Overview
Covered underpasses, loggias and tower houses, stone dwellings and small widenings where you can stop and contemplate the beauty of the surrounding landscape. You are in Castel del Monte, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, included in the territory of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, south of Campo Imperatore Plateau.
The place name "Castellum de Montis" clearly renders the idea of a fortified centre nestled in the mountains. A village with a medieval soul and urban planning, which is still told especially in the typical tower-houses, it is a place that has always enchanted with the beauty and majesty of the landscape that surrounds it. Along the streets of the historic centre, frescoes and mosaic tiles, made by the Academy of Fine Arts of L'Aquila, create wonderful representations on the walls of houses, evocations of ancient traditions of daily life.
A kind of illustrated village that tells stories of witches, magic, transhumant shepherds and ancient crafts, enhancing, through art, the true soul of the village. In the oldest part of Castel del Monte, you will have a chance to admire the fortified village, known as Ricetto, formerly a rounded-shaped castle that housed shepherds fleeing the many barbarian raids.
Also worth seeing are the pretty churches scattered throughout the area. The Church of Madonna del Suffragio or Madonna dei Pastori, the Church of Madonna delle Grazie, outside the historic centre, the Church of San Donato Fuori le Mura, which dominates the highest part of Castel del Monte, the Church of San Rocco, the Church of Santa Caterina and the Chiesa Matrice di San Marco.
Interesting stop, which will undoubtedly pique your curiosity, is the residence of the Colelli Family, a palace of a hundred rooms made famous by the legend about the existence of a treasure room, unfortunately never found. You might make an attempt at a search as well.
Also worth a visit are the Museums of Peasant Art, where you can see evidence of traditional herding, wool art, field work, and everyday household traditions.
The local dishes are linked to the authenticity of the ancient tradition of transhumance: examples are the famous "Canestrato" of Castel del Monte, "Marcetto", a spicy cream of fermented cheese, "Chiaranese", sheep meat cooked slowly with water and herbs, and the many dishes prepared with homemade pasta, such as "strangolapreti", "surgi sfunnete", "taccuzzelle" and "ciafrichigli."
There are also many sweet delicacies, such as "mostaccioli", "crespeglie", "ferratelle" or "naule", "nocciatterrati," and "cicerecchiole".
