788 metres (2,585 feet). The island is very densely populated, with 60,000 residents (more than 1,300 inhabitants per square km). Ischia is the name of the main comune of the island. The other comuni of the island are Barano d'Ischia , Casamicciola Terme , Forio , Lacco Ameno and Serrara Fontana . The roughly trapezoidal island
1120-606: Is at about 3,200 m (10,500 ft), leaving the Apennines below it, except for the one remaining glacier. Snow may fall from October to May. Rainfall increases with latitude. The range's climates, depending on elevation and latitude, are the Oceanic climate and Mediterranean climate . The mammal fauna is mainly composed of Italian wolves (endemic), Corsican hare , badgers , weasels , foxes , marmots , Etruscan shrew , Crested porcupine , European snow vole and Apennine shrews (endemic), Marsican brown bears (endemic),
1232-512: Is cognate with Old Irish cenn , 'head', but an original *kwen- would be required, which is typologically not found in languages that feature labio-velars . Windisch and Brugmann reconstructed Indo-European *kwi- , deriving also the Greek Pindus Mountains from the same root, but *kwen- < *kwi- is not explained by any rule. By some, English pin , as well as pen and Latin pinna or penna , 'feather' (in
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#17327727146111344-458: Is currently stopped. On June 14, 2007, there was a breakage in one of the four high-voltage underwater cables forming the power line maintained by Enel S.p.A. — although never authorized by Italian authorities – between Cuma on the Campania coast and Lacco Ameno on the island of Ischia. Inside each cable there is an 18 mm‑diameter channel filled with oil under high pressure. The breakage of
1456-629: Is deep and separates the Apennines on the left bank from a lesser range, the Tuscan Anti-Apennines (Sub-Apennines) on its right. The Apennine System forms an irregular arc with centers of curvature located in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The northern and southern segments comprise parallel chains that can be viewed as single overall mountain ridges, such as the Ligurian Mountains. The center, being thicker and more complex,
1568-516: Is formed by a complex volcano immediately southwest of the Campi Flegrei area at the western side of the Bay of Naples . The eruption of the trachytic Green Tuff Ignimbrite about 56,000 years ago was followed by the formation of a caldera comprising almost the entire island and some of the surrounding seabed. The highest point of the island, Monte Epomeo (788 m (2,585 ft)),
1680-663: Is geologically divided into an inner and an outer arc with regard to the centers of curvature. The geologic definition, however, is not the same as the geographic. Based on rock type and orogenic incidents, the northern segment of the arc is divided into the Outer Northern Apennines (ONA) and the Inner Northern Apennines (INA). The Central Apennines are divided into the Umbrian–Marchean ( Appennino umbro-marchigiano ) or Roman Apennines in
1792-462: Is located in Lacco Ameno and Forio territories. Surrounded by a park, the villa (called "The Dovecote") was made by Luigi Patalano, a famous local socialist and journalist. It is now the seat of a cultural institution and museum dedicated to Luchino Visconti . The institution promotes cultural activities such as music, cinema, theatre, art exhibitions, workshops and cinema reviews. The villa and
1904-470: Is mainly grasslands of the Montane grasslands and shrublands biome; with Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub below it. The tree line in the Apennines can be found in the range 1,600 m (5,200 ft) to 2,000 m (6,600 ft). About 5% of the map area covered by the Apennines is at or above the tree line—or in the treeline ecotone. The snow line
2016-544: Is part of the Monti Sibillini , incorporated into Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini . Further north is the parco naturale regionale della Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi [ it ] , in which are the Gola della Rossa ("Red Gorge") and Frasassi Caves . Still further north is Parco Sasso Simone e Simoncello. The Italian Park Service calls it the "green heart" of Italy. The region is heavily forested , such as
2128-566: Is the Bocca Serriola Pass in northern Umbria , which links Fano and Città di Castello . The Tiber River at Rome flows from Monte Fumaiolo in the Tuscan-Romagnol Apennine from northeast to southwest, projecting into the Tyrrhenian Sea at right angles to the shore. The upper Tiber, however, flows from northwest to southeast, gradually turning through one right angle clockwise. The northern Tiber Valley
2240-779: Is the Italian sparrow . The reasons for this choice are related to the fact that the Italian wolf, which inhabits the Apennine Mountains and the Western Alps , features prominently in Latin and Italian cultures, such as in the legend of the founding of Rome . In Italy the transhumance took place mainly starting from the Abruzzi Apennines, moving both towards the Tuscan and Lazio Maremma and above all towards
2352-421: Is the highest point of Ligurian Apennines, Monte Maggiorasca at 1,800 m (5,900 ft). The main and only feasible overland route connecting the coastal plain of Liguria to the north Italian plain runs through Bocchetta di Altare. It has always been of strategic importance. Defenders of north Italy have had to control it since ancient times, as the various fortifications placed there testify. Trenitalia ,
