Overview
In the province of Chieti, a stay in Fallo means enjoying relaxation, nature, silence and true flavours. It is no coincidence that the town is enrolled in the prestigious “club” of Authentic Villages, which guarantee authenticity and respect for their roots.
First of all, plunge your gaze into the oak woods that surround it. A glance at all that green is enough to relax.
And now look at this “creature”, perched on a rocky spur from which it dominates the Sangro valley, giving you a harmonious feeling of delight.
Like the two works housed in the Church of the “Madonna del Soccorso” and the Church of St John the Baptist: respectively, the polychrome wooden sculpture of the Madonna Enthroned with Child (mid 14th century) and the altarpiece depicting the Coronation of the Madonna and Child, St John the Baptist and St Nicholas of Bari (late 16th century). The latter is attributed to an anonymous artist of the Tuscan school, a probable follower of Fra' Bartolomeo.
Little great jewels of art and faith.
Stroll through the tiny village, if possible in silence, listening to the footsteps tolling on the ancient stones. All around, its medieval origins emerge, as attested by the first written documents dating back to the 12th century, when it was known as Faldum; later, over the centuries, it was owned by various important families such as the Caldora, Colonna and Carafa families.
So much peace, so much tranquillity. That which could not have been there in 1944, during the Second World War, when the expedition led by officer Lionel Wigram departed from the village. Composed of British soldiers and partisans of the Maiella Brigade, the aim was to liberate the nearby Pizzoferrato from the Germans.
What a story.
The silence doubles in the lonely area of Borgo Valle Vecchia and Borgo Pietra Antica, two complexes of houses – inside the village – made of stone and worked pebbles, dating back to the 19th century and remodelled several times.
Leaving the historic centre, the thick forest awaits you with its secrets hidden in the greenery and among the rocky outcrops. These are the ruins of the Mulino della Selva on the Sangro river and the remains on the hill known as Fallo Vecchio, an interesting archaeological area.
If you have more days to dedicate to the territory, take the car and in a few kilometres you will reach places of great charm, including the “del Verde” waterfalls in Borrello, the prehistoric engravings of Civitaluparella; the Samnite and Roman archaeological sites of Trebula and Juvanum, the Abetina di Rosello Regional Nature Reserve with its giant trees and boreal landscapes.
Finally, would you like to get to know the culinary identity of Fallo? Taste the “fojie e patane” (the potatoes of the Middle Sangro), the carefully prepared lamb meat, the dishes enriched with the local truffle, the locally produced honey, and you can say you have touched the Genius loci of the village.