Overview
There are many beauties to visit in Loreto Aprutino, a small art capital in the province of Pescara, to the left of the Tavo River.
On our advice, start with the Olive Oil Museum, which is the essence of the area, sprinkled with immense groves of olive trees. You are, indeed, in one of the three localities of the so-called "Golden Triangle of Olive Oil" that – together with Moscufo and Pianella – gives birth to the Aprutino-Pescarese Extra Virgin PDO, an elixir of long life, among the basic elements of the Mediterranean Diet, protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
The olive oil exhibition – which is the symbol of the town that is enrolled, undoubtedly, in the national association “Cities of Olive Oil” – is an experience full of surprises, starting with the "Castelletto Amorotti", a late 19th-century neo-Gothic building that houses it. According to tradition, the “Castelletto” is attributed to the creativity of the painter Francesco Paolo Michetti and built in 1880 by Raffaele Baldini Palladini, an enlightened agricultural entrepreneur who loved art and was a friend of the famous artist.
Inside, among other objects, you can also see the awards of celebrated artists from Abruzzo, such as Barbella, D'Annunzio, Michetti, admirers of the precious olive oil from Loreto Aprutino.
Strolling through the historic centre, among the 300 most beautiful villages in Italy, you can capture the full sense of the Middle Ages going through gateways, alleys, picturesque streets, houses and stately palaces, which huddle around the ninth-century Chiola Castle, another imposing town landmark, in which St. Thomas Aquinas is said to have stayed.
During the 15th century, the manor house – now a fine hotel – was the scene of wartime events between the Angevins and the Aragons. Then, it underwent numerous transformations at the behest of the nobles who owned it and after the air raids of the last world war, which did not spare the manor.
You cannot leave Loreto Aprutino without visiting the splendid collection of the Museum of Castelli Ceramics, set up in 1957 by Baron Giacomo Acerbo. It is a fine display of priceless majolica by the most prestigious Abruzzo artists, from the 15th to the 19th century, which will leave you breathless.
In particular, do not miss the first of the six rooms. Here you will find the large – unique in shape and size – inkwell made in Castelli's compendiary style, dated 1588, and some large decorative plates, painted with historical figures by Francesco Grue in the mid-17th century. Valuable, the representation of sumptuous Baroque vases, decorated with historical figures by well-known members of the Grue and de Martinis families.
Let’s visit also the Ligustro Botanical Park, near the historic centre. It is one of the most beautiful gardens in Italy: it is a large green complex named after the tree that most characterises it, creating galleries and hedges with its foliage. Among other plants, you will find centuries-old boxwoods, large cypresses, elms, holm oaks, varieties of palms, monumental kaki trees, cedars.
A fairy tale!
And at the table, let yourself be amazed by “pasta alla chitarra” or “alla mugnaia”, “ravioli” with “ricotta”, “fettuccine”, “sagnarelle” and barbecued meats.
What else to see:
- The church of Santa Maria in Piano
- The church of S. Pietro
- The church of S. Francesco
- Yona Friedman's installation “No Man's Land”, in the Rotacesta hamlet