THIS LIFE AND THE NEXT

Explore an intriguing city of the dead and two towns listed among the Borghi più belli d’Italia, the country’s most beautiful towns, on this full-day excursion to northern Abruzzo.

Your private chauffeur will pick you up at your accommodation and drive you to the ancient Necropolis of Campovalano, located just two kilometres from Campli. Accidentally identified in the 1960s by a farmer who was ploughing his field, this site proved to be one of the most significant archaeological discoveries ever accomplished in Abruzzo. The necropolis includes over six hundred burials dating from the late Bronze Age to the Roman conquest and has helped shed light on the beliefs and social structure of the mysterious Italic populations that lived here between the 10th and 2nd centuries BC.

As your guide will explain, tombs of different sizes, together with the artefacts found inside, now kept in Campli’s archaeological museum, are evidence of the transition from a simple, non-stratified community to a well-organised, hierarchical civilisation. While very few objects were retrieved from the earliest graves, some of the burials dating from the 7th and 6th centuries BC turned out to be true treasure troves, featuring an amazing range of luxury goods, which attest to the existence of a social differentiation and a wealthy upper class at an early stage in human history. The extraordinary findings unearthed inside the tombs include bronze and ceramic vases, weapons, sewing kits, jewelry and objects for body care – a complete repertoire of must-haves that our ancient ancestors would have required to set up home in the next life.

After a tour of the excavations a short ride will bring you to Campli, famous for its beautifully preserved historic centre. Your guide will lead you on a leisurely stroll through narrow streets and lovely piazze and make sure you take note of the town’s best-loved landmarks: the medieval Palace of Parliament, the 14th century Cathedral of Santa Maria in Platea, the Renaissance-style Home of the Apothecary. Not to be missed are also the Holy Stairs, built in the second half of the 18th century. According to Christian belief, devotees can ascend the twenty-eight wooden steps on their knees in return for forgiveness of past sins. Your morning will end with a visit to the National Archaeological Museum, housed inside the former Convent of San Francesco. The museum showcases a collection of artefacts recovered from the Necropolis of Campovalano, enabling guests to fill in some of the missing pieces of the puzzle and grasp a fuller picture of ancient Abruzzo. Guests will enhance their understanding of the history of the area and gain precious insight into the customs and creed of those who used to live here in pre-Roman times.

After lunch set off for Civitella del Tronto, a quaint hilltop town dominated by a mighty fortress and framed in the background by majestic mountain peaks. The stronghold rests strategically on a rocky spur, six hundred metres above sea level, along what was once the border between the Kingdom of Naples and the Papal State. Built during the Spanish domination, between 1564 and 1576, probably over a pre-existing medieval structure, this masterpiece of military engineering extends for some 25,000 square metres, thus making it the largest fortress in Italy. Its fame is linked to a momentous surrender: this was the last Bourbon outpost to fall to the Piedmontese army of King Vittorio Emanuele II in 1861, clearing the way for Italy’s unification. A visit allows guests to explore the soldiers’ lodgings, parade grounds, cisterns, remains of the Governor’s palace and the Church of Saint James. The fortress also houses a small museum displaying old maps and historical weaponry, including 15th century matchlock muskets, flintlock handguns and a cannon from the Napoleonic period. But the highlight is undoubtedly the sweeping panorama to be admired from this privileged viewpoint of the surrounding mountains and valleys, as well as of the pretty town below and out over to the Adriatic Sea.

Before returning to your accommodation, don’t miss a stroll around the terraced town of Civitella del Tronto, with its stone buildings and churches clinging neatly in rows onto the slopes. Within its network of cobbled alleys, you will certainly spot the Ruetta, the narrowest official street in Italy.