Barrea

The village of Barrea descends from the pre-Roman population of the Samnites, who linked their destinies to the village. Currently, along the shores of the lake or in the nearby archaeological site of Alfedena, traces abound from this period. There is a document from the year 996 in which the ancient name of Barrea, Vallis Regia, first appears. This document also mentions that Barrea was given to the Duke of Spoleto during the dark feudal times in Italy, a period noted for its anarchic regimes and barbaric raids.

Perhaps mainly to protect themselves from the fierce raid of the Huns, the inhabitants of the valley floor sheltered near a Benedictine monastery in a strategic position on the precipice of the river Sangro. Even today the monastery still exists and has withstood the ravages of man and the assault of time and the elements. In the following centuries, the inhabitants of Barrea built a tangle of practically impregnable houses along the southwestern side of the valley. Everything is protected by nature on one side and by observation towers, one round and one square, and defensive walls on the other. Historic records of this town mirror other examples found in Italy: bloody wars, rivalries and even devastating earthquakes.

One side of the original, central castle was protected from invaders by natural means, utilizing the impassably steep slope of the mountain; two stone castle gates afforded other protection to the castle and the homes that were built within its walls, dug into the slides of the mountain and giving out through front entrances facing on narrow, twisting, steep stone alleys.

Its location surrounded by the Apennines would have prevented Barrea's development into an industrial area had not other economic obstacles also existed; historically, residents existed by tending small farms in plots on the mountainside. A major emigration took place after the earthquake of 1984, when many residents declined to return to the homes that were ruined in the tremor. Many of the homes have been bought by tourists, who enjoy Barrea's location on the brow of a mountainside, giving out over the Sangro valley, but there are fewer than 1,000 permanent inhabitants.

Today, Barrea is at the center of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, a natural area rich in wildlife and recreation and lacking any aspect of urban commercialization. The village contains many monuments to its sufferings in World War II, when it was subjected to Allied bombings.

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|location = Barrea, elevation {{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1951–2000)

|Jan record high C = 15.2

|Feb record high C = 20.3

|Mar record high C = 20.0

|Apr record high C = 23.5

|May record high C = 27.9

|Jun record high C = 33.2

|Jul record high C = 36.9

|Aug record high C = 33.6

|Sep record high C = 29.2

|Oct record high C = 25.2

|Nov record high C = 21.8

|Dec record high C = 17.5

|Jan record low C = -14.5

|Feb record low C = -16.5

|Mar record low C = -11.7

|Apr record low C = -7.5

|May record low C = -2.4

|Jun record low C = 2.3

|Jul record low C = 2.6

|Aug record low C = 4.3

|Sep record low C = -0.5

|Oct record low C = -5.0

|Nov record low C = -10.9

|Dec record low C = -13.3

|Jan high C = 5.9

|Feb high C = 7.2

|Mar high C = 9.6

|Apr high C = 12.9

|May high C = 18.2

|Jun high C = 21.9

|Jul high C = 25.2

|Aug high C = 25.5

|Sep high C = 20.8

|Oct high C = 16.1

|Nov high C = 10.5

|Dec high C = 6.3

| year high C =

|Jan mean C = 1.9

|Feb mean C = 2.8

|Mar mean C = 4.9

|Apr mean C = 8.0

|May mean C = 12.6

|Jun mean C = 15.9

|Jul mean C = 18.6

|Aug mean C = 18.9

|Sep mean C = 15.0

|Oct mean C = 10.7

|Nov mean C = 6.2

|Dec mean C = 2.4

| year mean C =

|Jan low C = -2.1

|Feb low C = -1.6

|Mar low C = 0.3

|Apr low C = 3.1

|May low C = 7.0

|Jun low C = 9.9

|Jul low C = 12.0

|Aug low C = 12.3

|Sep low C = 9.2

|Oct low C = 5.4

|Nov low C = 1.8

|Dec low C = -1.5

| year low C =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 108.5

|Feb precipitation mm = 104.2

|Mar precipitation mm = 86.7

|Apr precipitation mm = 86.5

|May precipitation mm = 67.7

|Jun precipitation mm = 48.0

|Jul precipitation mm = 39.1

|Aug precipitation mm = 37.0

|Sep precipitation mm = 78.3

|Oct precipitation mm = 109.9

|Nov precipitation mm = 166.6

|Dec precipitation mm = 151.0

|year precipitation mm =

| Jan precipitation days = 10.3

| Feb precipitation days = 9.3

| Mar precipitation days = 9.9

| Apr precipitation days = 10.7

| May precipitation days = 10.1

| Jun precipitation days = 8.0

| Jul precipitation days = 6.0

| Aug precipitation days = 5.5

| Sep precipitation days = 7.3

| Oct precipitation days = 9.1

| Nov precipitation days = 11.4

| Dec precipitation days = 11.7

| year precipitation days =

| source 1 = Regione Abruzzo{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240630102234/https://www.regione.abruzzo.it/system/files/agricoltura/agrometereologia/VALORI_MEDI_CLIMATICI_NELLA_REGIONE_ABRUZZO.pdf

| archive-date = 30 June 2024

| url = https://www.regione.abruzzo.it/system/files/agricoltura/agrometereologia/VALORI_MEDI_CLIMATICI_NELLA_REGIONE_ABRUZZO.pdf

| title = VALORI MEDI CLIMATICI DAL 1951 AL 2000 NELLA REGIONE ABRUZZO

| publisher= Regione Abruzzo

| access-date = 30 June 2024}}

}}

File:Lago di Barrea 1.JPG|Panoramic view.

File:Il_lago_di_barrea.jpg|Lake of Barrea.

File:Lago di Barrea (winter).JPG|The lake during winter.

File:church_of_the_Purgatory.jpg|Church of the Purgatory.

File:Side_street.JPG|An alley in the village.

File:Barrea castle 2024.jpg|Glimpse of Barrea castle.

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.vallisregia.it/home_en.htm Vallis Regia]
• [http://www.comune.barrea.aq.it Municipality of Barrea]

{{Province of L'Aquila}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Cities and towns in Abruzzo