Abruzzo, Italy. Spectacular sunrise.

The church of Santa Maria di Ronzano stands on a hill in the Mavone valley. The building belonged to the abbey monastic complex of the Benedictine order who also had the convent here.

The church is located in the fork between the tratturo L'Aquila-Foggia and the tratturo Centurelle-Montesecco, making it a strategic structure in the period in which transhumance played a fundamental role in the economy of southern Italy.

Rocca Calascio is a fortress located in Abruzzo, in the province of L'Aquila, in the territory of the municipality of Calascio, at an altitude of 1450 meters above sea level, just above the town. It is included in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. It is known for the presence of the castle, one of the highest in Italy, and the ancient medieval village below, still inhabited by some inhabitants. The Rocca is considered one of the symbols of Abruzzo. The foundation of the fortress is probably due to the will of King Ruggero d'Altavilla after the Norman conquest of 1140 with a prevalent sighting function, even if the first historical document attesting its presence is dated 1239. It was part of Calascio, Castelvecchio Calvisio, Carapelle Calvisio and Santo Stefano di Sessanio of the famous Barony of Carapelle, whose historical events he followed until 1806, the year of the abolition of feudality. Over the centuries, the Pagliara, Plessis, Colonna, Celano, Caldora, Accrocciamuro, Todeschini Piccolomini, Del Pezzo, Cattaneo, Medici and Bourbon families followed one another in the domain. In particular, in 1463 it was granted by King Ferdinand to Antonio Todeschini of the Piccolomini family who modified the fortification by equipping it with a pebble wall and four cylindrical towers for military use, with a Ghibelline battlements. In 1703 it was devastated by a violent earthquake following which the highest area of ​​the village was abandoned and a large part of the population moved to the nearby town of Calascio. In the twentieth century, even the last remaining families left the village and the fortress remained uninhabited. At the end of the century, however, also in the wake of the success deriving from the setting of some films (above all Lady Hawke of 1985 and The Name of the Rose of 1986), some houses were recovered and others were converted to accommodation facilities; Furthermore, the castle has undergone an important restoration and consolidation operation and is now one of the main tourist attractions in the area, thanks to the work of two spouses and their family who have opened a widespread hotel just below the castle.

Palena is an Italian municipality of 1,224 inhabitants in the province of Chieti in Abruzzo, and is the seat of the union of the eastern Maiella-Verde Aventino mountain municipalities.

The sanctuary of S. Gabriele dell'Addolorata is a sanctuary of the Catholic Church located at the foot of the Gran Sasso d'Italia, in the municipality of Isola del Gran Sasso d'Italia.

Abruzzo is an Italian region located east of Rome, between the Adriatic and the Apennines. The hinterland is mostly made up of national parks and nature reserves. The region also includes medieval and Renaissance villages perched on the hills. The regional capital, L'Aquila, is a city surrounded by walls, damaged by the earthquake of 2009. The Costa dei Trabocchi, with its sandy coves, takes its name from the traditional fishing jetties.

Alba Fucens is a site that arose in the 4th century BC in an elevated and well-fortified position, on approximately 34 hectares at 966 m above sea level, on the slopes of Mount Velino in Abruzzo.

The Cathedral Basilica dedicated to St. Thomas the Apostle was built on the site of an ancient Roman temple. Destroyed by the Normans in 1060, it was rebuilt.

The church of Santa Maria di Propezzano is a Romanesque-style Catholic place of worship in Abruzzo located in the Vomano valley, in the municipality of Morro d'Oro, in the province of Teramo.

The Piccolomini Castle of Celano overlooks the Fucino plain, once occupied by the third largest lake in Italy, majestically and imposingly.