“The Judge-poet”, that’s the name that Gabriele D’Annunzio gave to his friend Alessandro Madonna, a magistrate and an archaeologist born in Torricella Peligna in 1865. He inherited his passion for archaeology from his father, Teseo. He also studied law in Rome, where he practices his profession and became a magistrate at the Court of Appeal specialized in commercial law.

He devoted to humanities and philosophy and wrote articles and several newspapers and magazines, and he became a friend of D’Annunzio. He never abandoned his passion for his birthplace, which he honoured also writing poems in the local dialect.

Alessandro Madonna was one of the first researchers and disseminators of the archaeologic findings in Juvanum, systematically making researches on the capital of the Sanniti Carricini dating to the II century b.C. he wrote several articles for the magazines “Abruzzese” of Teramo and “Albia” of Rome. He lately collected and updated his writings in “Juvanum, Santa Maria del Palazzo, Montenero, Fallascoso, Torricella” a document which is still today a little treasure of information about the territory for archaeologists and researchers.

Thanks to his vocation for archaeology, Alessandro Madonna found in 1891 many epigrphs in Juvanum, one of which dates back to the II a.C. and is now located just in front of his house in Via Roma 13. The headstone informs on the personalities living in the roman town, on the justice which was administered by four judges, and on the social and political life with a delegate to public works and a delegate to the defence of the town.

In 1930 Alessandro Madonna died in Rome, leaving a precious historical heritage not only for Torricella Peligna.

[Credits | Text: Ottavio Di Renzo De Laurentis | Translation: Mirella Rapa | Voice and music: Studio Qreate | Photo: Laura Di Biase]