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#17327727146112464-714: The Adriatic Sea are steep, whilst the western slopes form foothills on which most of the towns of peninsular Italy are located. The mountains tend to be named after the province or provinces in which they are located; for example the Ligurian Apennines are in Liguria . The etymology most frequently repeated, because of its semantic appropriateness, is that it derives from the Celtic penn , 'mountain', 'summit': A-penn-inus , which could have been assigned during
2576-515: The Alpine system . Prior to the explosion of data on the topic from about the year 2000, many authors took the approach that the Apennines had the same origin as the Alps. Even today, some authors use the term Alpine-Apennine system. They are not, however, the same system and did not have the same origin. The Alps were millions of years old before the Apennines rose from the sea. The northward movement of
2688-628: The Aterno from the north-west and the Gizio from the south-east, is more important; and so is the Sangro . The central Apennines are crossed by the railway from Rome to Pescara via Avezzano and Sulmona: the railway from Orte to Terni (and thence to Foligno ) follows the Nera valley; while from Terni a line ascends to the plain of Rieti, and thence crosses the central chain to Aquila, whence it follows
2800-484: The Etruscans of the mainland. This settlement was home to a mixed population of Greeks, Etruscans , and Phoenicians . Because of its fine harbor and the safety from raids afforded by the sea, the settlement of Pithecusae became successful through trade in iron and with mainland Italy; in 700 BC Pithecusae was home to 5,000–10,000 people. The ceramic Euboean artifact inscribed with a reference to " Nestor's Cup "
2912-728: The Eurasian eagle-owl There are also numerous amphibians such as the Apennine yellow-bellied toad (endemic), the Italian cave salamander (endemic), the Italian newt (endemic), the Italian stream frog (endemic) and the Spectacled salamander (endemic), the Italian tree frog (endemic), the Agile frog , the Italian edible frog (endemic), the Common toad , the Balearic green toad ,
3024-684: The European fallow deer , the European mouflon and the Pyrenean chamois . There are also numerous birds such as the golden eagle , the Bonelli's eagle , the Eurasian goshawk , the hoopoe , the hawk , the European roller , the White-backed woodpecker , the European green woodpecker , the Alpine chough , the Egyptian vulture , the European nightjar , the Italian sparrow (endemic) and
3136-738: The Holocene produced a series of pumiceous tephras , tuff rings , lava domes , and lava flows . The last eruption of Ischia, in 1302, produced a spatter cone and the Arso lava flow, which reached the NE coast. The surrounding waters including gulfs of Gaeta , Naples and Pozzuoli are both rich and healthy, providing a habitat for around 7 species of whales and dolphins including gigantic fin and sperm whales. Special research programmes on local cetaceans have been conducted to monitor and protect this bio-diversity. From its roughly trapezoidal shape,
3248-628: The Holy See to govern the island in 1306 and was by this time nearly 100 years of age. Ischia suffered greatly in the struggles between the Angevin and Durazzo dynasties. It was taken by Carlo Durazzo in 1382, retaken by Louis II of Anjou in 1385 and captured yet again by Ladislaus of Naples in 1386; it was sacked by the fleet of the Antipope John XXIII under the command of Gaspare Cossa in 1410 only to be retaken by Ladislaus
3360-643: The Ligurian Sea in the Gulf of Genoa , from about Savona below the upper Bormida River valley to about La Spezia ( La Cisa pass ) below the upper Magra River valley. The range follows the Gulf of Genoa separating it from the upper Po Valley . The northwestern border follows the line of the Bormida River to Acqui Terme . There the river continues northeast to Alessandria in the Po Valley , but
3472-703: The Majella Massif. Among them are two national parks: Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park and Majella National Park ; and the Regional Park of the Monti Simbruini. Gran Sasso contains Corno Grande , the highest peak of the Apennines (2912 m). Other features between the western and central ranges are the plain of Rieti , the valley of the Salto, and the Lago Fucino ; while between
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3584-838: The Northern spectacled salamander (endemic), the Fire salamander , the Smooth newt , the Alpine newt , and the Italian crested newt . The reptile fauna is mainly composed of suc as the Italian Aesculapian snake (endemic), the Dice snake , the Green whip snake , the Aesculapian snake , the Smooth snake , the Vipera ursinii , the Vipera aspis , the Italian wall lizard (endemic),
3696-575: The Phlegrean Islands . Although inhabited since the Bronze Age , as a Greek emporium it was founded in the 8th or 9th century BCE, and known as Πιθηκοῦσαι , Pithekoūsai (Monkey Island). Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures approximately 10 km (6 miles) east to west and 7 km (4 miles) north to south and has about 34 km (21 miles) of coastline and a surface area of 47 square kilometres (18.1 sq mi). It
3808-486: The Po Valley in northern Italy. Compressional forces have been acting from north to south in the Alps and from south to north in the Apennines, but instead of being squeezed into mountains the valley has been subsiding at 1 to 4 mm (0.16 in) per year since about 25 mya , before the Apennines existed. It is now known to be not an erosional feature, but is a filled portion of the Adriatic Trench, called
