Overview
If you want to get to know the Sicilian Valley - which has nothing to do with Sicily since we are in Abruzzo - you have to start from Colledara, the gateway to the area.
You are on the northern slope of the Gran Sasso d'Italia, where the Mavone Valley, whose historical name is precisely Valle Siciliana, extends. You should know that in the vicinity of this valley there is the Via Caecilia, an ancient road connecting Rome and Giulianova. Since then the area became “Sicilian”, probably because of a mistake in the transcription.
Our "Colledara", which is located on a hillock from which you can see the Gran Sasso in one of its most impressive positions, has been frequented since ancient times: numerous artifacts from the Iron Age and the Roman period, found in the nearby area, tell this.
The history of Colledara is all encased in the village of Castiglione della Valle. Once it was an important and populous center, known from ancient sources by the name of Castrum Leonis Vallis Sicilianae; today is almost completely uninhabited. Here, according to legend - but there would be historical confirmations by some scholars - Lucrezia Borgia stopped in 1499. She was fleeing the troops of her brother Cesare, the infamous Duke Valentino, who would have fought a battle in the nearby village of Chiarino against the restless population too.
In the tiny and quiet hamlet, you can admire the 12th-century church of San Michele Arcangelo in the medieval square. Its interior is decorated with Baroque 18th-century frescoes, a splendid wooden ceiling from the same period and a valuable organ from 1797.
Three kilometres from Ornano Grande, another hamlet in the municipality, you should visit the parish church of San Giorgio, attested since the 12th century. It has a distinctive facade and, inside, remarkable Baroque altars.
In Colledara, on the other hand, do not miss the church of San Paolo, built during the 16th century and renovated several times. Moreover, you can see the remains of the ramparts and tower of the ancient castle in the hamlet of Villa Petto - which was founded after the destruction of the Roman Pitinia that stood at the confluence of the Mavone and the Vomano.
You can’t miss the appointment with the gastronomy of Teramo and its province. Start your lunch with the timballo di scrippelle or maccheroni alla chitarra. Save space also for the traditional porchetta, which is soft, aromatic and genuine. It is expertly prepared and cooked in the ancient ovens, especially in those in the hamlet of Collecastino by the local masters of porchetta. A tradition that has been handed down for more than 150 years here.