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2024
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.
2018
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.
2022
Abruzzo, Italy. Spectacular landscapes
2023
Scanno. The Church of San Rocco
The Church of San Rocco, known as the Madonna del Carmine is located in Scanno. It is also called the Madonna del Carmine, because since 1784 it has been the seat of a confraternity of the same name
2023
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.
2021
Rio Verde
The Rio Verde was born in Quarto, between Abruzzo and Molise, and after a short path it joins the Sangro with a considerable difference in height (400 m) creating the spectacular waterfalls divided into three consecutive jumps of 200 meters.
2016
The Lake of Scanno (AQ)
Lake Scanno, belonging for three quarters to the municipality of Villalago and for a quarter to that of Scanno, is located in Abruzzo, in the lower province of L'Aquila, between the Marsicani Mountains, in the upper valley of the Sagittario river, which originated for a ancient landslide that broke off from Mount Genzana above, between 12,820 and 3,000 years ago, which blocked the river Tasso.
2018
Sulmona (AQ)
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.
2023
Spectacular autumnal landscapes. Foliage
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.
2018
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.
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