Overview
Pereto observes the valley below from the rocky outcrop on which it stands, like an ancient guardian watching over his kingdom. All around, rocks dominate the land and alternate with green forests of durmasts, oaks and beeches, which soften the landscape. Its territory has always been an area of passage and border, so that it earned the name "Porta d'Abruzzo".
The ancient village is dominated by the building that is its symbol and its history: the medieval castle, built as we see it today by Federico II of Svevia in 1096. It was inhabited until the 1400s and then abandoned to the weather and the passing of time. With its keep, watchtowers and entrance gates, however, it will take you back to the medieval atmosphere of duels and spells, battles and legends. As if time had never gone by, on certain winter evenings you still seem to hear the hooves of horses going up to the fortress.
The artistic-religious testimonies, which dot and embellish Pereto, are symbols of the village's strong tradition.
Preserved with careful care, the Church of St. Peter is the most historically and culturally important, dating back to the 3rd-4th centuries BC. Only a few remains of this ancient Roman basilica are visible today.
Built around 955 AD, the Church of St. Sylvester is of great value. In activity until the 1400s, it later suffered looting and vandalism typical of the period. Today one of its small chapels is preserved, in which some fine frescoes are still displayed.
Also worth a visit are the Church of St. Giovanni Battista, dating back to 1524, as recorded on its portal, and the Church of St. Giorgio, dating back to 1584, which is right in the center of the historic village.
The Church of the Madonna dei Bisognosi closes this wonderful tour of sacred art. The history of this particular devotional symbol is told in a parchment, dating back to 610 A.D., which testifies to the transfer from Seville of a wooden sculpture, representing the Madonna with child in her arms. It was over the centuries a pilgrimage destination for popes, kings, queens, nobles and many faithful, who have preserved its prized beauty.
According to regional tradition, the cuisine is rich and linked to the territory. We suggest an ideal menu: as a first course, we suggest you try cicerchiole, which is a lentil soup with homemade squared pasta. This can be accompanied by a second course of meat, such as, for example, pecora agliu cutturu, which is a slow-cooked sheep stew with vegetables and white wine. To finish and sweeten the palate we recommend muzzitti, which are rolled pastry filled with dried fruit and chocolate.