Overview
In one of the most rugged patches of the province of Teramo lies the village of Rocca Santa Maria, one of the small towns of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park.
A stay this area means green pastures in your eyes, wooded heights like roofs, springs of clear water from the Tordino and Castellano streams, which sing to the rhythm of your footsteps, berries to be picked and enjoyed at km zero, mushrooms like umbrellas, which embellish local recipes, crisp, cool air even in summer, which "forces" you to sleep with a blanket at night.
But also, stories of life to be heard and read, such as that of the Bosco Martese (which, according to legend, was consecrated to the god Mars and was also traversed by Hannibal): scenario of the Bourbon resistance to the united demands and later of the bloody clash that saw partisans and Germans opposing each other in 1943.
The splendid vegetation of the forest today is all to be entered and discovered. In peace.
Try a pleasant ramble to the area of Ceppo, a hamlet of Rocca Santa Maria, at 1300 metres above sea level: a traditional destination for tourists, visitors and locals, where strawberries and mushrooms can be picked in the right seasons, to the sound of the numerous springs that before reaching the Castellano River draw a marvelous backdrop of waterfalls and water features.
Outside the village, there are the ruins of the church of St. Flaviano, probably built in the last thirty years of the 1200s, which stands on a ridge in a dominant and lookout position with respect to the village.
And if you are a fan of "abandonment tourism", that is, of disused and forgotten places, visit the "ghost" villages of Serra, Martese, Tavolero, which are three of the many nuclei in the region that have been abandoned over the centuries due to economic and social issues.
The date with the local delicacies has finally arrived and, before tasting the traditional dishes of the province, give way to the tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms, which speak the local language masterfully.
Continue with maccheroni alla chitarra, the region's leading pasta dish, which is suitable for all kinds of sauces, although among the most commonly used in Abruzzo are the classic sauce with meat balls, with three meats, with tomato and basil, or with mushrooms and truffles and even with seafood.
Be sure to try arrosticini, another iconic dish of the region, cacio e uovo meatballs, wild boar stew and roast lamb with a side of fried and roasted porcini mushrooms.
What else to see:
- The church of Sant'Egidio in Acquaratola
- The Water Mills