Overview
Woods, lake, mountains. There is something for everyone in the territory of Capitignano, in the province of L'Aquila, where you can spend a truly "green" vacation.
Nature, in fact, is the key word to get in touch within this part of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park: one that overflows in the form of lush forests, which are suddenly tinged with the blue of the Campotosto lake, the region's largest reservoir, over which Capitignano pushes.
The village, located in the Upper Aterno Valley, is not only the hub of a crossroads of history, archaeological evidence and traditions, but also the geological boundary of the two different mountain ranges that are the beating heart of the Park. The Gran Sasso with its limestone and dolomite pinnacles, and the Monti della Laga, the realm of sandstone and water.
Formerly a fief of the Ricci family, Capitignano was incorporated into the county of Montereale as early as the first half of the 15th century, a dating this allows us to trace Umberto Ricci, equestrian commander of Alfonso I of Aragon, as a possible builder of the Ricci palace at Monopolino. In the 16th century the fiefdom was conquered by the Medici, later it first became part of the Farnese estates and later passed to the Bourbons, gaining municipal autonomy in 1816.
While waiting to be able to return to enjoy its religious and civic heritage, damaged due to the 2009 earthquake, with the churches of San Flaviano, San Domenico, the Sanctuary of the Madonna degli Angeli and Palazzo Ricci, in Monopolino, put your heart in "nature and hiking" mode and choose one or more destinations for horseback riding, hiking or mountain biking, which run between valleys and hills.
Among them, try to reach the lakeshore on the route that runs through the park districts, "Strada Maestra" and "Alta Valle Aterno".
For lunch, try chickpeas (dialectally "li cici") from Capitignano, a rare variety that is eaten in soups and salads. In the past, the legume was also used to make flour for purees and croquettes.
You also find another wise local "oldie," parsnip sativa L. (dialectally "bastinaca" or "bastonaca"), a vegetable whose cooked root is eaten, very similar to the carrot. The ancient variety has been preserved in Capitignano because it is traditionally considered one of the seven staple dishes of Christmas Eve dinner.
The culinary tradition is also very rich in homemade pastas, meat dishes such as arrosticini, cheeses, cured meats, sausages, strictly homemade desserts, and the ever-present mountain bitters and liqueurs.
Don't miss a drop.