Assergi
| Assergi | |
|---|---|
| Frazione | |
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 Assergi
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| Coordinates: 42°24′N 13°30′E / 42.400°N 13.500°ECoordinates: 42°24′N 13°30′E / 42.400°N 13.500°E | |
| Country |
 Italy
|
| Region | Abruzzo |
| Province | L'Aquila (AQ) |
| Commune | L'Aquila |
| Elevation | 2,936 ft (895 m) |
| Demonym(s) | Assergesi |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 67100 |
| Area code(s) | 0862 |
Assergi is a frazione of the comune of L'Aquila, located about 11 km from the capital. With a population of just over 500, it is situated at an altitude of approximately 1,000 meters, below the western slope of the Gran Sasso in a small plain called the Piana di Assergi (Plain of Assergi). Assergi was formerly included in the comune of Camarda, which is directly to its south.
Assergi is located entirely within the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, and also contains the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, a national laboratory of nuclear physics. Also in Assergi is the base of the Funivia del Gran Sasso d'Italia, a cable car that leads to the Campo Imperatore.
The area around Assergi was settled by the Vestini, a local tribe. These origins are evident in the ruins of the town of Prifernum, situated near the current site of Assergi. Likely abandoned by the second century BC, it was reestablished in Roman times as the small village of Castrum Asserici, to provide accommodation to workers of nearby mines.
The center developed further in the Middle Ages around the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria ad silicem. The town was completely fortified at the time, and the city walls and gates on the eastern and southern sides are still standing. In the 13th century, Assergi and 98 other local villages participated in the founding of L'Aquila.
As the countryside of L'Aquila dissolved, the Spaniards offered the remaining pieces for sale. Assergi was purchased between 1530 and 1540 by Cristoforo Cenci, whose family remained in the area until the land was lost in events related to Beatrice Cenci after 1586. It was then passed to the Caffarelli family, who held the area as a duke, along with neighboring Aragno, Camarda e Filetto. Despite being on the main route from L'Aquila to Campo Imperatore, the town of Assergi gradually declined in importance. In the 18th century, it joined the district of Paganica, and it later joined the municipality of Camarda until after the unification of Italy.
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Wikipedia