Discover Campli: Scala Santa, Art and Trails

Campli combines impressive sacred buildings, archaeological culture and a landscape that can be experienced on foot and on rock. In addition, the Italic Porchetta Festival is a culinary event that shapes the town every year in the week after 15 August. Depending on your interests, you can discover Campli through the history of Campovalano, the distinctive architecture of its churches, the Valle degli Scoiattoli or the local cuisine.

Archaeology and Religious Heritage

The Museo archeologico nazionale di Campli was opened in 1988 to house finds from the Campovalano necropolis. Excavations there had already begun in 1967. Graphic and spatial reconstructions show the development of the burial rituals of the Campovalano community in the middle Adriatic, or Picenian, cultural area. One date is particularly important for your travel planning: from 21 April 2026, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Campli will remain closed to the public.

The Santuario della Scala Santa was established on 21 January 1772 by a papal bull issued by Pope Clement XIV. Inside are six paintings depicting the Passion of Christ. The building also includes 28 wooden steps, which are climbed on one's knees as a penitential ritual. The Scala Santa therefore represents not only precisely dated religious heritage, but also a clearly recognisable form of lived devotion.

Churches and Historical Details

The bell tower of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria in Platea has an octagonal structure in the Lombard style. Master Antonio da Lodi created this structure at the end of the 15th century. The Chiesa di San Francesco contains an altarpiece dated 1510, attributed to the school of Cola dell’Amatrice. At the sides of the rear wall are two niches: one with a round arch and one with a pointed arch. Both are decorated with fresco cycles from the 14th and 15th centuries.

The Casa del Medico also draws attention to architectural craftsmanship. Its courtyard has a double loggia made of travertine from the Marche and bricks. It is supported by round columns with elaborately decorated capitals. Such individual architectural elements give a tour of Campli different scales: alongside large sacred buildings, the courtyard, loggia, column and capital emerge as distinct points of observation.

Valle degli Scoiattoli and CAI Trails

A few minutes south of Campli’s historic centre lies the Valle degli Scoiattoli. There are opportunities there for trekking and climbing on single-pitch, multi-pitch and alpine routes. CAI trails 432 and 425 lead from Roiano through the Valle degli Scoiattoli to the Forchetta. The tourist route is moderately difficult and takes three hours. This allows cultural sightseeing and active pursuits to be considered as different focal points of the trip, without having to combine them into a single programme.

Porchetta and Local Flavours

At the Italic Porchetta Festival in Campli, roast porchetta is sampled together with local vegetables, local wine and Campli soda. For the porchetta from Campli, pork weighing no more than 100 kg is boned, salted and left to rest, tied by hand, blanched with herbs and spices from the nearby Monti Gemelli, and then slowly cooked in a wood-fired oven. The festival thus combines an annual recurring event with a detailed traditional preparation method.

Experience Campli at Your Own Travel Pace

If you choose Campli as your destination, you can focus on sacred architecture, archaeological insights, activity in the Valle degli Scoiattoli or regional food culture. The three-hour moderately difficult route provides a clearly defined active section, while the Scala Santa, the Cattedrale di Santa Maria in Platea, the Chiesa di San Francesco and the Casa del Medico offer different cultural points of interest. The Porchetta Festival adds a seasonal highlight, and the museum’s closure from 21 April 2026 must be taken into account when planning the timing of your stay.

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To the higher-level travel overview: Teramo.