1 Guerriero di Capestrano JEWELS IN STONE: ROMANESQUE CHURCHES AND BARONY CASTLES Santo Stefano di Sessanio. Foto: Wolftour. ITINERARY IN BRIEF Picturesque villages that evoke time immemorial, breathtaking landscapes dotted with beautiful Romanesque churches and spectacular mediaeval castles ... this and much more are features of your journey of discovery in the ancient lands of the barons, places so fascinating and rich in history to have inspired travellers and screenwriters from all over the world. The cakdrop to your journey will be the vast plateau of Campo Imperatore, known as Italy’s Little Tibet, a destination of choice for sport and nature tourism enthusiasts, as well as the set for many film Westerns by Sergio Leone. 2 ITINERARY STAGES AND PROGRAMME Capestrano Bominaco Calascio Santo Stefano di Sessanio Campo Imperatore Castel del Monte DAY 1 Arrival in Capistrano and visit to the village and Castello Piccolomini; alternatively, visit to the Church of San Pietro ad Oratorium Move on to Bominaco and visit to the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, Oratory of San Pellegrino and the Castle Lunch free Move on to Calascio, visit to the village and fortress Move on to Santo Stefano for dinner, evening visit to the village and overnight stay Rocca Calascio. Foto: Wolftour. DAY 2 Breakfast and move on to Campo Imperatore for Nordic Walking session and photo safari (in winter, with the possibility of crosscountry skiing) Lunch free Move on to Castel del Monte and visit to the town Departure NOT TO BE MISSED • The frescoes of Bominaco • Rocca Calascio, film set for Ladyhawke • Campo Imperatore, with Europe’s southernmost glacier • The unique biodiversity of the National Park of Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga • The lentils of Santo Stefano and Canestrato cheese of Castel del Monte 3 THE RECIPE OF LOCAL TRADITION ... REVISITED IN A MODERN KEY BY "MASTER CHEF" BEATRICE DE TULLIO Abruzzo pizza with Canestrato ricotta cheese INGREDIENTS: 100 g of whole grain spelt flour, 100 g of "00" flour, 1 egg, 120 ml of extra virgin olive oil, grated peel of one untreated citron, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 10 g of caster sugar, 100 g of raw spelt, 20 g of dried cherry tomatoes, 250 g of well-drained Canestrato ricotta cheese, 150 g of grated Canestrato pecorino cheese, 2 whole eggs, peel of one untreated citron, pepper and nutmeg to taste, 5 dried lavender flowers (optional) PROCEDURE: Knead the dough, combining all the ingredients (adding the two flours last). Wrap in cling film and place in refrigerator for at least 30 min, mix the ricotta 4 and pecorino cheeses, grated citron peel and spices with the help of an electric mixer. Add the eggs which have previously been whisked, the spelt previously boiled in 300 ml of water and 200 ml of milk, but only when cooled. Infuse the lavender flowers in 30 ml of boiling water and add to the mix along with the dried tomatoes and oregano. Take a round baking tin, which has been buttered and lined with baking paper, and place 2/3 of the dough thinly stretched on the bottom, then fill with the ricotta cheese and finish with the classic criss-cross pastry topping for sweet tarts. Bake at 160 degrees Pizza with Canestrato