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Destination

Oricola

A perfect match between aristocratic palaces and unspoiled woods

Date:
Reading time:

3 min

Topics
  • Authentic villages
  • Comuni d’Abruzzo
Oricola, Ph. Pietro, CC BY-SA 4.0

Overview

Descrizione lunga

Follow us to Oricola, the village that dominates the Cavaliere plain and marks the border between Marsican Abruzzo and the upper Aniene Valley in Lazio.
This splendid village, dominated by the medieval fortress, preserves valuable religious and civil architecture. The village is surrounded by an authentic and preserved natural environment inhabited by evergreens such as chestnut, turkey oak, beech, poplar and oak trees.

A walk through the streets, in a series of peculiar cobbled ups and downs, will let you discover the enchanting preciousness of Oricola, step by step. You will encounter the Castle, most likely built in the 9th century. The Counts of Marsi wanted a square fortress with mighty walls, ramparts and observation points in the four towers, precisely to defend the locals from Saracen and Hungarian invasions, which characterized the Middle Ages for a long time. The appearance of a Renaissance fortress, moreover, can be traced back to the second half of the 15th century.

Also testifying to the architectural refinement of past centuries is the 18th-century style Palazzo Signorile, also known as Palazzo Rostagno: a real gem in the heart of this border village. 
Going on, let the artistic and religious testimonies fascinate you and stop to appreciate the Church of San Salvatore, in Baroque style, with a single nave, rich in valuable frescoes and stuccoes, as well as statues and sacred furnishings of remarkable value and workmanship. It encloses a 19th-century wooden organ made by Tommaso Vayola

Continuing on, lengthen your route and move just outside the village: here you will find the Church of Santa Restituta d'Africa, which has the typical appearance of a country church, characterized by simple and well-proportioned forms. Inside it are preserved splendid frescoes from the 13th century.
In the hamlet of Civita you will also find the Church of the Holy Heart, built in the second half of the 20th century, which is an elegant example of modern sacred architecture. 

For lovers of nature and adventure, in the territories of the hamlet there is the Bosco di Sèsera. Here, among centuries-old beech forests, you can observe rare reptiles and amphibians, such as the cervone, the crested newt and the yellow-bellied howler. You can also see the remains of the ancient Roman city of Carseoli, where you can admire a suburban temple and the remains of ancient walls. A way to feel like Indiana Jones in the beautiful lands of Abruzzo. 

Culinary art accompanies your trip, with some local specialties such as soups and soups of farro, fava beans and potatoes, gnocchi with meat sauce, ravioli with truffles, snails in guazzetto, and barbecued lamb. 
This medieval village is irresistible, isn't it?

 

Tag

  • Villages
  • borghi autentici
  • borghi montani
  • Comuni

Location of the Destination

Geolocalizzazione

42.049754717196, 13.039162158966

Last updated

24/01/2024, 11:02

Published by AbruzzoTurismo