Overview
Don't be fooled by the name, which recall a coastal resort. Castiglione Messer Marino, on the contrary, is a mountainous place in the province of Chieti, more than 1,000 metres above sea level, with the highest peak of Mount Castelfraiano standing out at 1415 metres.
That "Marino" in its place name is in fact dedicated to the name of the feudal lord of the Caracciolo family, who married the noblewoman Maria de Sangro, who brought the territory as a dowry.
The well-preserved historic centre talks about that medieval period. Walk up the stairs that climb along the village, at the top of which stands the Mother Church dedicated to San Michele, in neoclassical style, with a beautiful stone portal.
The first layout of the religious monument can be traced back perhaps to the 15th century, with later transformations between the 16th and 18th centuries; inside, restored in recent years, you can admire valuable wall paintings by the Launching artist Federico Spoltore.
Also visit the religious complex dedicated to the Madonna del Monte, which stands in the area of the ancient feud of Lupara, a strategic junction of the "Ateleta-Biferno" sheep-track, one of the five routes that led shepherds and their flocks from Abruzzo through Molise to Puglia. Here every year in September there is a traditional festival with a procession starting from the centre of the village, in which the statue of the Madonna is supported only by women.
This is more unique than rare in the Italian panorama of traditional religious events.
If you are in the area during the Christmas season, enjoy the evocative lighting of the "'ndoccie" (bundles of wood) placed among the narrow streets and small squares of the village, illuminating the town, which, while waiting for the birth of Jesus, is transformed into a large living Nativity Scene.
We also recommend, if the season is appropriate, an excursion to the Abetina di Selva Grande, a WWF oasis covering 800 hectares, also equipped with picnic areas and several hiking itineraries.
Here, among the white firs, beeches, maples, yews, linden trees and the sheep-track that crosses the countryside, you can observe deer, roe deer and even the wolf, which has been chosen as the symbol of the Reserve.
For lunch, order "sagne a lu cuttéure" (sagne in the cauldron), a typical local dish with sausage, bacon and sweet dried chili, eaten mainly during the carnival period. Its origins date back to the time of water mills and it was eaten with the hands in the same copper cauldron (lù cuttèure).
To respect tradition, you should enjoy it this way, but if you don't feel up to it, asking for cutlery is not a crime.
