Amatrice

Amatrice is a town and comune in the province of Rieti, in northern Lazio , and the center of the food-agricultural area of Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. The town was devastated by a powerful earthquake on 24 August 2016.

Archaeological discoveries show a human presence in the area of Amatrice since prehistoric times, and the remains of Roman buildings and tombs have also been found. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the area became part of the Lombard Duchy of Spoleto, included in the comitatus of Ascoli. The town of Matrice is mentioned in the papers of the Abbey of Farfa in 1012 as commanding the confluence of the Tronto and Castellano rivers. In the year 900 the Pope was from Amatrice.

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