Montebello di Bertona is better known for prehistory than history. In fact, the existence of human settlements dating back to the Paleolithic era in its territory is well-known and extensively documented. Elements of interest were discovered in the Montebello countryside, and later on the mountain in the locality of Fonte Marianna. These findings led scholars to recognize a Bertonian culture, specifically related to the Upper Paleolithic. The Bertonian culture, named after Montebello di Bertona where it was first documented, dates back to about eighteen thousand years ago and extends to the threshold of the Neolithic, covering an almost eight-thousand-year span.
Distinctive tools of this culture include blades, points, and large burins obtained from the processing of flint. The name of the town has a transparent etymology and can be traced back to the late Latin adjective BELLUS (=graceful, beautiful], replacing the classical era adjectives PULCHER and FORMOSUS, combined with the noun MONS, MONTIS.
Regarding history, information derived from scattered documents mentions the town, resulting in somewhat fragmented details that often lead to confusion between its castle and the one located on Mount Bertona. In any case, on the summit of Mount Bertona, where according to "many ancient and modern historians" it seems that "the military operations of the Second Samnite War began" (C. Greco], objects from the Roman era have been found. The town is mentioned for the first time in a document from 1062 as "poio de Montebello." It continued to be called Montebello without the specification "di Bertona" until the publication of Royal Decree No. 1426 on June 28, 1863, which established the name Montebello di Bertona.
In 1290, the "Castrum Montisbelli" was held by the knight Giacomo di Malanotte, while in 1309, the "RATIONES DECIMARUM" did not list it among the castles of the Pennese region (C. Greco). However, in the 15th century, after the castle of Bertona was destroyed (or fell into ruin], the "Castrum" of Montebello gained importance. So much so that on November 4, 1418 (the year from which it is subject to Penne], it received all the privileges of the City from Queen Joanna II. In 1475, King Ferdinand I of Aragon, "gave to the city of Penne as a reward for its loyalty, the Castles of Farindola, Belmonte also called Montebello" (A. Trasmundi, LA FENICE, VESTINA - 1701). The city was granted military and civil authority and the administration of criminal justice over them.
In the 16th century, the town first became part of the Duchy of Penne, ruled by Alessandro dei Medici from 1522 to 1537. After the tragic death of Alessandro, who had married Margherita d'Austria (1522 - 1586], daughter of Emperor Charles V, it became part of the Farnese State of Abruzzo. Margherita, having remarried (1586) with Ottavio Farnese, nephew of Pope Paul III and later Duke of Parma and Piacenza, had control over Montebello. When the possessions passed to Alessandro Farnese, son of Margherita and Ottavio, Montebello was annexed to the Duchy of Parma. In 1731, with the male line of the Farnese family extinguished with Duke Antonio, the small Vestine center followed the fate of Penne and other Farnese cities in Abruzzo, passing to the Bourbons of Naples under Charles III. He was the eldest son of Elisabetta Farnese, who had married King Philip V of Spain.
The long Bourbon period initiated by Charles III continued, except for a brief interruption caused by the French invasion of the Kingdom of Naples and the events of Murat, until the unification of Italy under the House of Savoy (1860). After December 6, 1926, when the fascist government decided to establish the province of Pescara, Montebello, until then in the province of Teramo, became part of the new capital. The transition from the old province to the new one took place on January 2.
