Top 3 Castles around Sant'Omero

The size of the Fortress is impressive.

The Fortress of Civitella del Tronto, located 600 m. above sea level in a strategic position with respect to the old northern border of the Viceroyalty of Naples with the Papal State, it is one of the largest and most important military engineering works in Europe characterized by an elliptical shape with an extension of 25,000 m2 and a length of over 500 m . To find out more about the heroic act of 1861 http://www.fortezzadicivitella.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=102:fortezza-di-civitella-del-tronto&catid=38:informazioni&Itemid=122

very nice old town with - with "Italy's narrowest path" (La Ruetta)

Located 253 meters above sea level in a beautiful position with a view of the Adriatic and in an area already inhabited in Roman times, it retains the typical medieval layout, modeled on the top of a hill, with towers and remains of walls.

Here Italy shows itself from its most beautiful side! The medieval town of Civitella del Tronto is located on a hilltop in the Monti della Laga. The Tronto river flows in the valley below. The narrow, partly cobbled streets are best explored on foot. At the highest point of the town sits an elongated fortress, which essentially dates back to the 19th century.

The fortress of Civitella del Tronto is an imposing work of military engineering carried out on the soil of medieval Italy. The buildings (magazines, guard and residential buildings) extend over about 500 meters in length and an average width of 45 meters, with an area of 25,000 m², on a ridge. The fortress was built at over 600 meters above sea level near the border line between the counties of Ascoli Piceno and Abruzzo and rises above the center of the village at an altitude between the Vibrata stream and the Salinello river. From the fortress you have a wonderful panoramic view from the Salinello valley over the Vibrata valley to the Trontotal. If the weather is nice and clear, you can also see the Monti Gemelli, Gran Sasso, Monti della Laga, Majella, Monte Acensione and the Adriatic Sea. When the soldiers gradually withdrew from 1870, the fortress was abandoned. In the period that followed, the buildings fell into disrepair and the residents of Civitella "used" the structures to build their own houses - the fortress was turned into a quarry. Extensive restoration and renovation work began in 1975, so that the fortress was partially rebuilt in its current form and, above all, was able to be preserved. With around 45,000 visitors per year (2016), it is the most visited monument in Abruzzo.

After having pedaled a lot on the beautiful Tortoreto Lido cycle path, I decide to go up to Tortoreto Alta. A town rich in history and art awaits me after a challenging climb that should not be underestimated which takes me to 230 meters above sea level. Cyclists here are welcome, you can understand it from the assistance column and the illustrative picture complete with gpx to download online. As soon as you arrive, you immediately notice its structure of a medieval village: a central fortress surrounded by high walls on which a magnificent tower rises the Clock Tower. The tower, the access doors, the narrow streets, the bridge with the characteristic vaults, testify to the existence of the castle of Tortoreto. One of the reasons that brought me here is to fix the restaurant for tonight to taste the arosticini. I set a table for four and the owner explains to me that the historic center is divided into three parts: TERRAVECCHIA, TERRANOVA and the BORGO. TERRAVECCHIA represents the most ancient nucleus of Tortoreto, rebuilt, in all probability, on the ruins of "Castrum Salini", it became a fortified castle with the drawbridge (of which the loopholes in the front of the Clock Tower remain), the walls, the towers, the underground passages and the palaces of the feudal lord, the churches and the houses of the nobles. TERRANOVA was the new castle with few access gates, the towers at the corners of the city for defense and the narrow streets to allocate more space to the houses. The BORGO developed outside the castle walls around 1400, on a ridge and perpendicular to the coast: it ended with a natural terrace overlooking the sea. During the Middle Ages, Tortoreto became a fief under the Normans; Several feudal lords followed one another until the territory from the end of 1300 passed under the control of the Acquaviva dukes. At the end of their dominion, Tortoreto passed under the control of the Kingdom of Naples until 1860, the year of the unification of Italy. After the Middle Ages, the population reversed the migratory flow as there was no need to fortify itself. Therefore, construction began in the flat area of the coast and around 1800 the first settlement of Tortoreto Lido was built, along the current Via Carducci that leads from Tortoreto Alta to the sea. The restaurateur invites me this evening to arrive a little earlier and visit the town, and above all not to forget the CHAPEL OF THE MADONNA DELLA MISERICORDIA, a real pictorial jewel. In the evening I will have confirmation that what he said was true, the small village houses an authentic Renaissance pictorial jewel: the chapel of the Madonna della Misericordia, dedicated to San Nicola di Bari, the most valuable monument of the town. The walk through the village is a pleasant discovery of panoramic points, medieval glimpses and a lot of hospitality offered by the numerous restaurants that, in the historic center closed to cars, set the tables along the road making everything magnificent. #settepontiroadbiker #tortoretoalta #teramo #tortoretolido #terravecchia #terranova #castrumsalini #sannicoladibari