One of the best preserved castles in Abruzzo is the Piccolomini Castle of Celano, recognizable by its characteristic Ghibelline-sty le battlements. The monument is home to the Museum of Sacred Art of Marsica and the Torlonia Collection of Antiquities of Fucino. Not far away (15 km), another fortification is the Orsini-Colonna Castle, a national monument and symbol of Avezzano, which hosts contemporary art exhibitions and is home to the homony mous museum-art gallery. On the edge of the Fucino plain is the Piccolomini Castle in Ortucchio (25 km}; it was originally an example of a very rare medieval fortification, as it was surrounded by the waters of a lake, the Fucino, which dried up at the end ofthe 19th century. At a distance of 50 km there is another important lake, that of Barrea, a tourist destination for campers and not. The lake is surrounded by villages, ideal viewpoints from which to take spectacular souvenir photos, in particular by climbing the tower ofthe Castle of Barrea. Moving about 30 km you reach the lake of Scanno; here too there are various tourist services and the possibilities to have experiences in contact with the surrounding nature. The itinerary continues towards Pettorano sul Gizio, seat of the Monte Genzana Alto Gizio Regional Nature Reserve; here the imposing structure of the Cantelmo Castle, built in the Nth century, houses the visitor center of the reserve and temporary exhibitions. The last 17 kilometers lead to Pacentro fora visitto the majestic Caldora Castle; with a trapezoidal plan and three spectacular towers that rise above the valley. 
 

C.I. 16/01/2023

Foto: N. Marcanio

Lunghezza Km: 167

Punto di Partenza: Celano

Punto di Arrivo: Pacentro