Overview
In the heart of the Theatine hills there is a village with a short name, but with a long history: it is Ari, nestled in the woods, at an equal distance - only 12 kilometres - from the Adriatic Sea and the steep northeastern slopes of the Maiella Mountain.
It is a tiny paradise, which we invite you to visit for its cultural and natural "specialties," of great interest and beauty for a tour to discover its territory, in addition to the main town with four districts (Foro, S. Maria, Turri, S. Antonio and S. Pietro).
You should know that in the first two decades of the 20th century, the Neapolitan-born Baron Mario Nolli and his wife Francie Picton Walow used their mansion as an Anglo-Italian boarding house. It was a castle-palace with a mighty crenellated tower in which various noble families took turns from the 16th century onward. In this way Ari was transformed into a small literary coterie capable of attracting not only English and Dutch artists, who loved to reproduce on canvas the picturesque landscapes to which the castle provided a backdrop, but also prominent figures in Italian literature and art such as Gabriele d'Annunzio and Luigi Pirandello. The latter, who was probably a guest in the palace, mentions the village and the so-called "English boarding house" in one of his novellas, describing it romantically as "...a castle on top of the hill."
Even today the baronial palace Nolli, which always remains private and therefore you can admire only from the outside, towers in the very central Bucciante Square, embellishing its shape. In the past, in addition to the English boarding house, it housed various economic activities: in fact, from a meticulous mid-19th-century description, we know that there were also a "caldara" for macerating must as well as numerous cellars and an oil mill.
You will certainly be impressed by the rich plateau of white Maiella stone statues scattered throughout the center and outside of the village. This is the "Path of Memory" to experience on foot, with more than 40 contemporary heroes, including magistrates, policemen, journalists, who died in the name of their moral and institutional duties to defend freedom, justice and democracy.
Approach them by framing their QR code with your phone to learn their story. For example the journalist Walter Tobagi, Commissioner Luigi Calabresi and magistrates Emilio Alessandrini and Paolo Borsellino.
Instead, a large Carrara marble fountain is dedicated to the Fallen of Nassiriya, which you can admire in the main square.
Also experience Ari's naturalistic vocation for relaxing walks face to face with nature, among dense and varied forests, such as the Valle Cupa area, the Venna di Moggio, the Dentalo and Turri Marchi, which also surround you with the greenery of olive groves, orchards and vineyards.
And now, after so much memory and nature, carve out some time for gastronomy, which includes traditional dishes. We start from the chicken broth with golden bread, bucatini with lamb gravy, rabbit with potatoes under the coppo, cod with potatoes, and pallotte cac'e ove followed by rivotiche (typical pancakes made of flour and water), and papparella (a mixture of field vegetables, beans, dried red peppers, garlic, hot chili peppers, with the addition of cornmeal and sardines).
A must, a final toast with the wines of the area ambassadors of all of Abruzzo, to seal your friendship with Ari: Montepulciano, Cerasuolo and Trebbiano as if it rained.
What else to see:
- The Church of Santa Maria della Misericordia
- I ruderi della Chiesa di S. Pietro in Campis