Rio Verde waterfalls

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.

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.

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of King Ruggero d'Altavilla after the Norman conquest of 1140 with a prevalent sighting function, even if the first historical document attesting its presence is dated 1239.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.

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 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.

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.

L'Aquila (IPA: / ˈlakwila /, pronunciation, formerly Aquila until 1863 and Aquila degli Abruzzi until 1939) is an Italian town of 69 284 inhabitants, capital of the province of the same name and of the Abruzzo region. The city is located in the Abruzzo hinterland on the slope of a hill to the left of the Aterno river, in a predominant position with respect to the Gran Sasso massif, the homonymous basin and the Aterno valley, on an area of 467 km² which make it the ninth largest municipality in Italy. Divided into 59 districts and hamlets, part of its territory is included in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga national park and reaches over 2,000 meters above sea level.

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.

The church of San Giovanni ad Insulam, also known as the church of San Giovanni al Mavone, stands isolated on a small hill that flanks the Mavone river in the valley of the same name.

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.