3920-513: The Podarcis muralis , the European green lizard . Notable Apennine freshwater fishes are the Brook lamprey (endemic), Lombardy lamprey , Italian bleak (endemic), Horse barbel (endemic), Eurasian carp , Scardola scardafa (endemic), European perch , Chubius Chub , Tench and Northern pike . The Italian wolf is the national animal of Italy, while the national bird of the country
4032-1183: The Pollino National Park , the Vesuvius National Park , the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park , the Appennino Lucano - Val d'Agri - Lagonegrese National Park , the Sila National Park , the Aspromonte National Park . Important rivers originate from the Apennines are the Panaro , the Secchia , the Reno , the Marecchia , the Rubicon , the Metauro , the Arno , the Tiber ,
4144-423: The Romans called it Aenaria , the Greeks, Πιθηκοῦσαι , Pithekoūsai . (In)arime and Pithekousai both appear to derive from words for "monkey" ( Etruscan arimos , Ancient Greek πίθηκος , píthēkos , "monkey"). However, Pliny derives the Greek name from the local clay deposits, not from píthēkos ; he explains the Latin name Aenaria as connected to a landing by Aeneas ( Princeton Encyclopedia ). If
4256-425: The Savio , the Nera , the Velino , the Tronto , the Aterno-Pescara , the Aniene , the Liri , the Sangro and the Volturno . Among the lakes of glacial origin of the Alpine type is Lago di Pilato . The Apennines were created in the Apennine orogeny beginning in the early Neogene (about 20 mya , the middle Miocene ) and continuing today. Geographically they are partially (or appear to be) continuous with
4368-399: The Tavoliere delle Puglie . The Apennines are to some extent covered with forests, though these were probably more extensive in classical times ( Pliny mentions especially pine , oak and beech woods, Hist. Nat . xvi. 177); they have indeed been greatly reduced in comparatively modern times by indiscriminate timber-felling, and though serious attempts at reforestation have been made by
4480-409: The orogeny . These extend in a northwest–southeast direction from the River Tronto to the River Sangro , which drain into the Adriatic . The coastal hills of the east extend between San Benedetto del Tronto in the north and Torino di Sangro in the south. The eastern chain consists mainly of the southern part of the Monti Sibillini , the Monti della Laga , the Gran Sasso d'Italia Massif and
4592-437: The 1647 revolution of Masaniello , there was an attempted rebellion against the feudal landowners. With the extinction of the D'Avalos line in 1729, the island reverted to state property. In March 1734 it was taken by the Bourbons and administered by a royal governor seated within the castle. The island participated in the short-lived Republic of Naples starting in March 1799 but by April 3 Commodore Thomas Troubridge under
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4704-407: The Adriatic foredeep after its function as a subduction zone was discovered. Ischia Ischia ( / ˈ ɪ s k i ə / ISK -ee-ə , Italian: [ˈiskja] , Neapolitan: [ˈiʃkjə] ) is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea . It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples , about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the city of Naples . It is the largest of
4816-421: The African Plate and its collision with the European Plate then caused the Alpine Orogeny , beginning in the late Mesozoic. The band of mountains created extends from Spain to Turkey in a roughly east–west direction and includes the Alps. The Apennines are much younger, extend from northwest to southeast, and are not a displacement of the Alpine chain. The key evidence of the difference is the geologic behavior of
4928-422: The Angevins the following year. It was conquered in 1284 by the forces of Aragon and Charles II of Anjou was unable to successfully retake it until 1299. As a consequence of the island's last eruption in 1302, the population fled to Baia where they remained for 4 years. In 1320 Robert of Anjou and his wife Sancia visited the island and were hosted by Cesare Sterlich, who had been sent by Charles II from
5040-538: The Apennine range, and so are Cilento hills on the west. On the converse the promontory of Mount Gargano , on the east, is completely isolated, and so are the Campanian volcanic arc near Naples . The district is traversed from north-west to south-east by the railway from Sulmona to Benevento and on to Avellino , and from south-west to northeast by the railways from Caianello via Isernia to Campobasso and Termoli, from Caserta to Benevento and Foggia, and from Nocera Inferiore and Avellino to Rocchetta Sant'Antonio,
5152-513: The Apennines. Of note is European walking route E1 coming from northern Europe and traversing the lengths of the northern and central Apennines. The Grand Italian Trail begins in Trieste and after winding through the Alpine arc traverses the entire Apennine system, Sicily and Sardinia. The northern Apennines consist of three subchains : the Ligurian ( Appennino ligure ), Tuscan-Emilian ( Appennino tosco-emiliano ), and Umbrian Apennines ( Appennino umbro ). The Ligurian Apennines border
5264-435: The Calabrian southern Apennine Mountains extend along the northern coast of Sicily (the Sicilian Apennines, Italian Appennino siculo )— Pizzo Carbonara (6,493 feet (1,979 m)) being the highest peak. The number of vascular plant species in the Apennines has been estimated at 5,599. Of these, 728 (23.6%) are in the treeline ecotone . Hemicryptophytes predominate in the entire Apennine chain. The tree line ecotone
