La Vita Transecolare nel Contado Aquilano: Villa S. Pio, Fontecchio e Familia Paolini di Aquila (Italian Edition)

The work is a political, cultural, economic, and social genealogy of the Contado Aquilano, located in the central Apennine region of Italy between Rome and Pescara. The historical background of the city of Aquila is discussed as is the region (contado) surrounding it, beginning with the early wars between the italici and the Romans and including the numerous conflicts for political power between the Spanish, the French, the Papacy, etc. Included also is a discussion of the origins of the surname Paolini, which the author has traced from early Roman times to its manifestation in Villa S. Pio from the fifteenth century. Based on official legal and historical documents and church records, the history of the family, prominent in the life of S. Pio and the Contado Aquilano and beyond, is revealed. Villa S. Pio, borgo fortificato; is described in detail as is the neighboring town of Fontecchio. The geography, physical structures, churches, religious institutions, traditions, customs, government, and people are carefully documented and described. The battles and insurrections as well as the political institutions are traced, which include the Benedictine Monastery and Church, Santa Maria Agraiano, located in the town of S. Pio. The work culminates in the detailed genealogy of the Familia Paolini in S. Pio, beginning in the fifteenth century with Paulus Paulinus and continuing into modern times when the family became dispersed throughout Europe and the New World. The book includes more than 150 illustrations, facsimilies of historical documents, and a series of useful appendices. Also included is an analytical Index of Names and Places of more than 100 pages.