Valle Piola
Valle Piola is a deserted village in the province of Teramo, in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is a frazione of the comune of Torricella Sicura. Having been abandoned in 1977, all that remains are 9 abandoned houses, a church, and the ruins of a shepherds' shelter. The village has recently received renewed interest from the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park authorities with the aim of restoring and revitalizing the village and its environs.
Geography
Valle Piola is located in a national park district known as “Tra due Regni”, in an area known as Monti della Laga. The village sits at an elevation of approximately 3336 feet on the northeast slope of Monte Farina, a natural basin from which springs the Rio Valle, a tributary of the Vezzola River. Valle Piola is reachable from Teramo by means of a gravel road. The main, and only, street in the village center has been paved. A mule path leads to higher elevations.History
Perhaps the first written document mentioning Valle Piola dates back to the year 1059. Early records show that the area surrounding Valle Piola, along with the adjoining lands of Monti della Laga enjoyed a semi-autonomous status. Such rights have been codified in the form of statutes bestowing upon Valle Piola the recognition of being a "rural comune".In the years following 1152 the mountain areas of the region lost population as people made their way to the much larger provincial capital of Teramo. These migrations were at times involuntary in nature. One well known family from Teramo, the De Valles, likely originated from Valle Piola, possibly from Case Menghini.
Because of its isolated nature, the people of Valle Piola were by necessity very self-sufficient. Since it took several long hours by foot or mule to reach the nearest good sized town, Teramo, they also had to be well organized and prepared for the hardships they faced, especially those encountered in the long, cold winter months. Virtually every house in the village had an adjacent animal stall which used to shelter the family cows, steers, pigs, and horses. Also present was a small garden for the cultivation of potatoes and other vegetables. Stone walls, now completely in ruins, at one time helped to form terraces on the hilly slopes surrounding the houses.
Many of the people from Valle Piola were illiterate and spoke a Lombardic dialect which was virtually incomprehensible to residents of the neighboring villages. Historically, the most educated and cultured resident was the local priest. More recently, the school master would also have fit this description.
From the 13th century until the time of the Italian Risorgimento, Valle Piola served as a meeting center and hideout for armed brigands who made this area their home, this area being ideally suited for such purposes. These groups demanded total loyalty to their cause thus leading both to squabbles amongst the various brigand factions as well as to clashes with the sovereign forces whose task was to uphold the law. They encountered at best mixed success in their attempts to subdue and pacify the openly rebellious subversive outlaw clans. At times these internecine battles took on characteristics of a civil war.
During the Second World War the Italian resistance fighters staged in this area, along with Bosco Martese and other nearby forest tracts of Monti della Laga in their struggles against the occupying German forces.
In present times the area surrounding Valle Piola is used mainly for the grazing of livestock. In the summer months a herdsman watches over the animals day and night and a shelter for protection from the elements has recently been constructed.
Architectural highlights
The oldest part of Valle Piola is in the shape of a horseshoe and in later times additional houses were built nearby. A lightwell placed in one of the city's walls once provided greatly appreciated illumination to open areas below. What is left of this structure now stands in ruins for the most part covered by rocky soil and other debris. It is said the damage resulted from the rupture of an underground well structure. Also located in the center part of the village are two porticoes through which passes the main street of the town. On one portico is a keystone which once likely boasted a sculpture in the form a human face. Its disappearance is likely the result of scavengers looking for valued architectural relics of more prosperous times. Between two porticoes is an open and expansive piazza.A mill once stood next to the bridge built on the road of Valle Piola, Via della Fauna. The economy was strongly connected to the timber industry with Valle Piola known both for charcoal manufacture which was carried to Teramo via mules, as well as the manufacture of lumber for construction. A small quarry yielded limestone which was then baked so it could be used to produce cement products.
Suburb Case Menghini (Menghini Family Homes)
This location consists of a small cluster of interconnected homes belonging to several owners. In past years the wealthy Menghini family occupied what was then one large structure. Attesting to its significance are the presence of protected niches that could be used by armed guardsmen to protect the dwelling from brigand attacks. Several grand reception rooms contain very large fireplaces. Adjoining buildings are smaller in dimension and contain sleeping and other living quarters.''I gafii'' (wooden balconies)
Two of the structures in Valle Piola have attached to them a wooden balcony known as a gafio. One is the house of the Menghini family located on the town outskirts. A second is found in the old town center. This second house once served as a stable and was recently restored by two individuals from Torricella Sicura, the carpenter Offredo Polidori, and his son Mario.The gafio balconies serve as vestiges of Valle Piola's ancient connections with northern Lombardic peoples. The term gafio comes from the Lombardic word "waifa", meaning "space which is non private." These covered wooden balconies constituted precisely such areas. A close examination of the gafio balconies speaks to the highly developed craftsmanship of the Abruzzese and Lombardic tradesmen while working with wooden materials. The gafio balconies are unique in that they are able to support the weight of floorboards, one or more human occupants and, in the cold winter months, snow on the protective covering above. It is difficult to imagine how any material besides wood could be better suited to the construction of these protruding dwelling structures.