Teramo

Teramo (ˈtɛːramo; Tèreme ˈtɛːrəmə) is a city and comune in the Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo. The city, from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines (Gran Sasso d'Italia) and the Adriatic coast. The town is located by the confluence of the Vezzola and Tordino rivers, on a hillside area where the terrain features along with the Mediterranean climate make the territory rich in vineyards and olive groves. The economy of the town is mostly based on activities connected with agriculture and commerce, as well as a sound industrial sector: textiles, foods, engineering, building materials and ceramics. Teramo can be reached from the A14 and the A24 motorways. The climate in the region is described as fresh-temperate. During the coolest month, which is January, temperatures average around . On the other hand, during the warmest month, July, temperatures average around . In winter, the region experiences significant snowfall, as observed in 2005. Precipitation is not frequent and is mainly concentrated in late spring. Summers in the area are characterised by days of relatively high temperatures. Interamna (Greek: Ἰντέραμνα: Eth. Interamnas, Interamnātis) was the name of several cities in different parts of Italy. Its etymology, already pointed out by Varro and Festus, indicates their position at the confluence of two streams. The form "Interamnium" (Greek: Ἰντεράμνιον), and the ethnic form Interamnis are also found, but more rarely. The name referred to the two rivers Vezzola and Tordino, between which it lies. The name is already defined in extant manuscripts of the Liber Coloniarum into Teramne, whence its modern form of Teramo. But in the Middle Ages it appears to have been known also by the name of Aprutium, supposed to be a corruption of Praetutium, or rather of the name of the people Praetutii, applied (as was so often the case in Gaul) to their chief city. Thus the name Abrutium is present among the cities of Picenum enumerated by the Geographer of Ravenna (iv.