Orsogna

Around the village of Orsogna (Ursógne in Abruzzo dialect), in Abruzzo, according to the legend lived bears. The name appears to be derived from the archaic name of its district, located in the Valle del Moro in the village, the contrada Rissogna, today Contrada Fraia.

Renowned for the production of oil and wine, the village was largely reconstructed as it suffered German attacks and a massive allied bombing during World War II, being not far from Ortona along the Gustav Line.

In ancient times, the Abruzzo country was populated predominantly by peasants, but there were also hammers, as the soil around the town is clayey. These craftsmen worked in caves beneath the cobbled cliff of the country, in a favorable position protected by the cold winter.

Today, craftsmen’s caves are almost completely abandoned by World War Wars, but in many caves there are remains of terracotta processing. In 1881 earthquakes of considerable intensity hit Orsogna.

The village resumed in the twentieth century, but in 1943 it fell into the Nazi hands after the armistice of Badoglio. Bombarded by the Allies until June 1944, during the Battle of Orsogna, was released only on June 8, 1944, from the 184th Infantry Regiment “Nembo” of the Italian Liberation Corps. Orsogna, bombed by the allies until June 1944, was released only on June 8, 1944, from the 184th Infantry Regiment “Nembo” of the Italian Liberation Corps.

They deserve a visit, completely restored with a lasting effort for decades, the Church of San Nicola, that of San Rocco, the Franciscan Convent and the Bene Tower, inside which is preserved the painting of ‘The Daughter of Iorio’ by the artist Francesco Paolo Michetti. The painting won the first prize at the Venice Biennale in 1895. For the character of Mila di Codra, the female protagonist of Gabriele D’Annunzio’s homonymous opera, she set the 19th-century Judith Saracens as a model, while for Aligi, the male protagonist of the same Dannunzian opera, laid a farmer, perhaps in the area.

Orsogna also has a rich selection of dishes of the rural tradition, watering with the excellent local wine: from the homemade pasta “carrata” to the “pallette casce and ove”, from “pizz e ffuje” (corn flour focaccia and vegetables) to the “pizz di randigne” (maize), from the “ciammaiche al sugo” (snails) to the “cif e ciaf” made with the pork pillow, to end with sweets: potato crispes, the Easter Pupa in almond paste, “ciaunelle” (uncooked fried donuts), Christmas taralli and pizzelle.