Owing to the presence of one of the few available water fountains, Valle Piola's early development centered around Case Menghini and the village cemetery. The design and installation of an aqueduct carrying mountain spring water brought several changes. Two fountains were constructed, one at Case Menghini and the second in front of the church in Valle Piola. From this point onward Case Menghini lost population and Valle Piola increased in importance. Churches There are three churches in the area. The one in center Valle Piola is called San Nicola. The remaining churches are at Case Menghini and in a location adjacent to the cemetery. Utilities The town of Valle Piola and nearby Case Menghini were connected to the local electrical grid in 1955. Telephone lines first arrived in 1965 at the house of the Ferrante family who a while thereafter moved away from the village. This telephone connection was then transferred to one of the newer houses a short distance away. Denizens Inhabits of the town included members of the Bianchini, Cornacchia, Pace and Volpi families. Two separate branches of Ferrantes also lived here. The Menghini family at one time owned several large tracts of land. The specific reason for their departure is not known although it is likely that they left voluntarily to seek their fortunes elsewhere. It has been said that the Menghinis were paid the princely sum 18,000 Lire for their holdings prior to leaving. Folk legends The sighting of apparitions has been reported in the area. Some of the locals believe that many powerful spirits, both evil and benign, still remain and make themselves known only in the dark shadows of the night. The ancient life During the 1940s, for professional reasons, the teacher and journalist Fernando Aurini spent time in Valle Piola. To the wonderment of his readers living in the grand cities of Italy, Aurini vividly recounted the rustic ways, lifestyles, and long forgotten archaic traditions of this small village. Aurini's writings highlight the fact that the journey to Teramo via Campli on foot or with a mule took the better part of four hours. To the present this path by foot requires a difficult hike across Monte Natale in an area known as Pietra Stretta. The trial begins with an easy incline and soon enters a mound of trees and tangled undergrowth so thick that it requires the frequent surveillance and clearing by