ricotta cheese Foto: Beatrice De Tullio. for approximately 30 minutes. Serve cold with a fine glass of white wine! WHERE TO STAY Residenza La Torre Via degli Archi, Santo Stefano di Sessanio Tel. 0862 89448 Residence Il Palazzo Via G. D'Annunzio, Santo Stefano di Sessanio Tel. 0862 89445 La Candeletta Via delle Aie 16, Santo Stefano di Sessanio Tel. 0862 311374 Le Case Della Posta Via Roma 40, Santo Stefano di Sessanio Tel. 347 9716625 Residence Villa Valsi Via Dè Contra, Santo Stefano di Sessanio Tel. 340 3598380 La Locanda sul Lago Via del lago, Santo Stefano di Sessanio Tel. 0862 899019 Agritur. Sapori della Terra Via Circonvallazione Sud, 91. San Pio delle Camere Tel. 340 246 4673 Agritusimo Il Fortino Località Forca Di Penne 1, Capestrano Tel. 0862 954179 Il Fortino Agritourism. Foto: Angiola Verna WHERE TO EAT Locanda Sotto Gli Archi c/o Sextantio Via N. Sauro, Santo Stefano Di Sessanio Tel 0862 899116 Tra le Braccia di Morfeo Via Benedetta 10, Santo Stefano di Sessanio Tel. 0862 899110 Ristorante - Pizzeria - Bar "a Bominaco" Via Madonnella 2, Bominaco. Tel. 0862 93616 Il Rifugio della Rocca Località Rocca Calascio, Calascio. Tel. 340 4696928 La Locanda delle Streghe Relais Ristorante Via della Pineta 24, Castel del Monte Tel. 0862 938911 Osteria Del Lupo Viale della Vittoria 34, Castel del Monte Tel. 0862 938136 Rifugio Fonte Vetica Via della Fonte Vetica 11, Castel del Monte. Tel. 0862 938138 Ristorante da Maria SS17bis Fonte Cerreto Tel. 0862 606629 Agriturismo 4A Via S. Pietro 6, Caporciano Tel. 0862 931394 5 TYPICAL PRODUCTS CANESTRATO CHEESE FROM CASTEL DEL MONTE Azienda Zootecnica "Gran Sasso" (farm) di Giulio Petronio Via S. Donato 56, Piè di Colle Castel del Monte. Tel. 333 58140330 Local cheeses. Foto: Wolftour. LENTILS FROM SANTO STEFANO DI SESSANIO (SLOW FOOD PRESIDIUM) Azienda Agricola Ciuffini Ernesto (farm) Via della Mora 9, Castelvecchio Calvisio Tel. 0862 930196 Azienda Agricola Ciarrocca Rosa (farm) Via Benedetta 5, Santo Stefano di Sessanio Tel. 366 6816786 Azienda Agricola Gentile Alessandra (farm) Via Plaia 18, Calascio Tel. 377 1290446 CONFECTIONERY La Dolciaria Castellana Via Provinciale 1, Castel del Monte Tel. 0862 93511 6 Dolci Aveja Via del Mulino 10, Ocre Tel.0862 67423 MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESSES Azienda Agrozootecnica Damiani Ovidio (farm) Via Provinciale snl, Barisciano Tel. 393 1957511 Azienda Agricola Damiani Gabriele (farm) Viale Aldo Moro 35, Barisciano Tel. 347 5423217 Azienda Agricola La Buona Terra (farm) Via Provinciale 145, Barisciano Tel. 0862 89335 Azienda Agricola La Mascionara (farm) Via Santa Croce snc, Campotosto Tel. 0862 904774 Typical confectionery Foto: Maria Teresa Spagnoli. Agriturismo Antica Dimora (holiday farm) Via Rosa 46, Prata d'Ansidonia Tel. 347 2255245 Az. Agricola Ciucolandia (farm) Nucleo Collelungo 16, Capestrano 5 Tel. 339 3946773 INFORMATION AND TOURIST SERVICES HOW TO ARRIVE Visitor Centre - Santo Stefano di Sessanio Via del Municipio, Santo Stefano di Sessanio Tel. 0862 899117 Ente Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga Via Del Convento, Assergi Tel. 0862 60521 Il Bosso Soc. Coop. Via Giovanni XXIII 12, Bussi sul Tirino Tel. 085 980800 INFO Gal Gran Sasso Velino Via Mulino di Pile 27, L'Aquila. Tel. 0862 701065 [email protected] • By car from L'Aquila, SS17 in the direction of Popoli, SS153 • By car from Rome, A24 in the direction of Teramo, exit L'Aquila Est, SS17, SS153 • By car from Teramo, A24 in the direction of Rome, exit L'Aquila Est, SS17, SS153 • By car from Pescara, A25 in the direction of L'Aquila/Rome, exit Bussi-Popoli, SS153 • By train, Bussi station, Rome-Sulmona-Pescara line Mountain biking at Campo Imperatore. Foto: Wolftour. 