THE MAGIC AND MYSTERIES OF ABRUZZO

Rewind the clock to the days of knights and dames on this full-day excursion to central Abruzzo. Visitors will relive the glories of the region’s medieval heyday as they wander through an atmospheric centro storico and the ruins of a mountaintop castle.

Meet your private driver outside your accommodation and relax on the ride to Capestrano, a small town nestled in the Tirino Valley and dominated by the 15th century Piccolomini Castle. The earliest documented reference to the settlement dates back to 1210, but this territory must have been inhabited way further back in time, as attested by the extraordinary findings accidentally unearthed by a local farmer in 1934. As he was working in his field, he stumbled upon what was eventually to become the very symbol of Abruzzo: the famous Warrior of Capestrano. This larger-than-life-size statue, now housed inside the Archaeological Museum in Chieti, dates to the 6th century BC and is evidence of the powerful and thriving community of shepherd-warriors that used to live here in the Bronze Age.

Your guide will fill you in on the history of the town, from its earliest beginnings, to its growth in the Middle Ages as a prosperous wool trading centre, and on to the 16th century when Capestrano became part of the lands owned by the Florentine Medici Grand Dukes. As you weave your way through narrow streets lined with charming stone houses and churches, it only takes a tiny step of the imagination to picture the sights of busy artisan workshops and merchants of old as they went about their daily chores.

Not to be missed is the Romanesque Church of San Pietro ad Oratorium, located six kilometres away from Capestrano. Believed to have been built in the 8th century AD at the request of Lombard King Desiderius, this masterpiece of medieval architecture was renovated in the 1100s. Inside it houses a 13th century ciborium and precious apse frescoes featuring Christ enthroned surrounded by the four Evangelists. The church is well-known for the so-called “magic square” sculpted on its facade, to the left of the main entrance, displaying the following five mysterious terms: SATOR, AREPO, TENET, OPERA, ROTAS. Try spelling them backwords… Yes! It’s a palindrome that reads the same in both directions. These very same words have been chiselled or drawn on a number of other puzzling artefacts throughout Italy and Europe – such as graffiti and stone slab epigraphs – but, despite ongoing research, their meaning remains obscure. Some believe the phrase bears an underlying metaphorical significance and can be translated as “The sower on his cart directs the wheels skilfully”, a reference to the sower of the Gospel. According to another interesting theory, the enigma can be unravelled by treating the letters as an anagram and rearranging them to form a cross. Indeed, the words PATER NOSTER will appear twice, crossing at the intersection of the N with two leftover As and two Os that can be placed at the four ends, symbolising the Alpha and the Omega of the Apocalypse – the beginning and the end of everything.

You’ll have a chance to ponder this riddle during some free time for lunch – the local river shrimps and saffron-infused dishes are highly recommended!

In the afternoon enjoy a rewarding hike up the slopes of Calascio, a medieval town dominated by the ruins of a 12th century castle. Rocca Calascio’s spectacular location atop a 1460-metre-high mountain and its crumbling walls steeped in tales of old have earned the fortress its rightful place among the fifteen most beautiful castles in the world, according to National Geographic, as well as a star role in the famous 1980s movies Ladyhawke and The Name of the Rose. The views to be admired from here of the Tirino Valley and Gran Sasso mountain range are simply amazing.

Soak up the breathtaking landscapes and the magical atmosphere of this unspoiled corner of Abruzzo, before hiking back to Calascio and returning to your accommodation.