5376-549: The Celtic domination of north Italy in the 4th century BC or before. The name originally applied to the north Apennines. However historical linguists have never found a derivation with which they all agree. Wilhelm Deecke said: "[…] its etymology is doubtful but some derive it from the Ligurian-Celtish Pen or Ben , which means mountain peak." A large number of place names seem to reflect pen : Penarrig, Penbrynn, Pencoid, Penmon, Pentir, etc. or ben : Beanach, Benmore, Benabuird, Benan, Bencruachan, etc. In one derivation Pen/Ben
5488-434: The Direttissima, the Great Apennine Tunnel, which at 18.5 kilometres (11.5 miles) is the longest entirely within Italy, although the Simplon Tunnel , which connects Italy and Switzerland, is longer. Automobile traffic is carried by the Autostrada del Sole, Route A1, which goes through numerous shorter tunnels, bypassing an old road, originally Roman, through Futa Pass. In December 2015, a new Route A1 called Variante di Valico
5600-409: The Enel cable resulted in the spillage of oil into the sea and into other environmental matrices – with the consequent pollution by polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs, the use of which was banned by the Italian authorities as long ago as 1984), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and linear alkyl benzenes (aromatic hydrocarbons) — in the ‘Regno di Nettuno’, a marine protected area, and the largest ecosystem in
5712-431: The French and on the 24th was unsuccessfully attacked by the British. On June 21 and 22, 1809 the islands of Ischia and Procida were attacked by an Anglo-Bourbon fleet. Procida surrendered on June 24 and Ischia soon afterwards. However the British soon returned to their bases in Sicily and Malta. In the 19th century Ischia was a popular travel destination for European nobility. On July 28, 1883, an earthquake destroyed
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#17327727146115824-434: The Greeks and Sicilians with timber for shipbuilding. The railway from South Eufemia to Catanzaro and Catanzaro Marina crosses the isthmus, and an ancient road may have run from Squillace to Monteleone. The second group extends to the south end of the Italian Peninsula , culminating in the Aspromonte (1,960 metres (6,420 ft)) to the east of Reggio di Calabria . In both groups the rivers are quite unimportant. Finally,
5936-408: The Ischia DOC are composed of 50% Guarnaccia , 40% Piedirosso (known under the local synonym of Per'e Palummo) and 10% Barbera . Like the white wines, red grapes destined for DOC production are limited to a harvest yield of no more than 10 tonnes/ha though the minimum finished alcohol level is higher at 11.5% ABV. The Aragonese Castle ( Castello Aragonese , Ischia Ponte) was built on a rock near
6048-409: The Mediterranean Sea, designated as a ‘priority habitat’ in Annex I to the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and comprising oceanic posidonia beds. To reduce pollution due to cars, Ischia has been the place of the first complete sustainable mobility project applied to an urban center, created in 2017 with Enel in collaboration with Aldo Arcangioli , one the main Italian experts of green mobility, under
6160-487: The Riserva Naturale Statale Gola del Furlo, where Furlo Pass on the Via Flaminia is located. Both the Etruscans and the Romans constructed tunnels here. The Abruzzi Apennines, located in Abruzzo , Molise and southeastern Lazio , contain the highest peaks and most rugged terrain of the Apennines. They are known in history as the territory of the Italic peoples first defeated by the city of Rome . Coincidentally they exist in three parallel folds or chains surviving from
6272-410: The Romans used the Via Flaminia between Rome and Rimini . The montane distance between Florence in Tuscany and Bologna in Emilia-Romagna is shorter, but exploitation of it required the conquest of more rugged terrain, which was not feasible for the ancients. Railway lines were constructed over the mountains in the early 19th century but they were of low capacity and unimprovable. Since 1856,
6384-411: The Sele—joined by the Negro and Calore—on the west, and the Bradano , Basento , Agri, Sinni on the east, which flow into the gulf of Taranto; to the south of the last-named river there are only unimportant streams flowing into the sea east and west, inasmuch as here the width of the peninsula diminishes to some 64 kilometres (40 mi). The railway running south from Sicignano to Lagonegro, ascending
6496-439: The Tuscan Apennines. They extend to the upper Tiber River . The highest point is Monte Cimone at 2,165 m (7,103 ft). A separate branch, the Apuan Alps , goes southwest, bordering the coast south of La Spezia . Whether they are to be considered part of the Apennines is a matter of opinion; certainly, they are part of the Apennine System. Topographically only the valley of the River Serchio , which running parallel to
6608-416: The Tyrrhenian coasts" certainly played a part. On the other hand, the modern "Island of Ischia" could derive from the Latin "insula visca" – compare the Greek noun (ϝ)ἰξός, (w)ixós, (mistletoe) and the adjective (ϝ)ἰξώδης, (w)ixṓdēs, (viscous, sticky), which as usual have lost the initial digamma. In favor of this theory could be the fact that in the same area, at the foot of Vesuvius covered with pines ,
6720-499: The aid of the Cumaeans, who lived on the mainland opposite Ischia, against the Etruscans and defeated them on the sea. He occupied Ischia and the surrounding Parthenopean islands and left behind a garrison to build a fortress before the city of Ischia itself. This was still extant in the Middle Ages , but the original garrison fled before the eruptions of 470 BC and the island was taken over by Neapolitans. The Romans seized Ischia (and Naples) in 322 BC. In 6 AD, Augustus restored
