L'Aquila. Basilica of Santa M. di Collemaggio - 2019

2020

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.

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Barrea and its lake (AQ)

Barrea is located in a mountainous area overlooking the Sangro Valley and the Barrea Lake. The inhabited center, located at an altitude of 1,060 m a.s.l., occupies a ledge 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. Its territory is included in the national park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise. The lake was formed in 1951 by the damming of the Sangro river and is used for the production of electricity. The Wetland of Lake Barrea, managed by the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park Authority, has been on the list of areas provided for by the Ramsar Convention since 1976.

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.

Palena, Church of San Falco and Sant'Antonino

Parish church of the town, it was built in the 12th century, after the earthquake of 1706, it was built again, however maintaining the 14th century bell tower

Alfedena. The Castle

Alfedena Castle is the ruin of a castle dating back to the 10th-11th century in the Italian municipality of the same name of which an octagonal tower and parts of the walls remain. The ruins are located in a dominant position over the town, along Via Luigi De Amicis. The wall rests its foundations directly on the rocky thickness of the mountain hill overlooking Alfedena, has an irregular circular appearance, with multiple layers of walls, and double curtain walls with fornix-shaped entrances are preserved. The tower, although cut off at the top, is the best preserved element. The castle was founded around the 10th century by the Frankish lords, who divided the county of Marsi between them. In fact, Alfedena was among these possessions and, on top of the castle hill, a fortified tower was built, which communicated with those of the other villages, such as Scontrone, Castel di Sangro and Barrea. The tower with an irregular plan was rebuilt in the 13th century, as demonstrated by the octagonal structure, perhaps before it had a cylindrical base, the fact is that it testifies to the ancient function of the castle, which was that of lookout, guarding the town below, developed from the 14th century onwards, and together with the fortified enclosure, it also served as a shelter for citizens during periods of emergency, such as sieges. In the 14th century it was a fiefdom of Simone Di Sangro, the rich family from the Peligna valley, who had various fiefdoms, only to then pass to Giacomo Caldora in 1422. In 1456 a serious earthquake damaged the castle, which slowly lost the ancient central function of Alfedena, given that the main political and economic activities developed further and further downstream, along the Pescasseroli-Candela sheep track. The castle was enfeoffed during the Spanish viceroyalty to various lords, but it never returned to its ancient functions, it was damaged again by the Maiella earthquake of 1706, then by the earthquakes of 1915 (Marsica earthquake) and 1984, being restored only in the first years 2000, to be visited as a panoramic location, together with the octagonal tower.

Celano. Church of St. John the Baptist

Begun in the 13th century, it was completed in the 15th century. The rose window has the head of the Baptist in the center. The three internal naves are divided by octagonal pillars

Stiffe Caves, Abruzzo, Italy

The Stiffe caves are a complex of karst caves located near Stiffe, in the territory of the municipality of San Demetrio ne' Vestini (AQ), in Abruzzo, included within the Sirente-Velino regional natural park. Testimony of a unique active resurgence in Italy, made accessible to the public since 1991, today they constitute one of the main naturalistic sites of the L'Aquila area, recording over 40,000 visitors annually. The Stiffe caves represent one of the best-known karst phenomena in central Italy. The complex has been used since the Bronze Age even if archaeological remains have been found inside it dating back to the Neolithic and Eneolithic. The presence of an underground stream that gave rise to the complex led, in 1907 and on the initiative of the Marquis Alfonso Cappelli, to the construction of a hydroelectric plant of which some remains are still visible today near the entrance to the cavities. In 1956, when the plant was dismantled, the first speleological explorations began; after a first visit in 1957, the following year it was the Marche Speleological Group of Ancona that went beyond the first natural siphon. Subsequently, the Roman Speleological Group and, starting from the eighties, the Aquilano Speleological Group continued the first exploration attempts. The speleological excursions were then followed by a process of valorisation of the site which led to the opening of the complex to the public in 1991. In 1994 a mixed group of speleologists from L'Aquila and France managed to access for the first time the unexplored area after the first waterfall while in 1996 the speleology museum named after Vincenzo Rivera was opened. A second extension of the tourist route, up to the current length of about 700 m, was made in 2007 with the opening of the second waterfall to visitors, while the extension of the explored part of the cavity exceeds one kilometre. From 1996 to 2018 the site was managed by the public-private company Progetto Stiffe S.p.A. while it is currently managed directly by the Municipality of San Demetrio ne' Vestini. The 2009 earthquake led to a closure of the caves for safety reasons; the complex was only reopened to the public in 2011.

Pescara. La Nave fountain

One of the best-known and most identifying city monuments, the La Nave fountain was created by Pietro Cascella in 1986 in travertine marble. It was inaugurated on 4 July 1987

Isola del G. Sasso d’I. San G. dell'Addolorata

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, Italy. Spectacular 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.

National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise

The national park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise is one of the oldest national parks in Italy, officially established on 11 January 1923 by Royal decree-law including for the most part in the province of L'Aquila and the remainder in that of Frosinone and in that of Isernia.

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