Pescocostanzo (pes-co-co-stanz-o) is a mountain town located in the Apennine Mountains of Abruzzo. The Apennines stretch the entire length of the Italian peninsula. Pescocostanzo is located at the southern tip of the central region, due east of Rome and due west of Casalbordino. When you travel by bus from Rome to Pescara or Vasto (west coast to east coast), you get a glimpse of the mountains and the little towns that dot them. Some are perched precariously on rocky cliffs and mountainsides, others are nestled comfortably in the lush valleys, where farmers raise their stock and seed. These are significant mountains, just under the highest altitude of the Rockies, just to give you context.
Nicola and Maria DiRisio offered to take us on a drive into the hills one afternoon. As I understand it, he hikes these mountains frequently, solo and in company, and knows them well. I was so pleased when he offered to take us, because I had planned to drive my father there (somewhat aimlessly), and had I done so, would not have had the luxury of actually seeing and capturing my environs.
We passed many hamlets and small cities along our drive, including the town where De Cecco pasta was founded, Fara San Martino. Being a lover of all things pasta, and I mean ALL things, I had to refrain from jumping out of a moving vehicle and begging for a taste. (I had a similar instinct when passing vineyards...)
"The company was founded in 1886 by the De Cecco brothers in the small town of Fara San Martino in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. Nicola De Cecco originally produced flour at his stone mill before establishing the pasta factory. Previously pasta had always been sun dried until Filippo De Cecco pioneered a low temperature drying method which allows the pasta to dry over 24 hours which ensures consistent quality by removing the influence of the weather."
We meandered for a good two hours, dipping in and out of the bounds of Majella National Park, steadily ascending switch-backed roads along the eastern face of the mountains. I frantically snapped photos at every opportunity as we jostled around in the back seat, leaning from one side to the other as we traversed up the mountain. This drive was not quite as snaky as the Blueridge Parkway, but a damn close second.
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| A pocket of sun |
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| Dad and our fearless driver, Nicola |
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| My standard "old men sitting" picture |
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| I'm not sure if these are cattle or oxen, but they seemed to think we were interrupting their afternoon roadside graze |
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| Italian cowboys, chaperoned by a mutt |
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| I was captivated by the lighting... overcast, with bright light shining down |
There was a tangible sense of tranquility in this region. Generations of hard-working locals who perhaps have lived here all their lives, untouched by tourism and commercialism. Truly living off the land and reaping the benefits of the earth and climate surrounding them. It didn't have the vibrancy of other places I've visited in Italy. These were country folk, living simply and unpretentiously. At the same time, it made me feel sad as we passed through many of the towns, where structures and homes seemed abandoned and forgotten. It was a Sunday, so shops were closed up and people were resting. Even still, I had the feeling that not much had changed in these towns in many, many years. I bet my intuition wasn't far off the mark.
Alas, we arrive to Pescocostanzo. The air was crisp at 4,500 feet. We parked on the edge of the city center and walked into town, a much livelier place than some we had driven through. This was clearly a destination, a beautifully well-kept and well-preserved medieval village. Pescocostanzo reminded me of Assisi, where the streets and buildings are white, gray, and even pinkish hues of stone, presumably excavated from the surrounding mountains. Doorways and windows are commonly accented by wrought iron, apparently a centuries-old trade of this town.
Pescocostanzo is also the birthplace of Ottavio Colecchi, a famous Italian mathematician and philosopher born in the late 1700s. Originally a Dominican friar, he was forced to leave theology because of his then-progressive beliefs. He was sent on a mission to Russia to teach math and philosophy in the early 1800s, and on his journey back, stayed in Germany where he met and learned under German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant was a contributor of the Enlightenment movement in Europe at the time, which he defined as:
"Enlightenment is man's emergence out of the minority that he should recognize in himself. Immaturity is the inability to make use of his understanding without the guidance of another. Attributable to himself is this minority, if the cause of it does not depend on lack of intelligence, but by lack of determination and courage to use one's own understanding without guidance from another. Sapere Aude! Have the courage to use your own intelligence! This is the motto of the Enlightenment."
Colecchi eventually returned to Italy, bringing Kant's teachings with him and founding a private school of philosophy in Naples. I recall seeing the plaque that commemorated his birth and life, but regret that I didn't take a picture of it. Anyway, some other pics here...
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| I loved the chevron design in the street |
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| Like Assisi, stairs are a common feature here |
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| Nicola and Maria |
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| I've noted many small doors in Italy, shorter than me even. |
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| Basilica of Santa Maria del Colle, parts of which were originally built in 11th century and rebuilt in the 14th century after the famous earthquake of 1456, which left much of the Abruzzo region in ruins |
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| You don't have to be in Rome or Florence to see artful masterpieces... need to do more research on the artist |
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| From the church, looking toward the main square in town |
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| Every alleyway had a view |
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| Fountain in the piazza |
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| The town's coat of arms still reflects its freedom from feudal rule in the 1700s, the motto of which is "Universitas On Domina" (Community Mistress of Self) |
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| I didn't take any pictures there, but we did drive through Roccaraso, a famous ski resort in the Apennines |
Lastly, our tour guide took us slightly out of the way to view from a distance the town where Madonna Ciccone's family is from (the singer Madonna). Small town of about 1,000, Pacentro, below:
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