The Name of the Rose

1984

Special Collections PQ4865 C6 N6 A29 1984

London: Picador in association with Secker & Warburg

The region of Abruzzo is dotted with national parks and nature reserves. Abruzzo’s numerous protected areas have not only ensured the survival of many rare species such as the golden eagle and the Abruzzo chamois, but have aided the preservation of some of Italy’s best medieval and Renaissance hill towns. Castel del Monte and Santo Stefano di Sessanio in the Gran Sasso National Park are but two. Divided into four provinces (L’Aquila, Teramo, Pescara and the Cheti), the region boasts a long coastline in the east, along the Adriatic Sea. Because of the wealth of castles and medieval towns, especially around the capital of L’Aquila, the region has been nicknamed ‘Abruzzoshire’. Film-makers are attracted to the region. In the 1980s, Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose was filmed in the valley of Gran Sasso d’Italia, the highest of the Apennines.