7 Saffron processing 2 TALES OF SHEPHERDS: THE PAGLIARE OF FONTECCHIO AND TIONE Borgo di Fontecchio. Foto: Wolftour. ITINERARY IN BRIEF Set amidst the majestic peaks of the Sirente-Velino Regional Park lies Valle Subequana, inhabited since pre-Roman times by "strong and gentle" Italic peoples, dedicated to agriculture and sheep farming. Exceptional testimony of these activities, which revolved around transhumance, are the pagliare, ancient mountain villages where shepherds rested with their flocks during summer. When you visit Fontecchio and Tione degli Abruzzi, you will be able to experience the rural atmosphere of the past and appreciate firsthand the authenticity of the inhabitants and local products. The tour can be done partly or entirely on foot and by mountain bike, or even on horseback in the stretch connecting the two pagliare. On the way back, we recommend a stopover in Navelli, a village renowned for its production of DOP saffron. ITINERARY STAGES AND PROGRAMME Fontecchio - Pagliare di Fontecchio - Pagliare di Tione degli Abruzzi - Navelli Arrival in Fontecchio and visit to the village Excursion to Pagliare di Fontecchio Packed lunch Excursion from Pagliare di Fontecchio to Pagliare di Tione degli Abruzzi Move on to Navelli Tasting of local products with the assistance of a Taste Guide Departure 99 Pagliare di Fontecchio. Foto: Wolftour. NOT TO BE MISSED • Palazzo Baronale dei Corvi and the Museum of Memory and Culture of Fontecchio • The fourteenth-century Clock Tower in Tione degli Abruzzi • The fragrant Navelli saffron • Not far away, the extraordinary stalactites and stalagmites of Grotte di Stiffe as an alternative to one of the stages proposed • The beautiful Lake Sinizzo, suitable for swimming and with barbecue area Scorcio Fontana medioevale Fontecchio 10 THE RECIPE OF LOCAL TRADITION ... REVISITED IN A MODERN KEY BY "MASTER CHEF" BEATRICE DE TULLIO Coffee and saffron mousse with chocolate syrup, saffron and Aurum_ INGREDIENTS 100 ml of pasteurised fresh cream 1 tablespoon of icing sugar 1 strong coffee 1 teaspoon of caster sugar 1 teaspoon of ground Navelli saffron 1/2 teaspoon of cocoa powder 100 ml of Aurum (50 to be mixed cold, 50 with heat turned off) 10 g of caster sugar 10 ml of water Pistils of Navelli saffron PROCEDURE: Prepare the Aurum syrup by leaving the water to boil for 5 min with half of the Aurum and sugar. Add the second half only once the heat has been turned off. Mix the coffee, sugar, cocoa and saffron while hot. Whisk the cream previously cooled in the freezer with the icing sugar, then mix in the flavoured coffee once it has cooled. Serve altogether in a small bowl or glass beaker. Garnish with saffron and a few drops of flavoured coffee. 