Points of Interest

Castel Manfrino (“Manfredi Castle”): it owes its name to Manfred of Swabia. It was built between the 12th and 13th centuries on the remains of an ancient Roman fortress, which was built to defend the road that led from the Via Salaria, near Amatrice, through the ‘Hannibal Pass’, into the Campovalano plain. Nowadays, only few remains of the fort are left, among which it is possible to find an early Christian baptismal font and an important workshop where metals were worked.

Castello Bonifaci (“Bonifaci Castle”): it is an impressive building located in the village of Valleinquina. It was built in the early 20th century, probably on the remains of an older building. The castle, located next to other dwellings, boasts a bridge leading to the back courtyard, where there is the small church of St. Nicholas of Bari, with a square façade and a gable roof.

The church of Santa Maria di Stornazzano: it stands on a bank of the Castellano stream and is the main church of Valle Castellana. Its origin dates back to the 11th century. A peculiarity of the building is the presence of two different portals, one of which is located on the main stone façade, while the other is located on the side one.

The Church of San Vito: it is a Benedictine church dating back to the 12th century, under Farfa jurisdiction until 1741.It is a rectangular trussed building with an apsidal presbytery in14th-century Romanesque forms.

Laturo (about 850 meters above sea level): it is a hamlet of Valle Castellana that shyly looks out and can only be admired from afar. It is an ancient village of unusually large dimensions, it was connected to the rest of the world by a mule track. Nowadays, the village can be reached thanks to various paths and it is a tourist destination for many hikers. It has been renovated and is preserved by the “Amici di Laturo” association. The rebirth of the village has been proceeding since 2012 with the first conservative restorations of private homes, the cleaning and reopening of the access paths, the recovery of the vegetable gardens and the organization of sporting and cultural events in support of the Association’s mission.

Castagno di Nardò (“Nardò chestnut”): in the Morrice area, at around 800 meters above sea level, there is the famous Nardò tree or “piantone di Nardò”, one of the largest chestnut trees in Italy with a record circumference of 14 metres. Its appearance dates back to 1300, which also makes it one of the longest-lived trees in Abruzzo. It is included in the list of protected secular plants, being one of the largest chestnut trees in Italy. The local population has a very close bond with this chestnut tree, in fact, some call it “grandfather chestnut”.

Grotta della paura (“cave of fear”): it is an unexplored cave with unknown depths located between the villages of Settecerri and Laturo. Legend has it that several people died near this cave after getting a big scare. This is where the name comes from: Grotta della Paura (Cave of Fear).

The caciare: they  are small stone buildings in the shape ofigloos. They are characteristic of this area and similar to the Tholos of Majella. The ‘caciare’ were used by shepherds to shelter and to process cheese in a sheltered place.