Fara San Martino. The Gorges of San Martino

2023

the Gole di San Martino opens with a narrow passage from the high rocky walls on the eastern slope of the Maiella, just outside the town of Fara. This is the beginning of the gorge-like valley that leads to the highest peak of the Maiella, Monte Amaro (2793 m), and includes the wildest territories of the entire massif with a 14 km long route and a difference in height of 2300 m . It can be divided into three parts: the Valle di S. Spirito, the Valle di Macchia Lunga and the Val Cannella. The latter ends with a glacial cirque in the center of which is the Manzini refuge. According to popular tradition, these suggestive gorges, just 2 m wide and about 30 m long, were opened by San Martino with the strength of his arms to allow the people of Fares to access the high pastures of the Majella more quickly. After walking a few meters, you can see the monastery of San Martino in Valle which an archaeological excavation has recently brought to light. In reality, this remarkable scenario was produced by the erosive and incessant action of the torrential waters coming from the melting of the surrounding snowfields during the Quaternary, in particular during the glaciations. With an evident franapoggio stratification that highlights the oldest terms as you go up, the oldest rocks of the Maiella emerge here, represented by beige-hazelnut platform limestones dating back to the lower Cretaceous. They contain fossil remains of algae and benthic foraminifera. Near the monastery, it is possible to observe an outcrop full of rudists, lamellibranchs who build cliffs now extinct but clearly visible in Maiella on Cima Murelle.

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Opi (Opjë IPA: [ˈopjə], in Opian dialect) is a town of about 408 inhabitants in the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo. Its medieval village is included in the protected area of the national park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise. It is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. The town is located in the middle of the mountainous group of the Marsicani Mountains, in the center of a mountainous amphitheater formed to the north-east by Monte Marsicano (2,245 m asl) and to the south-east by Monte Amaro (1,862 m) and Monte Petroso (2,249 m asl) . The main watercourse that crosses the municipal territory is the Sangro river that rises on the slopes of Mount Morrone del Diavolo (1,602 m a.s.l.), in the locality of Gioia Vecchio di Gioia dei Marsi. The Sangro, after crossing a flat area called Le Prata, enters a gorge between the Opi hill (1,250 m a.s.l.) and Monte Marrone (1,354 m a.s.l.) from where it continues its path along the upper Sangro valley. The Fondillo stream, one of the first tributaries of the Sangro river, which gives its name to the valley of the same name, arises from one of the numerous karst springs present in the Opiano territory. The rugged nature of the wooded mountains has allowed the survival of a rich and varied fauna.

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.

L'Aquila - Basilica of S. M. di Collemaggio

The basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio is a religious building in L'Aquila, located just outside the city walls, on the hill of the same name. Founded in 1288 at the behest of Pietro da Morrone - crowned pope here 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. Since 1327 houses the remains of the pontiff, currently preserved inside the mausoleum of Celestino V, built in 1517 by Girolamo da Vicenza, master of Andrea Palladio. It is the seat of an annual jubilee, the first in history, established with the Bull of Forgiveness of 29 September 1294 and known as Perdonanza Celestiniana; therefore, it is characterized by the presence of a Holy Door on the side facade. The church, which boasts the title of minor basilica together with the fellow citizens San Bernardino and San Giuseppe Artigiano, has been remodeled several times over the centuries mainly due to the damage caused by frequent earthquakes and presents a mixture of different architectural styles. Following the 2009 earthquake, it was subjected to consolidation and restoration works which ended in 2017.

P.N.A.L.M. - Part IV

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.

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.

Santa Maria di Basciano. Church of S. M. in Porto Lungo

The Church of S. Maria a Porto Lungo is of notable artistic interest, dating back to the 14th century and, built on an ancient pagan temple, is in Romanesque style.

Borrello (Burièlle in Abruzzo) is an Italian town of 326 inhabitants in the province of Chieti in Abruzzo. It is part of the mountain community of Medio Sangro. The municipality of Borrello, as also handed down by Benedetto Croce, was a fief of the Borrello family: the Abruzzo philosopher claims to have found a document from the year 1000 that would suggest a certain dominion of this family already at the end of the 18th century. In fact, the news is also confirmed by the most ancient historical sources, consulted and collected in the eighteenth century by Anton Ludovico Antinori for the drafting of his Annali degli Abruzzi, in which the progenitor of the dynasty, a certain Borrello from whom the Castle then took its name and he perpetuated it over the centuries, he would have been a Frankish leader descended from the Counts of the Marsi. Croce, on the other hand, states that the family descends from some exponent of the Borel family of French origin. At the beginning of the 20th century, many of the country's inhabitants emigrated to the United States and northern Europe. After the bombing of the Second World War the city was completely rebuilt.

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

Alfedena. Church of Saints Peter and Paul

Church of Saints Peter and Paul (13th century), is located in the western part of the town, in Largo Don Filippo Brunetti, is characterized by a Romanesque-inspired façade (13th century), was restored following the damage of the Second World War. The interior of the church is the result of the reconstruction in 1954. The large mosaics on the facade and inside were created by Fausto Conti in the 1950s.

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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