6832-481: The castle and gave the island over, in 1462, to Garceraldo Requesens. In 1464, after a brief Torellan insurrection, Marino Caracciolo was set up as governor. In February 1495, with the arrival of Charles VIII , Ferdinand II landed on the island and took possession of the castle, and, after having killed the disloyal castellan Giusto di Candida with his own hands, left the island under the control of Innico d'Avalos , marquis of Pescara and Vasto , who ably defended
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#17327727146116944-461: The central and eastern ranges are the valleys of Aquila and Sulmona . The chief rivers on the west are the Nera , with its tributaries the Velino and Salto, and the Aniene , both of which fall into the Tiber. On the east there is at first a succession of small rivers which flow into the Adriatic , from which the highest points of the chain are some 20 km distant, such as the Tronto , Tordino, Vomano and others. The Pescara , which receives
7056-480: The coast turns and exits into the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Pisa , separates the Apuan Alps from the Apennines; geologically the rock is of a slightly different composition, marble . The Roman marble industry was centered at Luna , and is now active in Carrara . As the Tuscan Apennines divide the peninsula between the Po Valley and the plains and hills of Tuscany and Lazio , transportation over them has been used to achieve political and economic unity. Historically
7168-403: The command of Lord Nelson had put down the revolt on Ischia as well as on neighboring Procida . By decree of the governor, many of the rebels were hanged in a square on Procida now called Piazza dei martiri (Square of the Martyrs). Among these was Francesco Buonocore who had received the island to administer from the French Championnet in Naples. On February 13, 1806, the island was occupied by
7280-432: The construction of houses and residential structures. Most of this development has taken place without any planning and building permission. As at the end of 2011, the island lacked the most basic system for sewage treatment; sewage is sent directly to the sea. In 2004 one of the five communities of the island commenced civil works to build a sewage treatment plant but since then the construction has not been completed and it
7392-405: The eastern coast, under the castle. The first evidence of the island's current toponym dates back to the year 812 , in a letter from Pope Leo III in which he informs Emperor Charlemagne of devastations that occurred in the area, calling the island Iscla maior: "Ingressi sunt ipsi nefandissimi Mauri [...] in insulam, quae dicitur Iscla maiore, non longe a Neapolitana urbe." Some scholars connect
7504-404: The following year. In 1422 Joan II gave the island to her adoptive son Alfonso V of Aragon , though, when he fell into disgrace, she retook it with the help of Genoa in 1424. In 1438 Alfonso reoccupied the castle, kicking out all the men and proclaiming it an Aragonese colony, marrying to his garrison the wives and daughters of the expelled. He set about building a bridge linking the castle to
7616-399: The garden. Wonderful tropical and Mediterranean plants were planted and some have now reached amazing proportions. The gardens include wonderful views over the city and harbour of Forio. A museum dedicated to the life and work of William Walton now comprises part of the garden complex. There's also a recital room where renowned musical artists perform on a regular schedule. Villa La Colombaia
7728-423: The government, much remains to be done. They also furnish considerable summer pastures, especially in the Abruzzi : Pliny ( Hist. Nat . xi. 240) praises the cheese of the Apennines. In the forests Italian wolves were frequent, and still are found, the flocks being protected against them by large sheep-dogs; Marsican brown bears , however, which were known in Roman times, have almost entirely disappeared. Nor are
7840-426: The island actually was, like Gibraltar , home to a population of monkeys, they were already extinct by historical times as no record of them is mentioned in ancient sources. An acropolis site of the Monte Vico area was inhabited from the Bronze Age , as Mycenaean and Iron Age pottery findings attest. Euboean Greeks from Eretria and Chalcis arrived in the 8th century BC to establish an emporium for trade with
7952-424: The island in 474 BC, by Hiero I of Syracuse . At the same time, two towers were built to control enemy fleets' movements. The rock was then occupied by Parthenopeans (the ancient inhabitants of Naples ). In 326 BC the fortress was captured by Romans , and then again by the Parthenopeans. In 1441 Alfonso V of Aragon connected the rock to the island with a stone bridge instead of the prior wood bridge, and fortified
8064-468: The island is approximately 18 nautical miles from Naples , 10 km wide from east to west, 7 km from north to south, with a coastline of 43 km and an area of approximately 46.3 km . The highest elevation is Monte Epomeo , standing at 788 meters and located in the center of the island. This is an horst, a tectonic volcano, meaning a block of the Earth's crust that has been uplifted compared to
8176-701: The island to Naples in exchange for Capri . Ischia suffered from the barbarian invasions, being taken first by the Heruli then by the Ostrogoths , being ultimately absorbed into the Eastern Roman Empire . The Byzantines gave the island over to Naples in 588 and by 661 it was being administered by a Count liege to the Duke of Naples . The area was devastated by the Saracens in 813 and 847; in 1004 it
