"Sgorga il Petrolio dalla Terra d'Abruzzo": oil exploration and production history in the Abruzzo region (Central Italy) across the 20th century

Abstract

In this article we present some episodes of history of the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Pescara Basin (Abruzzo region, Central Italy) during the 20th century.The Tocco da Casauria oil district of this basin have one of the the longest history of exploration and production of hydrocarbons in Italy. Also today this area, together with the nearby Alanno-Scafa area, represents an important calibration for geoscientists to evaluate the hydrocarbon residual potential in the whole region.The history of this oil province, the activities of the first entrepreneurs, geologists and the companies that led to the development of a modern industry in the area are a significant example of the process of transformation and modernization of the national oil system experienced in Italy along the 20th century.The title of this article is inspired by the Istituto LUCE news clip of 7th October 1955 celebrating with emphatic words the discovery of crude oil in the subsurface of the Abruzzo region.