Avezzano (Italian pronunciation: [avetˈtsaːno] or [avedˈdzaːno]; Marsicano: Avezzàne [avedˈdzɑːnə]) is a city in the Abruzzo region, province of L'Aquila, Italy.

[4][5] There are different common etymologies for the name of the city: from "Ad Vetianum" which means a "to the Vetia family"; from "Avidianum" or "fundus Avidianus" which is derived from the noble Avidius domiciled in the nearby town of Alba Fucens or from "Ave Jane", an invocation to the Roman god Janus.

There are several sites that bear witness to the presence of humans in prehistoric times, as in the Cave of Ciccio Felice located just south of Avezzano.

[8] Traces of necropoleis dating to 8-5th centuries BC have emerged along the border between the Aequi and Marsi at Colle Sabulo, Cretaro-Brecciara and Valle Solegara.

Avezzano was a rural area in the ager (state land) of Alba Fucens founded by Rome between 304-3 BC[9] after the Roman conquest and colonisation of the territory of the Aequi bordering that of the Marsi.

The grandiose remains of a Roman villa on terraces can be seen at S. Pelino with an aqueduct conduit upstream of the fountain with an opening on a beautiful wall in opus isodoma.

Below the spring, a long terracing wall in opus cementicium is visible, 36 m long and preserved (for the first 8 m) to a height of 4.4 m: below is a curtain (2.60 m high) of blocks, molded in steps on the edges, in polygonal work 40 cm thick in six rows surmounted by a coating of opus reticulatum up to 1.8 m. On the slopes is a terrace wall about 5 m high with masonry 70 cm thick.

The first has a terrace wall in polygonal work, a conduit from a spring and a vast area of pottery fragments along the country road which joins S. Pelino Vecchio with medieval Paterno.

The fundus Avidianus was an estate owned by the Avidii family as attested by local inscriptions and attributable to the II-I century BC which would have included a villa.

The colony became a thriving and populous commercial centre and was connected to the surrounding area by a road paved with cobblestones.

In the Late Middle Ages the victory of Charles of Anjou led to the destruction of Albe and Pietraquaria whose people had sided in favor of Conradin, duke of Swabia, defeated after the battle of Tagliacozzo in 1268.

It was completely destroyed by one of the worst recorded earthquakes in the history of Italy on the early morning of January 13, 1915, with only Palazzi's house and a wing of Orsini-Colonna castle spared.

The town streets were then completely rebuilt along straight, parallel lines, with wide green areas and villas in the Liberty style.

Avezzano is considered "the city territory" of Marsica, Abruzzo sub-region that includes 37 municipalities, for a total of about 134,000 inhabitants.

Because of its geographical location, situated as it is in the former bed of the Fucino and surrounded by towering hills, Avezzano is characterized by a Mediterranean mountain climate.

[22] The Climate classification is: Zone E, 2561 GR / G. The city, having been completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1915, has no monuments of particular interest as do other locations in the region of Abruzzo.

It was founded by Rome as a Latin colony between 304 and 303 BC in the territory of the Aequi, on the frontier of the Marsi, in a strategic position.

At the center of the reserve is located the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Pietraquaria surrounded by numerous trails frequented by sportsmen and nature lovers.

[31] Several qualities of vegetables: carrot highland Fucino (PGI),[32] radishes, salads and all kinds of horticultural products.

Also located here are Arab TV, Kidco, the Burgo group, FIAMM, Saes, Presider, Presafer and several other specialized firms.