Abruzzo

Abruzzo rebuilt itself seven times after devastating earthquakes—yet became Southern Italy's richest region. Where geology dictates evacuation, economics demanded growth.

The Apennines' highest peaks rise here: Gran Sasso at 2,912 meters, Mount Majella at 2,793 meters. Between mountains and the Adriatic Sea, ancient Italic tribes—the Peligni, Marrucini, and Frentani—settled in neotectonic basins despite the seismic threat. The same fault-line valleys that enabled agriculture and passage also guaranteed periodic destruction.

Earthquakes in the 2nd century AD killed thousands. The 1706 event killed 2,400 in Sulmona alone. The January 13, 1915 earthquake killed 33,000 across the region in seconds. The pattern repeated every few generations: build, prosper, rebuild. Yet people returned.

Medieval settlements climbed hillsides above the basins—Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Castel del Monte—perched high enough to see danger coming but close enough to farm the valleys. Sulmona became famous for confetti (sugar-coated almonds) in 1783, exporting delicacies while importing risk.

In the early 1950s, Abruzzo was the archetype of the underdeveloped Mezzogiorno: no natural resources beyond mountains and earthquakes, no large cities, poor transport links. Then came the deliberate industrial policy of the 1960s-70s. Northern manufacturers, seeking lower labor costs but unwilling to cross into the Mezzogiorno's chaos, found Abruzzo just barely south enough for subsidies, just barely accessible enough for logistics.

The Sevel plant opened in Val di Sangro in 1981—a joint venture between Fiat and PSA Peugeot Citroën. Europe's largest light commercial vehicle factory chose a seismic zone to manufacture vans. The gamble worked: by the mid-1990s, Abruzzo had transformed from poorest to richest region in Southern Italy. Mechanical engineering, telecommunications equipment, and automotive supply chains clustered around Sevel's 1.2 million square meters of production floor. Subcontractors multiplied. The 2009 L'Aquila earthquake killed 308 people—then reconstruction contracts pumped billions into the economy.

Abruzzo is the 16th most productive Italian region by GDP, employing approximately 6,000 workers at the Sevel plant alone, producing 1,200 vehicles daily. The Fiat Ducato, Citroën Jumper, and Peugeot Boxer roll off the line alongside electric Cargo Box BEVs introduced in 2025. Wine exports—Montepulciano d'Abruzzo—compete with automotive parts. Tourism brought 1.74 million arrivals in 2023, drawn to Gran Sasso's peaks and Adriatic beaches. The regional economy balances manufacturing precision with seismic unpredictability, knowing the next quake will come but betting it won't arrive before the next production quota.

Electric vehicle production scales at Sevel, betting Stellantis's future on the same fault lines that have killed 50,000 over two millennia. The cycle continues: build, export, rebuild.