Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga

History
The first evidences of the cultivation of corn in the areas belonging today to the National Park territory date back to the first decades of the 18th century. The cultivation of this species, coming from South America, spread and became rooted after the serious famine of 1764. The scientific name of corn, Zea mays L., derives from the Greek words "Zao" (living) and "Mayze" (bread): a possible translation may be "bread of life", confirming the important role it played in the past.