Castel del Monte (Abruzzo) Guide
Stone village under the Campo Imperatore plateau
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Castel del Monte (Abruzzo) is a stone village in the province of L'Aquila, in the Abruzzo region of Italy, about 27 km east of L'Aquila. This is the hill village in Abruzzo, not the castle in Puglia that shares its name. The houses climb a steep hillside beneath mountain peaks, and the bell tower and octagonal dome of the Chiesa di San Marco tell you where you are long before you arrive.
The land around the village is protected. Castel del Monte (Abruzzo) lies entirely inside the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, created in 1993, so the slopes beyond the last houses stay wild. Across the valley the old fortress of Rocca Calascio sits on its summit, and Monte Sirente fills the distance. In 2006 the village was named one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia, the most beautiful villages of Italy.
The streets are the main sight. Sporti, vaulted covered passages with homes built right above them, arch over the lanes and give the village its look. In the Ricetto, the medieval core, you find frescoes and mosaics by young artists on the walls, and the Paese Dipinto path leads to nine museum centres of peasant culture, with murals about witches, magic and transhumant shepherds. Wear comfortable shoes, because the whole village is walked uphill.
Above the rooftops the land opens out. Campo Imperatore, nicknamed Little Tibet, is the largest plateau in the Apennines, 27 km long and about 8 km wide. In spring it is covered in wildflowers, and in summer cows roam freely and sometimes wild horses too. Right beside it stands Corno Grande, the highest peak of the Apennines.
Cyclists get a serious climb from Castel del Monte (Abruzzo). The road rises at once to the Capo la Serra pass at 1,600 m, and beyond it you are officially on the plateau. The whole stage to Campo Imperatore is 34.5 km. On the eastern side of the plateau the town also maintains a 4 km cross-country ski trail.
Film crews found the place too. Castel del Monte (Abruzzo) is the main location of The American from 2010, directed by Anton Corbijn, in which George Clooney's character hides out in the town. Campo Imperatore has appeared in more than twenty films. In mid-August the village turns into a stage for La Notte delle Streghe, the Night of the Witches, its biggest tourist event.
Wool, Medici and Five Gates: The Story of the Ricetto
Castel del Monte (Abruzzo) takes its name from the Latin Castellum Montis, fortress of the mountain, and its oldest part is the fortified Ricetto, which replaced a Roman-era settlement known as Città delle Tre Corone, the town of the three crowns. Sheep paid for most of what you see. Between the 12th and 16th centuries the area was one of Europe's most prolific wool producers, and the annual move of flocks to Apulia only ended in the 1850s. In 1579 the Piccolomini ceded the Baronage of Carapelle, and with it the village, to Francesco de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The Medici governed for over a century and a half and left the Chiesa Matrice di San Marco (1657), the small Chiesa di San Rocco (1656) and a painting of St. John the Baptist in the church of Madonna del Suffragio. Defence here was a matter of architecture, not a wall. Four towers along the perimeter and unbroken rows of houses called case mura did the job, and five heavy wooden gates reinforced with iron closed the openings. The sacristan of the Matrice church opened them at dawn and shut them in the evening, and until the end of the 19th century they were locked every night against bandits. The square bell tower of San Marco doubled as a lookout for enemies until the 19th century, and San Rocco stands beside the main gate, Porta San Rocco, built after the plague of 1656. Because there was so little new building in the last 100 years, most houses are several centuries old. Palazzo Colelli, home to one of the richest families between 1500 and 1800, once had a hundred rooms, a five-arch loggia and a frescoed chapel. In the 20th century many villagers emigrated, notably to the coal mines of Wallonia, and their descendants come back for holidays. Start at Porta San Rocco, climb to the Chiesa di San Marco and look for the Medici coat of arms on the baptismal font.
Canestrato, the Slow Food Cheese of Castel del Monte
Food in Castel del Monte (Abruzzo) revolves around Canestrato, a Slow Food presidium cheese made from whole raw sheep's milk, and the village has been recognised by Slow Food for its sustainable agriculture, above all for this cheese. Look at the rind before you taste. It takes its shape from the baskets the curd is placed in, so the wheel carries the mark of how it was made. Canestrato can be eaten fresh or matured, and the two are different enough that it is worth trying both if you can. The Marcetto is another local product that sits alongside it. The cheese belongs to the landscape above the village. In spring, summer and autumn shepherds from Castel del Monte and Santo Stefano di Sessanio keep sheep, semi-wild horses and cattle on the Campo Imperatore plateau. Buy Canestrato after you have walked the Ricetto, when the uphill streets have made you hungry, and eat it with the view of Rocca Calascio in front of you.
