Barrea and its lake. Glimpses of autumn
2023
Barrea (Varréa in Barreano dialect) is an Italian municipality of 705 inhabitants in the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo. Located in Alto Sangro, it is a tourist resort thanks to the presence of the lake of the same name and the national park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise. Barrea is located in a mountain area belonging to the Alto Sangro basin and Lake Barrea. The inhabited center, located at an altitude of 1,060 m above sea level, occupies a protrusion at the eastern end of the lake enclosed by the steep sides of the Meta mountains to the south and Mount Greco to the north. The lake was created in 1951 by damming the Sangro river and is used for the production of electricity. The Barrea Lake Wetland, managed by the Abruzzo Lazio and Molise National Park Authority, has been on the list of areas covered by the Ramsar Convention since 1976.
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2023
Abruzzo, Italy. Spectacular autumnal landscapes
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.
2017
P.N.A.L.M. - Part I
The National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise is a national park including for the most part (about 3/4) in the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo and for the remainder in that of Frosinone in Lazio and in that of Isernia in Molise. It was inaugurated on 9 September 1922 in Pescasseroli, the current headquarters and central management of the park, while the body of the same name had already been established on 25 November 1921 with a provisional directorate. Its establishment took place officially with the Royal decree-law of 11 January 1923.
2018
P.N.A.L.M. - Part III
The National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise is a national park including for the most part (about 3/4) in the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo and for the remainder in that of Frosinone in Lazio and in that of Isernia in Molise. It was inaugurated on 9 September 1922 in Pescasseroli, the current headquarters and central management of the park, while the body of the same name had already been established on 25 November 1921 with a provisional directorate. Its establishment took place officially with the Royal decree-law of 11 January 1923.
2018
Rocca Calascio (AQ)
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.
2025
Crecchio. Parish Church of the Most Holy Savior
The church has a beautiful baroque brick-clad facade, with a portal surmounted by a broken tympanum and a rectangular window above, and is crowned by a circular tympanum with an oculus.
2020
L'Aquila. Basilica of Santa M. di Collemaggio - 2019
The Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio is a religious building in L'Aquila, located just outside the city walls, on the homonymous hill. Founded in 1288 at the behest of Pietro da Morrone - here crowned pope with the name of Celestino V on 29 August 1294 - it is considered the highest expression of Abruzzo architecture as well as the symbol of the city and was declared a national monument in 1902. It is the seat of an annual jubilee, the first in history, established with the Bull of Forgiveness of September 29, 1294 and known as the Celestinian forgiveness. Inside there are the mortal remains of the Holy Pontiff Celestine V.
2024
Albe, Massa d’Albe. The church of San Pietro in Albe
The church of San Pietro in Albe stands on the hill of San Pietro, one of the three hills surrounding Alba Fucens, the Roman city founded in 304 BC at the foot of Mount Velino.
2024
Celano. Church of San Michele Arcangelo
The construction of the Church of San Michele Arcangelo dates back to the 14th century. At the end of the 14th century the Counts of Celano donated it to the congregation of the Celestine monks
2016
Villalago (AQ) - Hermitage of S. Domenico
The hermitage of San Domenico is a small church, located in the territory of the municipality of Villalago (AQ), in the Sagittario valley, on the shore of the homonymous Lake of San Domenico. It includes a cave dug into the limestone, in which according to tradition, around the year 1000 the Benedictine monk San Domenico lived. San Domenico came from Sora, and was housed in the Benedictine monastery of San Pietro de Lacu, which has now disappeared; later he also went to nearby Cocullo, where he healed a girl bitten by a snake. At the road he also tamed a wolf, who had kidnapped an infant from the cradle, while his parents were chopping wood in the woods. And the miracle will be reproduced on votive canvases on the porch of the hermitage. The actual hermitage was built around the fifteenth century, when the cult of St. Dominic spread. Before the construction of the dam and the consequent formation of the lake, in 1929, the hermitage had a different exterior, with a mullioned portico and a recessed facade with a large window, and was accessible from a medieval bridge in a serious state of conservation. With the dam, the new stone bridge was built in a fake medieval style and the facade of the hermitage was rebuilt.
2021
La Camosciara Nature Reserve.
La Camosciara is an extensive nature reserve with trails for experienced hikers and beginners, suggestive views and wildlife. It is an integral part of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park