Overview
Come and experience the hinterland of the province of Chieti, which extends up to the border with Molise: it is a swarming of villages and communities, each with an identity and a story to tell, which enriches this part of Abruzzo. Sweet hills dotted with vineyards and olive groves, sloping down almost to the edge of the coast.
If there wasn't the Adriatic state road, they would end up in the water.
Have a stop in Villamagna, a vital village in the Foro valley whose origins are indisputably Roman - its toponym strongly reminds us of this - but the first historical news dates back to the 9th century when a group of Benedictine monks settled in the convent of San Severino, which was part of the Abbey of San Liberatore a Maiella, near Serramonacesca, about 20 kilometres from "our" village.
Enter the village from Porta da Capo, the more monumental of the two entrances (the other is Porta da piedi), and you will feel for a moment as if you were reliving the time when Villamagna was an impregnable stronghold with the 'castellum', which defended it from invasions and plundering, mainly from the sea. Like that time when, according to tradition, the dreadful Saracens, who had landed from the coast, tried to besiege the village, but were stopped by a woman, St Margaret, who became the patron saint of the place. For this reason, for about four centuries Villamagna has been renewing the ancient story, between sacred and profane, celebrating the "miracle" of the Holy Woman, with a suggestive re-enactment in the month of July, which we invite you to see, in which the patron saint has the appearance of a gigantic burning beam that drives away the enemy.
Admire the churches, such as the chapel of Pio Monte dei Morti, originally from 1586, and the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, rebuilt between 1730 and 1750, and the historic buildings that open into the streets, the most important is Battaglini Palace, in eighteenth-century style. Amidst the ancient forms of the village, one can detect some aspects of modernity: these are the works of a local ceramist, who is enriching the urban design with great creativity.
You will find monuments dedicated to the Emigrant, to the Fallen and to Peace, to the Children of Beslan, to 11 September 2001, harmoniously embedded in the architectural tissue. Bella la fontana su bassorilievo dedicata all’Europa, dipinta a sfondo blu con le stelle dei Paesi dell’Unione.
At the table, savour the typical cuisine of the province of Chieti, first and foremost the 'maccheroni alla chitarra', seasoned with a mixed meat sauce made of beef, pork or lamb, and the 'fiadoni', rustic ravioli made with a mixture of eggs, oil, white wine and flour, with a filling made of various cheeses, mainly hard cheeses such as rigatino and pecorino, eggs and various spices.
What else to see:
- The convent of San Francesco
- The Archbishop's Palace