11 WHERE TO STAY Torre del Cornone Apartments Via Cantone della Terra 22, Fontecchio Tel. 0862 85441 Fulé Apartments Via Fuleana, Fontecchio Tel. 0862 85156 Locanda del Parco Via Palazzo, Fontecchio Tel. 0862 85370 Alle Vecchie Querce Via Costarella 5, Fontecchio. Tel. 339 776 0161 La Torre B&B Via San Nicola 4, Fontecchio Tel. 333 797 9280 La Capinera B&B Contrada Fuliana snc, Fontecchio Tel. 328 717 4225 Hotel Stiffe Via del Mulino 3, Stiffe Tel. 0862 86218 Locanda La Corte Via Capo la Terra, San Lorenzo Tel. 0864 799191 12 Abruzzo Segreto B&B Via San Girolamo 3, Navelli Tel. 0862 959447 Sotto le Volte (Rooms to Let) Via Municipio 15, Navelli Tel. 0862 959445 WHERE TO EAT Il Sirente Snc Via San Pio 1, Fontecchio Tel. 0862 85376 Trattoria La Fontana Via del Municipio 6, Fontecchio Tel. 0862 85228 Antica Taverna di Navelli Via dell'osteria 16, Navelli Tel. 0862 959171 Crocus Bar Restaurant Strada Statale 17, km. 65.125, Navelli Tel. 0862 959193 Agriturismo Ovindoli Cashmere Via Colle Marciano 9, Loc. Santa Iona, Ovindoli Tel. 0863 793256 TYPICAL PRODUCTS NAVELLI SAFFRON AND MUCH MORE ... Azienda Agricola Cantalini Tommaso (farm) Via del Commercio 3, Navelli Tel. 0862 959112 Azienda Agrituristica Casa Verde (holiday farm) Via Umberto I 9, Civitaretenga Tel. 0862 959163 Cooperativa Altopiano di Navelli Via Umberto I 9, Civitaretenga Tel. 0862 959163 Azienda Agricola Nolletti Nunzio (farm) Via Capo Croce 13, Collepietro Tel. 339 3617704 MISCELLANEOUS Azienda Agricola Agriturismo Centuria (holiday farm) Via Pie le Vigne snl, S. Pio Delle Camere Tel. 0862 93763 Azienda Agricola Del Giudice Attilio (farm) Via Sicinito snc, Rocca Di Cambio Tel. 348 3715327 Azienda Agricola Turavani Giuseppe (farm) Via Mazzini 1, Goriano Valli Tel. 349 7971533 Azienda Agricola Papaoli Alfonso (farm) Via Spiagge Piccole 2, Navelli Tel. 3479331731 WINE Azienda Agricola Vigna Di More (farm) Via XX Settembre snc, Goriano Valli. Tel. 335 8093737 CHEESE AND DAIRY PRODUCTS Caseificio Magnante Via delle Cese 16, Rocca di Mezzo Tel. 0862 917462 Local textile production Foto: Antonella Marinelli. TEXTILE PRODUCTION I campi di Mais Piazza della Chiesa, Loc. Santi di Preturo Tel. 339 3328228 13 INFORMATION AND TOURIST SERVICES Grotte di Stiffe Via del Mulino 2, San Demetrio Ne' Vestini Tel. 0862 86142 Abruzzo Mountains Wild Fontecchio Tel. 388 8368340 Sirente-Velino Regional Park Viale XXIV Maggio Snc, Rocca di Mezzo Tel. 0862 9166 L'Avellano Riding Club Via Capo la Terra snc, loc. Campana, Fagnano Alto Tel. 339 274 8881 Information Office in Castelvecchio Subequo Via Roma, Castelvecchio Subequo Tel. 0864 790246 Information Office in Tione degli Abruzzi Via Capo Aia, Santa Maria del Ponte Tel. 348 0839772 Information Office in Rocca di Cambio Via Duca Degli Abruzzi 2, Rocca di Cambio Tel. 0862 918100 Information Office in Rocca di Mezzo Piazza Dell'Oratorio Snc, Rocca di Mezzo Tel. 0862 916125 Capriolo Visitor Centre Via dell'Aquila, Fontecchio Tel. 328 7174225 On horseback among the Pagliare Foto: Wolftour. 14 HOW TO ARRIVE • By car from L'Aquila, SS17 in the direction of Popoli, SR261 • By car from Rome, A24 in the direction of Teramo, exit L'Aquila Est, SS17, SR261 • By car from Teramo, A24 in the direction of Rome, exit L'Aquila Est, SS17, SR261 • By car from Pescara, A25 in the direction of L'Aquila/Rome, exit Bussi-Popoli, SS5 in the direction of Popoli, SP43 in the direction of Acciano, SR261 • By train, Fontecchio station served by regional trains. INFO Gal Gran Sasso Velino Via Mulino di Pile 27, L'Aquila. Tel. 0862 701065 [email protected] Sirente-Velino Park. Foto: Wolftour. 