- published: 21 Jul 2015
- views: 2513
Celano is a town and comune in the Province of L'Aquila, central Italy, 120 km (75 mi) east of Rome by rail.
Celano rises on the top of a hill in the territory of Marsica, below the mountain range of Sirente. It faces the valley of Fucino, once filled by the large Fucine Lake, which was drained during the 19th century.[citation needed]
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Celano suffered from the invasions of Lombards (6th century) and Saracens. The city passed under Byzantine control, and was then subdued by the Lombards and governed by the duchies of Spoleto and Benevento.
From the 8th century, Charlemagne and his descendants ruled the Marsica region independently of Spoleto, raising it to the rank of county. Celano was elected Caput Marsorum (capital city of the Marsica region), governed by the Berardi family. From around the year 1140, it was captured by the Normans, who annexed it to the Kingdom of Sicily. Fearing that Marsica was becoming too powerful, in the year 1223 Emperor Frederick II ordered his army to destroy the castles of the region. Celano suffered a long siege, which ended with its defeat and total destruction and the exile of its entire male population to Sicily and Malta. Once the feudal rights of Celano were abolished the region came under the jurisdiction of the Giustizierato of Abruzzo, with Sulmona as capital.