Rocca Pia – Winter Sports, Mountain Landscape and Local History

Rocca Pia combines mountain landscapes, local history and regional traditions. Historic buildings, forests and the landscape with rock faces, mountain ridges and gorges are part of the character of the town and its municipal area.

Historical origins: The first historical mention of an inhabited settlement in the Rocca Pia area is found in a document dating from 876. In it, Guido, Duke of Spoleto, granted the church of S. Marcello in Florina to the monks of S. Vincenzo a' Volturno.

Town layout: Rocca Pia preserves the town layout typical of medieval villages, which developed along a transport route.

Architecture in the centre: Historic buildings in the centre preserve arcades and arched passageways, as well as small covered exterior stairways known as “vignale”.

Mountain landscape: The landscape includes steep rock faces, mountain ridges, gorges, erosion gullies, scree slopes and karst formations.

Woodland: Forests cover a large part of the municipal area. The most common tree species is beech, accompanied by oaks, pines and firs.

Geopark: Rocca Pia is one of the municipalities within the Maiella UNESCO Global Geopark.

Winter sports and excursions in the mountain landscape

The Piano delle Cinquemiglia in Rocca Pia is used for winter sports and serves as a starting point for excursions to the surrounding mountain ridges.

Rocca Pia is a destination associated with winter sports due to its proximity to the Monte Pratello Aremogna ski facilities.

The information centre is the starting point for numerous guided excursions to explore the Parco Nazionale della Maiella via Monte Rotella and the Monte Genzana Alto Gizio Regional Nature Reserve.

Historical traces and townscape

The church of Madonna del Casale, also known as Santa Maria del Carmine, is located in the hamlet of Colleguidone in the Rocca Pia area (AQ). Graffiti left by travellers can still be read on the walls today; the oldest legible inscription dates from 1675.

For centuries, the church of Madonna del Casale served as a safe shelter for shepherds, soldiers and travellers crossing the Cinque Miglia plateau.

The fortified part of Rocca Pia is still called “Castelluccio”. The Centro Informazioni is located in the building next to the imposing Palazzo De Meis, which formerly housed the stables of a noble family.

Regional cuisine and August events

Rocca Pia’s gastronomic tradition is represented by pecora al cotturo. A festival dedicated to this dish is held in the second week of August.

Another regular event is the feast of San Giuseppe, celebrated on the second Sunday in August. In addition, Miccole di Vallescura was a historically typical crop of the former Vallescura, now Rocca Pia, and regained greater importance on the Piano delle Cinque Miglia a few years ago.

How to get to Rocca Pia

If you are travelling by car, you can reach Rocca Pia via the A25 motorway towards Pescara, taking the Pratola Peligna exit. Then follow the direction of Sulmona–Roccaraso.

More information about Pescasseroli, Rocca Di Mezzo, Ateleta, Meta, Rivisondoli, Celano, Pescocostanzo and Scanzano.

L-Aquila