What is "pretoro"

Pretoro is a town of about 1,100 inhabitants situated in Majella National Park, in the province of Chieti, Abruzzo region. Though geographically in central Italy, the Abruzzi were a constituent part of the Kingdom of Naples and thus the Mezzogiorno. To this day it is considered by no less than ISTAT ( Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) to be part of southern Italy. It is located on a steep hillside on the eastern side of the Maiella mountains. Its proximity to the ski slopes of Passo Lanciano, guarantees the availability of winter sports, while the town is also only 20 minutes by car from the Adriatic Sea.