Abruzzo

or Abruzzi

Region (pop., 2004 est.: 1,285,896), central Italy. Its capital is L'Aquila. Most of the region is mountainous or hilly, traversed by the Apennines. The ancient Italic tribes of the region long resisted conquest by the Romans. The Normans established themselves in the 12th century, and the region later sided with the Hohenstaufens against the papacy. As Abruzzi e Molise, the area became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1860–61; in 1965 it was divided into the separate regions of Abruzzo and Molise. The economy is primarily agricultural.

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