Home » Highlights » Itineraries in L'Aquila » Guard Towers for Land and Pasture Paths
After a breakdown of the city structure due to events in the Early Middle Ages, fortified cities became the new cores for residential and economic life. From within, powerful feudal families could carry out the important duty of surveying L’Aquila’s pasture-path system.
Author: Walter Cavalieri
Why did noble leaders from around Europe leave their “dolci castelli” (sweet castles), as Manzoni wrote, and move to these cold, inhospitable districts of L’Aquila? To answer that question, all you have to do is imagine what you would see when looking out the from the merlons in the walls of the countless fortified castles built in Abruzzi during the feudal and Renaissance eras. The image would be extensive farmland, woods, rivers, and a steady flow of over 30,000 shepherds practicing transhumance and about 3 million sheep.
Positioned within the cities, or in strategic locations, the castles built at the foot of Gran Sasso, thus ensured the surveillance and defense of the area, and more importantly, supervised the “big business” of wool production. It’s no coincidence that these mountain towns were dominated by the Piccolomini and Medici families, for the very purpose of controlling L’Aquila’s pasture-path system and the abundant profits from transhumance.
This fascinating day tour of mountain towns starts with Santo Stefano di Sessanio, goes up to Rocca Calascio, back down to Castelvecchio Calvisio, and comes to an end in Capestrano.
The village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio has a fortified urban layout dating back to the early 15th century. The buildings and homes are located around the medieval village’s dominant structure, the massive, cylindrical Medici tower (now partially damaged due to the earthquake), which rises above the town to survey and protect the area. Visitors can observe residences with double-arched windows and Renaissance loggias, demonstrating the strong artistic influence of the Florentine noble class. Other sites of interest include the parish church and Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie, with its nearby lake.
Not too far away is Rocca Calascio, an uninhabited village from the Early Middle Ages, with the highest castle in the Apennines, and perhaps in all of Italy (1,460 m), from which you can observe the unique scenery. The round tower rises to 1,520 metres above sea level, offering a view of the south face of Gran Sasso, the mountains of Sirente and Velino, and the Navelli Valley, where the world’s finest saffron is produced. The village is known to have tested and used different visual signals (bonfires, mirrors, etc.) to communicate night and day with other observation towers scattered throughout the area, reaching as far as the castles on the Adriatic coast. The octagonal, Renaissance Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà is another place near the castle that is worth visiting.
The ancient Roman-Vestini pagus located on the Via Claudia Nova in ancient times has a classic cardus-decumanus layout. Castelvecchio Calvisio looks out over the splendid Valley of Tirino. During the Middle Ages, its perpendicular streets were almost completely covered by countless vaults and arches. Of particular interest are the parish church, and not far from there, the Church of St. Cipriano, which was built on the site where the ancient Castle of St. Lawrence (8th cent.) once stood. This village was also severely damaged in the earthquake of 6 April 2009.
The town of Capestrano is known for its well-preserved castle – one of the best examples of urban fortifications in Abruzzi. It was property of Margaret of Parma, among others. Before calling it a day, you should also visit the convent and church of San Giovanni da Capestrano, from the late 1400s, with frescos from that period.
km 8.6
42.344 N - 13.643 E
Santo Stefano di Sessanio is a town with about 120 residents, located at an altitude of 1,250 metres above sea level. It is part of the Comunità montana Campo Imperatore-Piana di Navelli (mountain community of Campo Imperatore-Navelli Valley) and is one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in Italy.”
The name most likely derives from Sextantio, a small Ancient Roman settlement located near the present day site, and probably about six miles away from one of the more prominent Roman villages. After the 1300s, it became a fortified village and took part in the Baronage of Carapelle, with the duty of surveillance. The influence from the Medici family, on the other hand, came during the second half of the 16th century when Francesco de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, ruled the area and contributed greatly to the development of Santo Stefano.
It is built atop a hill, with its ancient homes and Renaissance buildings overshadowed by the Medici Tower, which has a circular floor plan and battlements, and was damaged in the earthquake of 6 April 2009.
Places of interest include the Parish Church of Santo Stefano from the 15th century, and the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie and nearby lake.
Among the homes along the village’s streets, one can admire double-arched windows and Renaissance loggias, demonstrating the strong artistic influence of the Florentine noble class. Since completion of careful restoration and restructuring projects in 2004, the village has served as the location for a well-known hotel.
km 0.2
42.328 N - 13.691 E
This is one of the highest fortresses in Europe.
Of all the defensive structures, it is undoubtedly among the most noteworthy and picturesque. Dating back to sometime between the 11th and 14th centuries, it was originally built as a lookout tower with a central entrance. The cylindrical towers on the perimeter were then added sometime between the 15th and 16th centuries. A successful, carefully planned restoration project brought the fortress back to its original splendour.
km 9.5
42.329 N - 13.689 E
Built between the end of the 16th century and beginning of the 17th by the populations of Calascio and Santo Stefano di Sessanio, the church was founded in honour of the victorious end to a legendary conflict that took place between the local people and a band of outlaws. The geometric, Renaissance-style lines leave room for the octagonal floor plan crowned by a dome with eight points. The austere church rises sharply above the Navelli Valley, not too far from the ancient, abandoned fortress, Rocca Calascio.
Every May, it serves as a meeting place for devotions practiced by the “Tre Madonne Sorelle” (Three Madonna Sisters) along with the Madonna delle Grazie in Castel del Monte and the Madonna di Roio.
Its architectural nooks and crannies provide shelter for nesting Red-billed Choughs, birds belonging to the crow family.
km 13.7
42.311 N - 13.688 E
Castelvecchio Calvisio (in the Mountain Community of Campo Imperatore – Navelli Plateau) is a town with just under 200 residents, situated at an altitude of 1,071 metres above sea level.
The town has kept the structure of its medieval village intact. It is enclosed by walls with incorporated residences and bastions. Inside, there is a main street and other narrow alleyways. One can enter the village by way of an ancient gate near the Palazzo del Capitano. The Parish Church of San Giovanni Battista and the Church of San Cipriano are quite impressive.
42.269 N - 13.766 E
Of particular interest here is the lofty castle standing out on a hilly backdrop. Capestrano is on the road that ascends from the Tirino Valley to the Navelli Plateau and L'Aquila. The famed warrior statue “Guerriero di Capestrano” (6th cent. B.C.) is an extraordinary piece – one of the most beautiful sculptures from the Piceni civilisation.
There are signs along the road at the foot of town indicating the archaeological site where the statue was discovered; however, in order to see it, one must go to the National Archaeological Museum in Chieti, where it is on display.
The impressive Piccolomini Castle (which later belonged to the Medici family) is a magnificent, recently restored fortress from the 1400s. At the end of a road lined with trees just outside of town, one will come across the monumental Convent of San Giovanni da Capestrano.
