Pennapedimonte

The Matera of Abruzzo

On the slopes of the eastern slope of the Majella, stands Pennapiedimonte, a characteristic village with stone houses often dug out of the rock. Called the Matera of Abruzzo, it was once a thriving center of craftsmanship of the master stonemasons, where time now seems to have stopped. Legend has it that the town originates from an indigenous village called "Pinna dei Frentani", then called "Penna" and finally Pennapiedimonte, in reference to its foothill position. Surrounded by the Feudo Ugni nature reserve, it is an area of extraordinary beauty. Walking through the narrow streets of the village you can still come across small shops and it is easy to understand the slow and peaceful rhythms of life here. By pressing the link below you can admire the small village.

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Church of San Silvestro

The building probably derives from an ancient pagan temple which, with the conversion of the inhabitants to Christianity in the 6th century, was transformed into a Christian church. In the 12th century, during the fortification phase, the population of the countryside poured into the fortified village, dedicating the church to San Silvestro. In the 18th century expansion works were carried out on a project by the Pennese architect Monacelli which envisaged the construction of a large religious complex in the Baroque style, with the bell tower and the rectory, also incorporating part of the public road, including the door with the arch pointed arch which led to the town and which serves as a support for the bell tower. The facade is made of finely worked stone. Inside there are pictorial works by Nicola Bonaventura Ranieri from the nearby village of Gurdiagrele, who established an Abruzzo school between the 18th and first half of the 19th century.

Balzolo

The Belvedere del Balzolo allows for a magnificent view that ranges from the mountains to the coast passing through the green hills in what can be summed up as the essence of Abruzzo. From the balcony of Abruzzo, in fact, you can admire a unique panorama that goes from the Avello Valley to the Trabocchi Coast. The small square adjacent to the infamous balcony of the Balzolo, as well as being a meeting point where you can refresh yourself or simply drink a coffee, is the starting point of various hiking trails that were once the routes used by shepherds with their flocks to find new pastures . From here, in fact, it is possible to take a comfortable walk and crossing the small pedestrian tunnel, you arrive on the path that runs along this side of the mountain, offering beautiful panoramic points. We are on the cart track in the Avella torrent valley, built between 1967 and 1972 to carry out work on the aqueduct built in the 1920s.