Overview
Amid the beautiful Apennine valleys of Abruzzo and surrounded by imposing and wild mountains, we find Collarmele, a small village whose origins are shrouded in mystery and legends. What we know is that the village is set like a precious stone in a breathtaking landscape, at the gateway to the Sirente Velino Regional Nature Park, halfway between the Maiella National Park, the Monte Salviano Nature Reserve and the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. Among forests, highlands and streams, its territory is a paradise for those who love to explore nature and be enveloped in its regenerating silence.
A symbol of its history is the Norman Tower, built during the 13th century by Roger II, Count of Celano, following the battle of Tagliacozzo, which is still perfectly preserved. It is a sentinel that watches over and protects the village and, although centuries of battles have passed, it has never stopped guarding its people. At 18 metres high, the tower soars into the infinite sky, studded with loopholes all over its surface. Inside it houses a quaint permanent nativity scene that you can visit during the Christmas season.
Of relevant historical beauty is the Monument to the Fallen of All Wars, a marble sculpture on a pedestal that you will find near the main square. The work represents Italy encircled by a royal crown, and the pedestal is engraved with the names of the town's fallen of the two world wars.
Collarmene is a stage on the Way of the Holy Face, which links Vatican City to the Basilica of the Holy Face in Manoppello.
The village has important testimonies of religious faith such as the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie, with its characteristic 16th-century façade and finely decorated with fine polychrome majolica tiles at the top. Inside you can admire a painting of the Madonna delle Grazie from 1570, the Piccolomini coats of arms dating from 1561, and the town's coat of arms bearing the inscription "Colli Armelis". The Church of Santa Felicita – the village's parish church – is of graceful beauty, too.
As you leave the town you will also come across the 8 fountains of Collarmele, which are surrounded by nature and excellently connected by paved or asphalt roads that can be traveled by car, bicycle or on foot. The fountains will give you streams of clear, fresh and drinkable water.
The entire Abruzzo region feeds residents and visitors with excellent culinary delicacies through its traditions based on pastoralism and agriculture. Collarmele is not to be outdone!
Traditional recipes are cooked with the typical products that the land offers, such as beans, wild spinach, spelt, chickling peas, honey and sheep meat. There is no shortage of the finer products of the hinterland such as saffron, mushrooms and “pecorino”, a typical cheese of the village's cuisine. But beware, one of the most renowned products of Collarmele is precisely the prized truffle, present in various qualities. The “Tuber magnatum” – with a pleasant and aromatic scent – the prized black truffle, the Scorzon – with a sweetish odor – and finally the Moscato, that is similar to the prized truffle, but with a more pronounced smell.