Reaching Castel del Monte from L'Aquila, 27 km Away
Castel del Monte (Abruzzo) lies about 27 km east of L'Aquila, inside the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, so L'Aquila is the natural point to plan your arrival around. The village borders the provinces of Pescara and Teramo, and the municipality's own page describes it as south of Campo Imperatore and not far from L'Aquila, Pescara and Teramo. In practice that makes it a village you reach from the three directions of the Abruzzo interior, not one tucked at the end of a long single road. If you are building a route through the area, the italia.it Gran Sasso itinerary links Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Rocca Calascio, Castelvecchio Calvisio, Capestrano and Castel del Monte. Cyclists can also arrive from the other side: the stage between Campo Imperatore and the village measures 34.5 km with a height difference of 1,115 m, which is far easier downhill than up.
Uphill on Foot, and by Bike to Campo Imperatore
Castel del Monte (Abruzzo) is a village you walk, uphill, through its covered passages, and the only longer outing most visitors add is the climb to Campo Imperatore. In the historic centre bring comfortable shoes and a bottle of water, because the lanes only go up. Along the way you pass monumental palaces, many churches and museums of peasant culture, and open-air artworks decorate the route. The Paese Dipinto path ties the nine museum centres together with its murals, so you can follow it rather than wander at random. The monument to the shepherd Pupo Nunzio, honouring those who gave their lives to transhumance, is easy to reach from the village. For the plateau, the cycling road starts climbing immediately and reaches the Capo la Serra pass at 1,600 m. The full route to Campo Imperatore is 34.5 km with an altitude difference of 1,115 m, so leave a whole morning or afternoon for it.
Euros, Museum Visits and What You Pay For Here
Castel del Monte (Abruzzo) is in Italy, so you pay in euros, and most of what the village offers is spent on small things: a piece of cheese, a visit inside one of the museums. The walk itself costs nothing. The frescoes, mosaics and murals of the Paese Dipinto, the sporti and the open-air artworks are all out on the streets. The Museo Civico della Cultura Materiale is the one museum worth planning a stop around, as TripAdvisor ranks it fifth among the attractions in town.
Weather, Shoes and Questions Before You Go
Castel del Monte (Abruzzo) is a mountain village, and the answers below come down to season, weather and the steepness of the streets. When is the best time to visit? July and August are the driest months, with mean daily maximums of about 23 degrees C. In spring Campo Imperatore is covered in wildflowers, and in mid-August the village stages La Notte delle Streghe. How cold does it get in winter? In January and February the mean daily maximum is only 4 to 5 degrees C, and from December to February the mean daily minimum drops below freezing. November is the wettest month, in a year that brings about 871 mm of rain. What should I pack? Comfortable shoes and a bottle of water. The historic centre is walked uphill, and you will be on your feet for most of the visit. What is the Night of the Witches? It is held in mid-August and is the biggest tourist event of the year. Residents play townspeople and witches in a late-night folk drama in the local Castellano dialect, staged across the historic district. Can I do anything here in winter? The town maintains a 4 km cross-country ski trail on the eastern side of Campo Imperatore.
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Discover Castel del Monte (Abruzzo), the stone hill village below Campo Imperatore: covered sporti passages, Canestrato cheese and a cycling climb. It includes 1 recommendations across 1 gallery.
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Castel del Monte (Abruzzo) is in Castel del Monte (Abruzzo), Abruzzo, Italy (42.3667, 13.7289).
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Castel del Monte (Abruzzo) lies about 27 km east of L'Aquila, inside the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, so L'Aquila is the natural point to plan your arrival around. The village borders the provinces of Pescara and Teramo, and the municipality's own page describes it as south of Campo Imperatore and n…
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Food in Castel del Monte (Abruzzo) revolves around Canestrato, a Slow Food presidium cheese made from whole raw sheep's milk, and the village has been recognised by Slow Food for its sustainable agriculture, above all for this cheese. Look at the rind before you taste. It takes its shape from the baskets the curd i…
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Highlighted gallery in the Castel del Monte (Abruzzo) guide: The hill village of Castel del Monte.
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- The hill village of Castel del Monte — The hill village of Castel del Monte in the evening light, with the Gran Sasso mountains behind.
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