Pescosansonesco Nuovo: Churches, Cliffside Villages and History

Churches, Crypt and Sacred Art

If you appreciate sacred art, medieval architecture and unusual historical sites, Pescosansonesco Nuovo is well worth considering as a culturally oriented destination. Churches, traces of the cliffside village and an established culinary tradition provide different highlights for planning your trip.

The Chiesa S. Maria in Blesiano (Chiesa della Madonna dell'Assunta) is a Romanesque stone church in Pescosansonesco Nuovo. It was built in the 10th century and restored in 1935. Its crypt contains 13th-century frescoes as well as the tombs of the Counts of Sansoneschi.

The small medieval Chiesa di San Nicola dates from the 12th century and stands in isolation on a rocky slope between the remains of the old medieval village of Pescosansonesco, which is now abandoned. Its carved-stone portal features carved jambs and likewise carved capitals. Pescosansonesco Vecchio is an almost uninhabited medieval village on a rocky spur; the remains of the castle and parts of the historic town center are visible there.

Cliffside Village and Notable Buildings

The Fontana Romana is a late-16th-century fountain in the Mannerist style. Its U-shaped layout comprises a central basin and two side basins; nine anthropomorphic masks carved from stone define the structure.

The Convento di Santa Maria in Coll'Angeli was founded in the 15th century as a Franciscan monastery and comprises a single-nave Romanesque church, side chapels, numerous statues and polychrome stucco decorations. It is closed and not open to the public.

Traces of Nunzio Sulprizio

At the highest point of Pescosansonesco stands the Santuario di San Nunzio Sulprizio, anchored into the rock and associated with the miraculous spring of Riparossa. The saint washed his wounds there. Built in the 1990s, the Santuario contains relics of the saint. The Pinacoteca di Arte Sacra “Vita del Beato Nunzio Sulprizio” displays works painted and donated to the parish by the painter and musician Mario Di Donato. La Bottega is the workshop where Blessed Nunzio Sulprizio worked as a blacksmith together with his uncle.

Special Impressions and History

A large part of the built-up area of Pescosansonesco lies within Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. The Sagra della Pasta alle Erbe Selvatiche is an established tradition and takes place every year on August 13 and 14.

Before the entrance to the town, the road section known as “Punto di gravità” creates the impression that a stationary car is driving uphill against the gradient. The remains of an Italic-Roman sanctuary are located at Pizzo della Croce. This site was very probably the scene of the famous oath taken by the Italic peoples against Rome during the Social War from 90 to 87 BC.

For your trip planning, you can therefore distinguish between churches and sacred art, traces of Pescosansonesco Vecchio, unusual local details and the culinary event held on fixed dates.

More destinations

Castellana, Abbateggio, Moscufo, Musellaro, Bussi Sul Tirino, Collemezzano, Vicoli and Caramanico Terme

For the higher-level travel overview: Pescara.