History of Sulmona

Recent History

XVII century has been a period of lifeless social life, where the only example of vitalità has been the presence of the City in the revolutionary wave of Masaniello: but soon after noblemen assumed the command and the leaders of the revolt were executed.

In 1656 the Chivalry Joust, held twice a year, was cast off, because of the lack and the negligence of the knights, in addition to a dreadful plague: luckely from 1999 the Joust had been renewed for our times.
But XVII century has been the century in which the Churches of Sulmona have been provided with italian organs, works by local organ-builders, we remember Marino and Vincenzo from Sulmona, who realized the organ of the Gregorian Chapel in St. Peter in Rome.

In 1706 a disastrous earthquake destroyed the city and awoke the people of the city. Eighteenth century marked a new period of recovery, where the railway of Sulmona, thanks to its strategic position, enjoyed a great development and with it the city enjoyed both an economic and a demographic growth.
In 1889 Giuseppe Capograssi was born, a great personality of the city and an eminet scholar of Philosophy of Law. He was a teacher and became Rector of a lot of Universities, among them the University of Rome, and shortly before his death he became member of the Constitutional Court. Among his works, besides works on law, a collection of thoughts and reflections, 'Thoughts to Giulia', whence I have chosen some lines, written at the bottom of the page.

Periods of up and down charachterized the '900, it is worth remembering the building in the '50 of the Public Theatre, the reconstruction of the historic Cinema Pacifico and the rebirth of the already mentioned Joust, as well as the passage of the Italy Tour in 1911, an event that till today has occurred for 6 times.

During the World War II Sulmona suffered a lot of damages and, because of its position close to the Gustav Line, it saw the depopulation of the South area, (from the West Majella to the High Sangro area). Moreover the city was bombarded with particular violence because it was, and it is still, a very important railway. Notwithstanding the adversities from the first visit of Enrico de Nicola, President of the Republic, in November 1946, we have the first signs of a rebirth. A totally destroyed part of the city was rebuilt and the Record Office was reconstitued, removed by the Fascist regime in order to take revenge for the folk revolt of the year 1929, thanks to which the dutied on every kind of merchandise within the town walls, were removed.

A few years later, a new rebellion against the institutions, the so called Jamm' mo, in the 1957: discontent was caused by the removal of important administrations ina city which was trying (and is stil trying) to become province.