History
There are two common etymologies for the name of the town: from "Ave Jane", an invocation to the Roman God Janus and from "Ad Vetianum" which means a "to the Vetia family", domiciled in the nearby town of Alba Fucens. The first settlements in this area began with the construction works for the lake's drainage ordered by Emperor Claudius in the first century CE. In the 15th century Avezzano was under Gentile Virgilio Orsini, who built the castle in 1490.
Avezzano once lay on the shores of the largest lake in peninsular Italy, Lake Fucino, drained in the late 19th century; after the draining of the Lake, thanks to the wide fields now available for cultivation the area underwent a terrific growth, but was completely destroyed by the possibly worst recorded earthquake in the history of Italy, on the early morning of January 13, 1915: only Casa dei Palazzi and a wing of Orsini Castle were spared. More than 12,000 people died.
The town was then completely rebuilt along straight, parallel streets, with wide green areas and fine villas in the "Liberty" style.
Read more about this topic: Avezzano
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