8288-491: The island's wine production . Vineyards planted within the 179 hectares (440 acres) boundaries of the DOC tend to be on volcanic soils with high pumice , phosphorus and potassium content. The white wines of the island are composed primarily of Forastera (at least 65% according to DOC regulation) and Biancolella (up to 20%) with up to 15% of other local grape varieties such as Arilla and San Lunardo . Grapes are limited to
8400-652: The island. It is accessed through a tunnel with large openings which let the light enter. Along the tunnel there is a small chapel consecrated to Saint John Joseph of the Cross (San Giovan Giuseppe della Croce), the patron saint of the island. A more comfortable access is also possible with a modern lift. After arriving outside, it is possible to visit the Church of the Immacolata and the Cathedral of Assunta . The first
8512-645: The junction for Foggia, Spinazzola (for Barletta, Bari, and Taranto ) and Potenza. Roman roads followed the same lines as the railways: the Via Appia ran from Capua to Benevento, whence the older road went to Venosa and Taranto and so to Brindisi , while the Via Traiana ran nearly to Troia (near Foggia) and thence to Bari. The valley of the Ofanto , which runs into the Adriatic close to Barletta , marks
8624-483: The last one occurred in 1302 in the eastern sector of the island with a brief flow (known as Arso) reaching the sea. The Greeks called their colony on the island Pithekoussai (Πιθηκοῦσσαι), from which the Latin name Pithecusa was derived. The name has an uncertain etymology . According to Ovid (Metamorphoses 14.92) and the Alexandrian historian Senagora, the name would derive from pithekos, monkey, and refer to
8736-491: The last refuges of the big European predators such as the Italian wolf and the Marsican brown bear , now extinct in the rest of Central Europe . The mountains lend their name to the Apennine peninsula that forms the major part of Italy. They are mostly verdant, although one side of the highest peak, Corno Grande , is partially covered by Calderone glacier , the only glacier in the Apennines. The eastern slopes down to
8848-703: The meadows and groves of mountainous central Italy. They lived in small hamlets located in defensible places. On the move between summer pastures they built temporary camps or lived in caves and rock shelters. Their range was not necessarily confined to the hills; their pottery has been found on the Capitoline Hill in Rome as well as on the islands mentioned above. The Apennines are divided into three sectors: northern ( Appennino settentrionale ), central ( Appennino centrale ), and southern ( Appennino meridionale ). A number of long hiking trails wind through
8960-642: The mountains bend away to the southeast. The upper Bormida can be reached by a number of roads proceeding inland at a right angle to the coast southwest of Savona , the chief one being the Autostrada Torino-Savona. They ascend to the Bocchetta di Altare , sometimes called Colle di Cadibona , 436 m (1,430 ft), the border between the Ligurian Alps along the coast to the west and the Ligurian Apennines. A bronze plaque fixed to
9072-722: The myth of the Cercopes , inhabitants of the Phlegraean islands transformed by Zeus into monkeys. More plausible is the interpretation of Pliny the Elder (Nat. Hist. 111, 6.82), who instead derives the name from pythos, amphora, a theory supported by archaeological finds that testify to the Greek-Italic production of ceramics (and in particular of wine amphorae) on the island and in the Gulf of Naples. It has also been proposed that
9184-483: The name describes a characteristic of the island, rich in pine forests. "Pitueois" (rich in pines), "pituis" (pine cone), "pissa, pitta" (resin) appear as descriptive terms from which Pithekoussai could derive, meaning "island of resin ," an important substance used, among other things, to waterproof wine vessels. The name Aenaria, also used by the Latins, is linked to metallurgical workshops (from aenus, metal) located on
9296-587: The north and the Abruzzi Apennines ( Appennino abruzzese ) in the south. It extends from Bocca Serriola pass in the north to Forlì pass in the south. The west border of the Umbria-Marche Apennines (or Appennino umbro-marchigiano )) runs through Cagli . They extend south to the Tronto River, the south border of the ONA. The highest peak, Monte Vettore , at 2,478 m (8,130 ft),
9408-649: The northern termination of the first range of the Lucanian Apennines (now Basilicata ), which runs from east to west, while south of the valleys of the Sele (on the west) and Basento (on the east)—which form the line followed by the railway from Battipaglia via Potenza to Metaponto —the second range begins to run due north and south as far as the plain of Sibari . The highest point is the Monte Pollino 2,233 metres (7,325 ft). The chief rivers are
9520-470: The number came to an almost complete standstill due to the currency depreciation of the ruble and COVID-19 pandemic . From Ischia, various destinations such as Naples , Vesuvius , Amalfi Coast , Capri , Herculaneum , Paestum and the neighboring island Procida can be booked. Ischia is easily reached by ferry from Naples. The number of thermal spas on the islands makes it particularly popular with tourists seeking "wellness" holidays. A regular visitor
9632-475: The park are open to the public. Committees and associations work to promote tourism on the island, and provide services and activities for residents. Among these are: The sharp increase of the population between 1950 and 1980 and the growing inflow of tourists (in 2010 over 4 million tourists visited the island for at least one day) have increased the anthropic pressure on the island. Significant acreage of land previously used for agriculture has been developed for
