Overview
Do you want to take a journey to a place that doesn't exist, like the famous island sung by Edoardo Bennato? Take the second star on the right.
This is the path to Tornimparte, in the province of L'Aquila, which does not have its own "personal" historic centre, but a varied territory scattered in the valley of the Raio stream. Its history, after all, is written in its name, which means 'fortresses located in various parts' (“turres in partibus”).
And so the territory has remained, divided into 21 hamlets, with their own churches, their own customs, with the municipal administration based in one of them, in Villagrande.
Due to its strategic position, the district bordering the Aterno valley housed in ancient times the outposts of Amiternum, centre of the Sabines, then became Roman, as testified by various tombstones found in Villagrande, Colle S. Vito, Piè la Villa, Rocca Santo Stefano. It was from these very settlements that, in the Middle Ages, the villages of Tornimparte emerged in their current physiognomy.
Among all the churches, some still unusable after the earthquake in L'Aquila, the most evocative according to locals is the parish church of San Panfilo, in Villagrande, preceded by a churchyard and a small portico on rough pillars, which houses some frescoes, including the “Madonna Enthroned with Child and 4 Saints”.
Inside, you will find paintings dating back to around 1494 - "Capture of Jesus", "Flagellation", "Deposition" and "Resurrection" - signed by Saturnino Gatti, painter and sculptor of the time, who first trained in Silvestro's workshop of L'Aquila and then perhaps frequented Verrocchio's workshop.
To reach another prestigious church, that of Santo Stefano, you have to walk for about 1 kilometre along a mountain path dotted with centuries-old oaks and recently widened, which overlooks the basin of L'Aquila and the Gran Sasso chain.
The parish church dates back to the first half of the 12th century, in an elevated position between the hamlets of Colle Marino, Forcelle and Rocca S. Stefano, and still presents, despite several earthquakes occurred over the centuries, the various phases of reconstruction dating back to the 13th, the 14th and the 18th centuries. In the lush vegetation, you can see the ruins of a castle, perhaps controlling roads, such as the Claudia Nuova and Cecilia, which were important for the wool and saffron trade.
If you are passionate about speleology, we recommend the Vaccamorta Cave in the Vallone del Puzzillo area, a so-called active resurgence (that is, it acts as a source for a watercourse) in the Mount Velino group, considered one of the most beautiful underground cavities of the L'Aquila area. But be careful. Its visit is recommended only if you are accompanied by expert speleologists.
At the table, on the other hand, you can also be alone, although it is always better to be in company to share the excellent dishes of the 'house', such as the cheese and cold cuts appetiser, the first course with spelt pasta, ricotta and guanciale, and the second with lamb cacio e ova.