Sulmona (AQ)

2018

Sulmona (formerly Sulmo, Sulmóne in Abruzzo) is an Italian town of 24 076 inhabitants in the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo. It is the third most populous municipality in the province (behind L'Aquila and Avezzano) and the eleventh in the region. Located in the heart of Abruzzo, close to the Majella National Park, Sulmona is known worldwide for its centuries-old tradition in the production of sugared almonds. It is also the bishopric of the homonymous diocese Sulmona-Valva. Formerly oppidum of the Peligni, later a Roman municipality, in 43 BC. Sulmo was the birthplace of the Latin poet Publio Ovidio Nasone. In the Middle Ages, by the will of Frederick II, it was from 1233 to 1273 the seat of the execution of Abruzzo. It is among the cities decorated with military valor for the war of liberation, awarded the Silver Medal for the sacrifices of its populations and for its activity in the partisan struggle during the Second World War.

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L'Aquila - Basilica of San Bernardino

The basilica of San Bernardino is a religious building in L'Aquila, located in the quarter of Santa Maria. It was built, with the adjacent convent, between 1454 and 1472 in honor of San Bernardino da Siena, whose remains are kept inside the mausoleum of the Saint built by Silvestro dell'Aquila. The façade, erected in the following century by Cola dell'Amatrice with Michelangelo's influences, is considered the highest expression of Renaissance architecture in Abruzzo. The interior, in Baroque style, is due to the reconstruction of the building following the earthquake of 1703 by several designers - including certainly Filippo Barigioni, Sebastiano Cipriani and Giovan Battista Contini - and preserves important works of art by Andrea della Robbia, Francesco Bedeschini, Pompeo Cesura, Rinaldo Fiammingo and Donato Teodoro, in addition to the aforementioned Silvestro dell'Aquila, also author of the mausoleum of Maria Pereyra Camponeschi. The carved wooden ceiling decorated with pure gold is the work of Ferdinando Mosca. It was included in the list of national monumental buildings in 1902 and elevated to the rank of minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1946. Due to the earthquake of 2009 which severely damaged the apse and the bell tower, the basilica was subjected to repair and consolidation works and was reopened in 2015.

Rocca Calascio (AQ) - Santa Maria della Pietà

Near Rocca Calascio, on the path that leads to Santo Stefano di Sessanio, is the church of Santa Maria della Pietà, a small temple built in 1596 on the place where, according to legend, the local population had the best of a band of brigands . The church, probably founded on a pre-existing Renaissance aedicule, has an octagonal external structure with an environment used as a sacristy leaning against one of the facades and a dome with eight segments. The interior, articulated on a system of Tuscan pilasters, presents a painting depicting the Miraculous Virgin and a sculpture of San Michele armed. The church, now used as a simple oratory, is a destination for faithful and devotees.

Fara San Martino, Chieti. San Martino in Valle Abbey

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Palena. The waterfalls of the Aventine river

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Scanno. The Church of San Rocco

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Ortona. Basilica of St. Thomas the Apostle

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.

Sulmona. Church of San Filippo Neri

The construction of the church and oratory of San Filippo Neri began in the mid-17th century and was completed in 1677. However, in the beginning the congregation was based - together with that of the Jesuit Fathers - in the church of Sant'Ignazio , located in Piazza XX Settembre and no longer existing today; only later did it move to Piazza Maggiore - the current Piazza Garibaldi - within the lively and populous Borgo Pacentrano. The earthquake of 1706 forced a reconstruction of the complex, which Baron Giambattista Mazara magnanimously took charge of between 1785 and 1794, deserving the commemorative plaque placed on the right wall of the church; the adjoining convent had to assume considerable decorum, so much so that in 1796 it was even able to host King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon on a visit to the city. In 1799, with the suppression of the Filipino order, the Fathers left the city and the sacred building, abandoned and reduced to profane use, was transformed into an oven and also used for military purposes. Likewise, the oratory, confiscated by the Royal Property, had various uses and today is the headquarters of the Command of the Guardia di Finanza. Only in 1920 did the church regain its religious use, becoming the seat of the parish of Sant'Agata. From here the traditional demonstration of the Madonna fleeing into the square begins on Easter morning, the joyful conclusion of Holy Week in Sulmona.

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