An Abruzzo Treasure
Torricella Sicura is a communal city which in the year 2001 had just under three thousand residents. It is located in the Province of Teramo, about four miles from the city of Teramo in Italy’s central region of Abruzzo. The people of this town refer to themselves as “Torricellesi”.
The center of Torricella Sicura hosts a postal facility and communal offices.
The town most likely takes the first part of its name from an ancient castle once found just to the north. The local gentry still refer to this area as “lu castille” (the castle). In the late 1700s there is mention of an underground tunnel that led from the castle to the surrounding countryside. Legend has it that somewhere in this area is an enormous grotto containing a vast treasure under the watchful of an enormous serpent. The second part of the town’s name, “Sicura” is thought to be a derivation of “Sicula”, with reference to an indigenous people living in the area in the first millennium BCE.
Surrounding Torricella Sicura are vestiges of Roman Empire and High Middle Ages epochs. Also present are temple ruins, ancient Roman graves, and a mysterious altar dedicated to an unknown deity. One monumental inscription is dedicated to the High Priestess “Numisia” and others speak of the presence of a thermal bathhouse.
Located in the town is a private museum, Presepe e Museo Etnografico “Le Genti della Laga”, devoted to the customs and folklore of Torricella Sicura and the surrounding area. It includes more than 16,000 pieces of memorabilia divided into three main sections. The first is a presentation of very detailed and accurate historical farming scenes done in miniature 1:5 scale. The second is collection of farming tools, many of which date from the 1800s and early 1900s. The third portion is a “virtual museum” in which information about the customs and typical professions of the past is presented in a multimedia internet site. The founder of the museum, Gino Di Benedetto, has taken great care and expense to make his collection of historical objects as authentic as possible.
Torricella Sicura is known as the birthplace of Mario Capuani, a young physician who supported the Italian partisans and was subsequently shot to death by German troops during the last phases of World War II. In the planning stages is a Museo della Resistenza Terama (Museum of the Resistance of Teramo), soon to be constructed at the home where the physician Mario Capuani lived. In the meantime several markers in the town are dedicated to his memory.
The town is divided in neighborhoods, several of which have nicknames. The include:
- Torricella Oscura
- Torricella Scarpone – the area surrounding the town castle
- Torricella Romana – the area surrounding the house of the illustrious Romani family
- Torricella Case Nuove – area in which homes have most recently been constructed
- Centro – area in the center of town lacking a specific nickname
The main place of worship in Torricella Sicura is the Parish Church, Saint Paul the Apostle, named after the patron saint of the town. It is located in the center of Torricella Sicura and is noted for its majestic bell tower. A smaller church is called Madonna delle Vergini (Madonna of the Virgins), often referred to as “Chiesa della Cona” (Church of the Icon) in reference to its links to the Virgin Mother.
Popular restaurants in Torricella Sicura include Il Tizzone (also a pizzeria and famous for its porcini mushroom dishes), Osteria Le Grotte (famous for lamb), L’Aberone, La Pineta (an agriturismo especially popular with Enghlish-speaking visitors to the area), La Vaca Loca, Pizzeria Borgo Antico, L’Orsetto Mio, and Il Ritrovo. The town hosts a festival of soup and lamb each July. Very near Torricella Sicura are the villages of Villa Ripa, Frondarola, and Valle San Giovanni.
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Sponsored by Villa Casale & AbruzzoVillas
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