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In 1222 St. Francis of Assisi reached the Comino Valley to devote himself to prayer and mature spiritually.

The citizens of Atina who decided to remain worked tirelessly together to gradually rebuild their lives and rebuild and repair their beloved Atina. Over a period of many years the town has been reconstructed, however if you look very carefully many of the buildings still bear the scars of the bombing and shelling. On the […]

The civilians were shocked and disorientated when they first saw the devastation of their precious little town that had been virtually razed to the ground. Many were eager to find out what was left of their homes, and searched amongst the rubble for any belongings that perhaps still remained. Some families found themselves totally destitute.  […]

Thus the local people lived in fear of the blood curdling sound of the approaching bombers. Many decided to abandon their homes and sought to find places of safety on the hillsides above Atina. They trekked their way along steep and rocky mule tracks with just the few meagre possessions and supplies they could manage […]

On the 19th October 1943 the first bombs were dropped on Atina by the Allies who were aiming for the bridge across the River Melfa. However the bombs failed to hit their target. One fell near the road known as La Costa. A couple hit the area close to the Cartiera and Contrada Guazzoli. Another fell […]

On the 8th September 1943 Atina and the valley of the Ponte Melfa and Mollarino was invaded by the Baden-Württemberg 305ª Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht commanded by General Friedrich Wilhelm Hauck. By Christmas 1943 the 305th division was replaced by the 5th Gebirgjägers  Division, from Bavaria and Austria, which specialized in mountain warfare. The division was first […]

In 1734 the Bourbon King Charles VII was crowned King of the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily. In 1759 he passed the title to his son who became King Ferdinand IV. In 1798 King Ferdinand ordered the construction of an iron works in the district of Canneto in the Val di Comino. However ten years later the works were forced […]

The fortifications of Cancello were constructed to defend the passage, sited along the old Roman road (Via Sferracavali). This divided the territory of San Benedetto from the State of Alvito. There was a gateway with an iron gate which at one time was used as a customs point. Later it became part of a very strong […]

Following the fall of the Roman Empire came a period known as the Dark Ages.  The Val di Comino suffered repeated invasions and looting by the Barbarians.  Firstly by the Visigoths in 421 and then by the Ostrogoths. Atina’s troubled history continued over the centuries.  In 589 AD the town was laid waste and many of […]