Overview
Come and visit Canosa Sannita, in the province of Chieti, a village located on a hill a few kilometres far from the Adriatic Sea, between the S. Onofrio and La Venna streams, in an area rich in vineyards scattered on gentle slopes.
Its origins are very ancient and uncertain and, according to some sources, date back to the 9th century, a time when it was listed among the possessions of the bishop of Chieti.
The castle is still remembered in the 13th century when it came into the possession of Guglielmo di San Giuliano, "executioner of Abruzzo" and loyal to King Manfredi, who placed a garrison there at a time when millstone production was active in the village.
Do you want to know why the town has a double name?
In order to distinguish itself from Canosa di Puglia, as the rules dictated for the newly formed Italy, which was not supposed to have municipalities with the same name, the epithet "Sannita" was added to the first name. According to some sources, in fact, "the empire" of the warrior people of the Samnites, who gave the Romans a hard time, apparently included this territory.
In the streets of the historic centre, your gaze is caught by Palazzo Martucci, an imposing and elegant building overlooking the belvedere, which belongs to the family of the same name: it was built in the 16th century as a defensive structure and transformed in the 18th century into a fortified palace, with ribbed vaults and wolf's mouth windows. Today it hosts the War for Peace Museum which we invite you to visit, with 16 rooms displaying important evidence of the History of Italy, from the Wars of Independence to the last world conflict. There is also an interesting collection of Italian uniforms, which offers you the opportunity to follow all their evolution.
If you enter the parish church of San Filippo and Giacomo, rebuilt after the war, you admire the oldest element of the complex: a beautiful crafted wooden bust from the 1700s depicting San Biagio.
Dismiss your "city" clothes, put on a nice suit and go into the charming natural surrounding landscape, along "The Wine Trails" on foot, by bike or - if you are an expert - on horseback. Itineraries made by recovering the ancient farmers' passages, which "get lost" among vineyards, olive groves and lush woods, with stops in the ancient funds of the territory, specially equipped.
As you walk along the tracks, which are well marked and recognizable thanks to the numerous information signs, you can encounter artifacts of rural tradition, such as the Casino di Moggio, the Castelluccio Tower and the De Sanctis Mill.
Don't miss the thrill of crossing the ancient Tratturo Magno that winds through the countryside of Canosa: the route connecting L'Aquila with Foggia and, at 244 kilometres, was the longest of the five Regi Tratturi. From the massifs of the Gran Sasso d'Italia, part of the Sirente and Maiella mountains, the flocks used to convey here to the pastures of the Tavoliere delle Puglie.
Finally, go and see the caves that the brigands dug in the sand to hide and that the locals call "chicurummelle," and then tuck into the typical dishes and wines of the province of Chieti. A divine language of goodness, that of maccheroni alla chitarra seasoned with a mixed meat sauce of beef, pork or lamb, or fiadoni rustic ravioli-shaped dumplings prepared with a dough of eggs, oil, white wine and flour, with a filling made of various cheeses, eggs and different spices. All washed down with the region's excellent and award-winning red, white and rosé wines made from champion grape varieties, such as Montepulciano and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo.