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Connosseur's
Italy
Ancona, Terni, Rieti, L'Aquila, Chieti, Pescara,
Ascoli Piceno
This excursion starts
from Ancona, where history has left many notable munuments: the superb Roman Arch of Traian on the
harbor, the mediaeval Church oif S. Ciriaco
and S. Maria della Piazza. The Palaces - Ferretti
(National Museum of the Marches) , degli Anziani,
Bosdari and Loggia dei Mercanti (1451-59) date from
the time Ancona was a Maritime Republic. When Pope
Clement XII made tha city a free port (1732) a great
many secular and religious building were adde :
Vanvitelli's Arch, the Churches of S. Domenico , S.
Francesco delle Scale, and Gesu`, the Fontana dei
Cavalli (Horse's fountain) and the baroque Porta Pia
(Porta Pia gate). The city's mosr beautiful monument
is the Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral of S. Ciriaco
(11th-13th c.) overlooking the sea from on high,
with its many Byzantine features (richly
decorated door, polygonal dome, palaeo-Christian
crypt, and museum) . After leaving Ancona we will
drive to Chiaravalle, Iesi and Cingoli and try a
glass of renowed Verdicchio wine at Cupramontana we
reach
 Fabriano to gaze on its mediaeval beauty set
off by the Palazzo del Podesta`, the Church of S.
Agostino, and the Cathedral. Entering Umbria at
Fossato di Vico, we drive trough Gualdo Tadino and
Nocera Umbra (interesting picture galleries in both
towns), via Foligno, Trevi and Spoleto to
Terni,
where we must visit the Churches of S. Salvatore, S.
Francesco, S. Pietro and S. Lorenzo, the Cathedral
and the nearby ruins of the Roman amphitheatre .
There are two pleasant Detours from here : one to the
splendid Abbey of S. Pietro in Valle (16 miles) and
the impressive Marmore FAlls, ald 9 miles along the
road of Rieti the poetic Lake Pediluco.
Rieti has a
great deal of artistic and historical treasures for
us to see: the Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace with
its ground floor Gothic vaulted
 ceilings, the Baroque
Palazzo Comunale, and the mediaeval town walls.
Nearby are the four charming Franciscan Friaries:
Fonte Colombo, della Foresta, Poggio Bustone and the
friary in which S. Francis is said to have built the
first Crib on Christmas Eve, 1233, at Greccio. After
driving through green valleys by wooded hillsides,
we pass Antrodoco to enter
L'Aquila. This is the
main city in Abruzzo' s historical and cultural
past, and has two of Italy's most beautiful churches
: San Bernardino (15th-18th c.) and S. Maria di
Collemaggio (13th c.) . Up the typical via Sassa,
lined with mediaeval, 16th century and Baroque
buildings, we can stop and see the fine 13th century
"Fontana delle 99 Cannelle" and the church of S. Giusta, before continuing upwards to the
well fortified Castle built bythe Spaniards in 1535
, from where we can enjoy the splendid view of the Gran Sasso d'Italia mountain , and visit the
National Museum of Abruzzo (archaeology, sculpture,
paintings, miniatures, wrought gold, ceramics) .
From L'Aquila we will head for Paganica and Assergi
(cable car to Campo Imperatore , 11,000 foots, or go
down to Bominaco (Romanesque Churches of S.
Pellegrino and S. Maria), Popoli (14th c. "Taverna
Ducale") and Torre dei Passeri and the nearby
12th century Abbey of S. Clemente a Casauria. We
will then turn back to Popol, and turn off towards
the ancient town of Corfinio and the Romanesque
Basilica of S. Pelino (or Valvense). 10 miles on is
Sulmona, Ovid's
birthplace, famous for its sugared almonds
(c onfetti) to see the Cathedra , the Churches and
Palace of Annunziata (municipal museum), the
interesting Piazza del Carmine with the Renaissance
Fontana del Vecchio. From Sulmona we will drive up
to the summer and winter resort of Rivisondoli,
Roccaraso, Pescasseroli and Scanno, and possible gp
in the Abruzzo National Park. Up to "rampa degli
Abruzzi" panoramic road around Monte Maiella, we
reach Guardiagrele (Churches of Santa Maria Maggiore
and S. Francesco), and
Chieti (Cathedral,
Roman  remains,
Museo Nazionale di Antichita`, with the "Capestrano
Warrior", the best existing example of archaic
sculpture).
Pescara is 12 miles
away, the modern capital of Adriatic Abruzzo, and a
popular seaside resort. Gabriele D'Annunzio was born
here in 1863. Leaving the coast for the interior,
let us stop at Loreto Aprutino (Galleria Acerbo has
a collection of antique Abruzzo ceramics), and Penne
(a delightful little town with mediaeval and Baroque
buildings), Atri (one of the finest cathedrals
in central Italy - 13th, 15th c. ) and
Teramo, with
its superb Cathedral (Gothic doorway, 15th century
silver altar frontal by Nicola da Guardiagrele, and
polyptyc by Jacobello da Fiore, 1450) . After
tasting Teramo's simple, refined cuisine we will
return to Marches and stop at
 Ascoli Piceno . If
it happens to be the eve of the first Sunday in
August, we are lucky, because we can see the
Quintana tournament in 15th century costumes . If
not we can stroll around the central square,
Piazza del Popolo , surrounded by its
magnificient buildings, such as Palazzo dei Capitani
del Popolo (12th-16th c.) and the Gothic Church of
S. Francesco, and the adiacent Loggia Dei Mercanti
(1509-1513). Wandering around the many narrow
sttreets such as Via delle Torri , Via dei Soderini,
or Via di Solesta` that leads to Roman Solesta`
bridge, we will eventually see the Palazzo Comunale
(with the municipal painting gallery) in Piazza
Arringo, the cathedral (with a polyptic by Carlo
Crivelli) and the nearby 12th c. Baptistery. There
is also the Romanesque Church of SS. Vincenzo and
Anastasio, the 16th c. Palazzo Malaspina and Palazzo
Bonaparte , and the Roman Gemina Gate. Before return
to Ancona , we will call on
Tolentino. to see
the Basilica of S. Nicolas of Tolentino (15th
c. doorway, 16th c cycle of frescoes and a superb
cloister ) , the town of Camerino from which you can
survey the surrounding countryside, and San Severino
Marche, with its interesting secular and religious
buildings.
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