9744-541: The place from the French flotilla . With him came his sister Costanza and through them they founded the D'Avalos dynasty which would last on the island into the 18th century. Throughout the 16th century, the island suffered the incursions of pirates and Barbary privateers from North Africa: in 1543 and 1544 Hayreddin Barbarossa laid waste to the island, taking 4,000 prisoners in the process. In 1548 and 1552, Ischia
9856-553: The plain and hilly areas of the Sabina . 42°13′N 12°50′E / 42.217°N 12.833°E / 42.217; 12.833 Apennines The Apennines conserve some intact ecosystems that have survived human intervention. In these are some of the best-preserved forests and montane grasslands in Europe, now protected by national parks and, within them, a high diversity of flora and fauna. These mountains are one of
9968-484: The popular name of Herculaneum was "Resìna," perhaps reminiscent of an ancient market for this product, similarly to the toponym "Pizzo" in Calabria, from where the best resin, the "pece brettia" obtained from the pines of the nearby Sila, came from. Virgil poetically referred to it as Inarime and still later as Arime . Martianus Capella followed Virgil in this allusive name, which was never in common circulation:
10080-417: The rest of the island and he carved out a large gallery, both of which are still to be seen today. In 1442, he gave the island to one of his favorites, Lucretia d'Alagno , who in turn entrusted the island's governance to her brother-in-law, Giovanni Torella. Upon the death of Alfonso in 1458, they returned the island to the Angevin side. Ferdinand I of Naples ordered Alessandro Sforza to chase Torella out of
10192-541: The sea, occurs on the east coast, extending halfway across the peninsula. Here the limestone Apennines proper cease and the granite mountains of Calabria begin. The first group extends as far as the isthmus formed by the gulfs of South Eufemia and Squillace; it is known as the Sila, and the highest point reached is 1,930 metres (6,330 ft) (the Botte Donato ). The forests which covered it in ancient times supplied
10304-541: The sense of the horn of the quill), have been connected to the name. This view has the word originating in Latium inconsistently with the theory of the northern origin. None of these derivations is accepted unquestionably. The Apennine culture is a technology complex in central and southern Italy from the Italian Middle Bronze Age (15th–14th centuries BC). In the mid-20th century the Apennine
10416-628: The southern tip of the island shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1936 Ischia had a population of 30,418. Spa tourism did not start again until the early 1950s. At that time, a quite remarkable artist colony of writers, composers and visual artists lived in Forio, including Ingeborg Bachmann . Elizabeth Taylor and Luchino Visconti stayed here for filming. On August 21, 2017, Ischia had an 4.2 magnitude earthquake which killed 2 people and injured 42 more. Today, Ischia
10528-568: The state railway system, highly developed on the coastal plain, now traverses the mountains routinely through a number of railway tunnels, such as the one at Giovi Pass . The southeastern border of the Ligurian Apennines is the Fiume Magra , which projects into the Tyrrhenian Sea south of La Spezia , and the Fiume Taro , which runs in the opposite direction to join the Po. The divide between
10640-537: The surrounding crust due to magmatic pressure (horst is a German term meaning "rock"). Monte Epomeo is mistakenly thought of as a volcano, although it lacks any volcanic characteristics. Island volcanism, in fact, is particularly prevalent along the fractures that border the horst, namely Monte Epomeo. Strabo reports what the Greek historian Timeo said about a tsunami that occurred in Ischia shortly before his time. Following
10752-473: The term to the Phoenician word, and therefore Semitic i-schra, "black island." The Phoenician presence on the island is archaeologically documented from a very ancient era and, as reported by Moscati (an Italian historian), in the spread in Campania and southern Etruria, since the 8th century BC, of objects of Egyptian production or inspiration, "the Phoenician merchants settled in Ischia and then frequented
10864-784: The three parallel chains are broken up into smaller groups; among them may be named the Matese , the highest point of which is the Monte Miletto 2,050 metres (6,725 ft). The chief rivers on the south-west are the Liri or Garigliano with its tributary the Sacco, the Volturno , Sebeto, Sarno, on the north the Trigno, Biferno and Fortore . Daunian mountains , in Apulia , are connected with
10976-794: The two upper river valleys is the Cisa Pass . Under it (in two tunnels) runs the Autostrada della Cisa between Spezia and Parma . Starting at Cisa Pass , the mountain chain turns further to the southeast, to cross the peninsula along the border between the Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany regions. They are named the Tuscan–Emilian Apennines west of the Futa Pass and the Tuscan–Romagnol Apennines east of it, or just
11088-749: The valley of the Aterno to Sulmona. In ancient times the Via Salaria , Via Caecilia and Via Tiburtina all ran from Rome to the Adriatic coast . The volcanic mountains of the province of Rome are separated from the Apennines by the Tiber valley, and the Monti Lepini , part of the Volscian chain, by the valleys of the Sacco and Liri . In the southern Apennines, to the south of the Sangro valley,
