Amatrice, with its 2,400 inhabitants, is a village built on a rocky spur overlooking the confluence of the Tronto and Castellano rivers.
Located in the heart of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, it is nestled in an area bordering Lazio, Umbria, Marche, and Abruzzo, in a strategic passageway between the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian coasts, in the upper basin of the Tronto River.
Its territory extends over a central plateau with an altitude between 900 and 1,000 meters, home to Lake Scandarello and surrounded by mountains that exceed 2,400 meters on the eastern side.
The municipality of Amatrice includes the summit of Mount Gorzano (2,458 m). Due to the low permeability of the rocks that make up the Laga mountain range, there are a large number of perennial springs that contribute to making this area green and rich in water throughout the year, unlike other areas of the Apennines.
Archaeological finds show that the Amatrice basin has been inhabited since protohistoric times, and the fact that it lies along the Via Salaria explains why the basin has been continuously inhabited since pre-Roman times.
The remains of buildings and tombs found in various areas of the territory date back to Roman times. In fact, according to tradition, the city of “Summa Villarum” gave its name to the entire area in the Middle Ages, which was annexed to the Duchy of Spoleto in the 6th century.
The Regesto di Farfa mentions, for the period from the mid-8th century to the early 12th century, the names of many towns and villages in the current municipality, including Matrice in 1012, which is also mentioned in 1037 in the diploma with which Emperor Conrad II confirmed the Bishop of Ascoli’s possessions. Later, around 1265, during the reign of King Manfred of Swabia, Amatrice became part of the Kingdom of Naples. The city did not want to submit to Angevin rule and, in fact, rebelled openly on several occasions. In 1271 and 1274, Charles of Anjou sent armies to crush the resistance of the people of Amatrice and bring the city to heel.
The village is built on a rocky spur around which 69 hamlets or “villas” are distributed, which originally must have been more than 90. The urban layout of the town can be traced back to before the Renaissance, given the design of the plan, which winds along seven parallel curved roads (a medieval feature) oriented along an east-west axis. The widest main street is the current Corso Umberto I, intersected by two other streets.
Amatrice, one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in Italy,” is currently being rebuilt following the 2016-2017 earthquake. We hope to be able to return soon to stroll through its narrow streets.
