Overview
Surrounded by nature characterised by typical pasture vegetation, Carpineto Sinello guards ancient secrets of which you will be pleasantly surprised.
As a bulwark of protection, on the highest point of Monte Sorbo stands the Bassi Castle, an imposing and compact building divided into several bodies. A first historical testimony of the village that immediately stands out.
On your way, you will come across the Cauli Palace, of 15th-century origin, with its nearby Chapel of Santa Vittoria. The palace has a fortified and square-shaped structure and it is surrounded by walls – enclosing a courtyard – on which there are embrasures that were used for firearms. Next to it, you will find the peculiar portal of the chapel, characterised by a round arch, lowered with square stone ashlars typical of 15th-century durazzo architecture.
The village's sacred art does not stop here. You can also appreciate the Church of San Michele Arcangelo, dating back to the 14th century and first documented in 1324.
As you will notice during your visit, numerous renovations and transformations took place between the 18th and 19th centuries. The façade of the church is made of stone. In the centre of the façade is the portal and, above it, a large rectangular window will prompt you to raise your eyes. But now enter into the church and be amazed by the decorations inside, dated 1728, which give the interior a typically Baroque character.
There is something curious about this village perched under the eyes of the Maiella. In 1986, on a quiet and normal morning in the locality of San Nicola, a landowner found a set of finds in his field. This discovery made it possible to identify an ancient sacred area and to delineate an archaeological site, known today as the Sanctuary Fonte San Nicola.
A journey through art and the sacred ... but also through the profane. In the premises adjacent to the Bassi Castle in Carpineto Sinello, indeed, you will find the Museo del Maiale (Pig Museum), which tells the story of the pig and the art of charcuterie in Italian culture and rural economy, from Roman times up to the present day.
As a saying teaches us, appetite comes with eating but perhaps it also comes “with seeing”!
fter visiting the museum, you will surely be hungry. The ideal lunch to enjoy the tastiness of the place could consist of an appetiser of “pallotte cace e ove”, a first course of “tagliatelle alla boscaiola” with truffles and sausages and some excellent grilled meat. Our mouths are already watering!