15 3 Obelisco di Tagliacozzo - AQ IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BANDITS: DISCOVER MARSICA Val Fondillo, Marsica. Foto: Francesco Eligi. ITINERARY IN BRIEF Retrace the route formerly trod by the Marsi, a courageous Italic warrior people with Osco-Umbrian origins, who were historically settled in the first millennium BC in Fucino territory. This region has been the scene of battles, riots and revolutionary ferment at the hands of bandits first and then patriots opposed to foreign domination and the unification of Italy. Here you will find yourself immersed in a unique landscape, enclosed between Monti Simbruini and Monti Carseolani: peaks and cliffs, caves and canyons, stalactites and stalagmites dot the area with karst origins, creating wild and sometimes mysterious landscapes. THE STAGES Pereto Carsoli Sante Marie Tagliacozzo Cappadocia TRAVEL TIPS DAY 1 Start your tour in Pereto, to visit the local churches: San Giovanni (1500), San Giorgio (1584) and Santa Maria dei Bisognosi, a sanctuario from 610 AD. After a tasty lunch at a local restaurant of your choice, you can move on to Carsoli and venture into the Grotte di Pietrasecca. You can dine and spend the night in one of the many hotels in the area. 17 Castello Orsini-Colonna, Avezzano. Foto: Mario Cipollone. DAY 2 We suggest a stop in Sante Marie, famous for hosting the Museum of Banditry. In the second part of the day, you can continue your journey on to Tagliacozzo and Cappadocia, with the fascinating Grotte di Beatrice Cenci. Alternatively, you can take a detour to the town of Avezzano, known for its castle, or to the archaeological site of Alba Fucens. 18 NOT TO BE MISSED • Grotte di Pietrasecca, a reserve made up of two caves: Grotta Grande del Cervo and Grotta dell'Ovito. • The Sanctuary of Santa Maria dei Bisognosi, ancient pilgrimage destination of popes and noble families • The water features of Sorgenti del Liri • Avezzano potatoes, grown in the nearby Piana del Fucino • A few kilometres away, the archaeological site of Alba Fucens THE RECIPE OF LOCAL TRADITION ... REVISITED IN A MODERN KEY BY "MASTER CHEF" BEATRICE DE TULLIO Avezzano potato doughnuts INGREDIENTS: 250 g of flour 250 g of boiled Avezzano potatoes 2 egg yolks 25 g of yeast 1 tablespoon of caster sugar 50 g of extra virgin olive oil Pinch of salt Peel of 1 lemon caster sugar ground cinnamon PROCEDURE: Mash the Avezzano potatoes and combine them with all the other ingredients; use the mix to make tubes about 20 cm long and then shape them to form doughnuts which should be allowed to rest and rise on baking paper until their volume has doubled. All you have to do then is fry them in very hot oil and then while hot roll them in the caster sugar mixed with ground cinnamon. Potato doughnuts. Foto: Beatrice De Tullio. 