Overview
Morino's name is linked to the fascinating landscape of the Zompo lo Schioppo Reserve, the pride of the Roveto Valley and the heart of the village. The name comes from a spectacular waterfall with a drop ("zompo", precisely) of 80 metres, the highest natural waterfall in the Apennines.
Framing the waterfall is an endless expanse of forests, particularly centuries-old beech trees, which cover almost the entire 1025 hectares of the reserve. Also in this environment you can encounter rivulets and streams, all of which flow into the Lo Schioppo stream. Flying among the branches of the beech trees are woodpeckers, collared flycatchers, creepers, green loons and the occasional sparrow hawk can be seen speeding by. As you climb to higher altitudes, forests give way first to shrublands, then to grasslands. The evocative trails of the Zompo Lo Schioppo Reserve are ideal places for those who love sports in contact with nature: trekking, mountain biking, horseback riding. In winter, it is possible to go skiing in the Valle dell'Inferno, one of the most intact and solitary spots in the Roveto Valley.
Located on a hill, there are the few ruins of the ancient urban centre, perhaps of Roman origin, as some archaeological findings seem to testify. To fully feel the evocative atmosphere of the past, we invite you to reach the hamlet of Rendinara, located on the slope of a spur of Mount Pizzo Deta.
Two small churches in the village are of particular splendor: the hermit church of S.Maria del Pertuso or dei Cauto, immersed right in the beech forest of the Zompo Lo Schioppo Reserve. Built in the 12th century at an altitude of about 1,000 metres, near the waterfall, the church is set against the rock as if it were a cave. Inside are preserved precious 13th-century frescoes. And there is also, in the village of Brecciose di Morino, the Church of St. Pietro, whose name first appears between 1060 and 1063, when it was donated to Montecassino by some nobles of Civita d'Antino. Only a few ruins remain.
In October in the hamlet of Grancia there is a "roscetta" chestnut festival and, in spring, a characteristic cheese festival, with tasting of local pecorino cheese produced according to ancient techniques. On these occasions you might also taste other traditional local delicacies, such as "pelose" sagne with sauce or "tagliarini" in bean and pork rind broth, "Ranati" soup with wheat, corn, beans, chickpeas, and polenta. Or "roscia" pizza with cornmeal.
It is part of the Club of Authentic Villages of Italy.