Overview
This small town in Teramo, among the Most Beautiful in Italy, stands at the foot of the striking Gemelli Mountains in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, on a plateau between the valleys of the Siccagno and Fiumicino streams. Of ancient origins, Campli still preserves in its architectural fabric its past grandeur. Countless are the monuments and places of worship that will arouse in you amazement and wonder for their beauty and authenticity, enclosed and collected among the alleys within the walls, as in one great casket full of history and art treasures.
Dating back to the 14th century there are: the Cathedral of Santa Maria in Platea, and the Church of st. Francis. The first one contrasts an elegant and sober façade with a rich and spectacular interior, the highest point of which is in the precious wooden ceiling of the nave, with a painting on the "Life Stories of St. Pancras," dated around the first decades of the 18th century. The Church of St. Francis instead, boasts a valuable portal with sculptures of human and animal faces. Although little remains of the cloister, the restored convent houses the remarkable Archaeological Museum, whose nearby Campovalano Necropolis has yielded more than 600 Iron Age and Romanization burials.
Be amazed by the Holy Staircase near St. Paul's Church, evidence of the custom, widespread since 1772, of granting plenary indulgence to those who climbed its twenty-eight hard oak steps on their knees and bowed heads. On either side of the steps are six fascinating paintings depicting the most poignant moments of Christ's Passion. A stop at the Palace of Parliament, then Farnese, will allow you to observe the characteristic triple lancet windows and round arches that make up its beautiful portico.
The symbol of the local culinary culture is Campli's Porchetta italica, a dish that was present on the tables of princes, bishops, nobles and commoners. Its uniqueness comes from the artisanal processing method, the spicing of the meat and the slow cooking in a wood-fired oven. Since 1964 it has been celebrated thanks to the Sagra della Porchetta Italica, Abruzzo's oldest gastronomic event, held in the week following Ferragosto.
Another local specialty is truffles, which grow throughout the year in the hamlet of Campovalano, on the slopes of the Twin Mountains.