19 WHERE TO STAY Casale del Colonnello Via degli Alpini, Carsoli Tel. 339 1995136 Hotel Ristorante le Sequoie Strada Statale Tiburtina Valeria Km 68.900, Carsoli Tel. 0863 997961 Hotel Nuova Fattoria Strada Statale Tiburtina Valeria Km. 68.800, Carsoli Tel. 0863 992173 Hotel I Bucaneve Viale Vittorio Veneto 1, Cappadocia Tel. 0863 670670 Albergo Lupo Bianco Loc. Camporotondo, Cappadocia. Tel. 0863 671414 Albergo Restaurant Marina Via Giacomo Matteotti 9, Tagliacozzo. Tel. 0863 610243 Casale le Crete B&B Via delle Crete di Sorbo, Tagliacozzo Tel. 0863 678311 Agriturismo Le Acacie Loc. Corcumello SS579, Tagliacozzo Tel. 0863 54490 Hotel Velino Via Montello 9, Avezzano - Tel. 0863 412696 20 Le Acacie Agritourism. Foto: Francesco Eligi. Hotel Trattoria di Sante Marie Via Pescara 2, Sante Marie Tel. 0863 679391 WHERE TO EAT Il Grifone Restaurant Viale Vittorio Veneto, Loc. Petrella Liri Tel. 0863 670670 Osteria La Parigina Via dei Molini 3, Tagliacozzo Tel. 328 7458342 Il Capriccio Via Roma 69, Tagliacozzo Tel. 0863 1862551 Pizzeria C'era Una Volta Piazza Della Libertà 1, Carsoli - Tel. 0863 992511 Al Caminetto Via degli Alpini 91, Carsoli - Tel. 0863 995479 Ristorante Pasqualino Via degli Alpini 7, Carsoli - Tel. 0863 995206 L'Angolo d'Abruzzo Piazza Aldo Moro 8, Carsoli - Tel. 0863 9978429 Vino di Sup Restaurant Via Garibaldi 72, Avezzano - Tel. 0863 411104 Il Minghino Restaurant Via Francesco Crispi 69/a, Avezzano - Tel. 0863 412687 TYPICAL PRODUCTS MISCELLANEOUS ACTIVITIES Antica Pasticceria Marcello (bakery) Viale G. Matteotti 3, Tagliacozzo Tel. 331 12311247 Salumificio Il Norcino Via dei Ciclamini, 11, Avezzano. Tel. 0863 21799 Verdesapore s.a.s Via Madonna della Stella 31, Avezzano Tel. 335 7387059 Azienda Zootecnica Tre Monti (farm) Via Circonvallazione 97, Avezzano Tel. 327 5443584 Del Fosco Domenico Via Nuova 84, Avezzano Tel. 0863 398867 Pastificio La Fraiola (pasta factory) Via XX Settembre 539/b, Avezzano Tel. 0863 23380 Orlandi Tartufi (truffles) Via Sirente 16, Avezzano Tel. 0863 33166 Soc. Coop. Agricola Cantina del Fucino (wine) Via Milano 85, Avezzano Tel. 0863 59148 Il Castagneto Via dei Macchia 2, Carsoli Tel. 0863 990138 21 INFORMATION AND TOURIST SERVICES Grotte di Pietrasecca Special Nature Reserve Loc. Pietrasecca, Carsoli Info e prenotazioni c/o Coop. Il Volto degli Equi, tel. 320 1715968 Grotta Beatrice Cenci Via Vittorio Veneto, Petrella Liri Tel. 347 3166729 Tagliacozzo Tourist Information Office Piazza Obelisco 49, Tagliacozzo Tel. 0863 610318 22 Alba Fucens Tourist Information Office Piazza della Scuola, Alba Fucens Tel. 0863 449642 Monte Salviano Nature Reserve Office Piazza della Repubblica 9, Avezzano Tel. 0863 501249 Grotte di Luppa Regional Nature Reserve Loc. Sante Marie Tel. 0863 679132 Asd Grotte Forre Natura d'Abruzzo Tel. 339 5279716 Excursions in Monti Simbruini Foto: Wolftour. HOW TO ARRIVE • By car from the North, A14, follow direction for A1 then follow direction for Rome, follow direction for Pescara, A24 exit at Carsoli/Oricola, SS5 in the direction of Pereto • By car from the South, A14, follow direction for Pescsra, A25 direction for Rome, A24 exit at Carsoli/Oricola, SS5 in the direction of Pereto • By train, Oricola-Pereto station, served by RomePescara line. INFO Gal Gran Sasso Velino Via Mulino di Pile 27, L'Aquila. Tel. 0862 701065 [email protected] At the foot of Monti Carseolani Foto: Wolftour. 23 23 Grotte di Pietrasecca TRAVEL’S NOTES