11200-469: The valley of the Negro, is planned to extend to Cosenza, along the line followed by the ancient Via Popilia, which beyond Cosenza reached the west coast at Terina and thence followed it to Reggio. The Via Herculia [ it ] , a branch of the Via Traiana , ran from Aequum Tuticum to the ancient Nerulum . At the narrowest point the plain of Sibari, through which the rivers Coscile and Crati flow to
11312-420: The villages of Casamicciola Terme and Lacco Ameno . Ischia developed into a well-known artist colony at the beginning of the 20th century. Writers and painters from all over the world were attracted. Eduard Bargheer , Hans Purrmann and Arrigo Wittler lived on the island. Rudolf Levy , Werner Gilles , Max Peiffer Watenphul with Kurt Craemer and Vincent Weber stayed in the fishing village of Sant'Angelo on
11424-491: The volcanic activity of Epomeo, "...the sea receded for three stages; afterwards (...) it turned back again and its ebb tide submerged the island (...) those who lived on the mainland fled from the coast into the interior of Campania" (Geography V, 4, 9). Cumae, not far from that coast, in Greek means "wave". Volcanic activity on Ischia has generally been characterized by eruptions that were not very significant and occurred at great intervals. After eruptions in Greek and Roman times,
11536-493: The walls to defend the inhabitants against the raids of pirates . Around 1700, about 2000 families lived on the islet, including a Poor Clares convent, an abbey of Basilian monks (of the Greek Orthodox Church ), the bishop and the seminar, and the prince, with a military garrison. There were also thirteen churches. In 1912, the castle was sold to a private owner. Today the castle is the most visited monument of
11648-851: The water of which is both drunk on the spot and sold as table water elsewhere. The Apennines are home to twelve Italian national parks : the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano National Park , the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna National Park , the Monti Sibillini National Park , the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park , the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park , the Maiella National Park ,
11760-556: The wild goats called rotae , spoken of by Marcus Terentius Varro ( Rerum rusticarum II. i. 5), which may have been either Pyrenean chamois or steinbock , to be found. Brigandage appears to have been prevalent in Roman times in the more remote parts of the Apennines, as it was until recently. An inscription found near the Furlo pass was set up in AD 246 by an evocatus Augusti (a member of
11872-660: Was Angela Merkel , the former German chancellor. The island is home to the Ischia Film Festival , an international cinema competition celebrated in June or July, dedicated to all the works that have promoted the value of the local territory. In addition to the works noted above, multiple media works have been set or filmed on the island. For example: The island of Ischia is home to the eponymous Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) that produces both red and white wines though white wines account for nearly 80% of
11984-410: Was beset by his successor Dragut Rais . With the increasing rarity and diminishing severity of the piratical attacks later in the century and the construction of better defences, the islanders began to venture out of the castle and it was then that the historic centre of the town of Ischia was begun. Even so, many inhabitants still ended up slaves to the pirates, the last known being taken in 1796. During
12096-607: Was built in 1737 on the location of a smaller chapel dedicated to Saint Francis, and closed after the suppression of convents in 1806, as well as the Poor Clares convent. The gardens, located in Forio-San Francesco, were originally the property of English composer William Walton . Walton lived in the villa next to the gardens with his Argentine wife Susana . When the composer arrived on the island in 1946, he immediately called Russell Page from England to lay out
12208-588: Was discovered in a grave on the island in 1953. Engraved upon the cup are a few lines written in the Greek alphabet . Dating from c. 730 BC, it is one of the most important testimonies to the early Greek alphabet, from which the Latin alphabet descended via the Etruscan alphabet. According to certain scholars the inscription also might be the oldest written reference to the Iliad . In 474 BC, Hiero I of Syracuse came to
12320-596: Was divided into Proto-, Early, Middle and Late sub- phases , but now archaeologists prefer to consider as "Apennine" only the ornamental pottery style of the later phase of Middle Bronze Age (BM3). This phase is preceded by the Grotta Nuova facies (central Italy) and by the Protoapennine B facies (southern Italy) and succeeded by the Subapennine facies of 13th-century ("Bronzo Recente"). Apennine pottery
12432-709: Was occupied by Henry II of Germany ; the Norman Roger II of Sicily took it in 1130 granting the island to the Norman Aldoyn de Candida created Count d’Ischia; the island was raided by the Pisans in 1135 and 1137 and subsequently fell under the Hohenstaufen and then Angevin rule. After the Sicilian Vespers in 1282, the island rebelled, recognizing Peter III of Aragon , but was retaken by
12544-402: Was opened after many years of construction consisting of major tunnels (the longest being the new 8.6-kilometre (5.3-mile) 'Tunel Base') and new overpasses, shortening the traveling time between Florence and Bologna by road. The Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna National Park is in the southern part of the Tuscan–Romagnol Apennines. The southern limit of the Tuscan–Romagnol Apennines
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