Colonnella – Lanes, Churches and Paths through the Landscape

Colonnella between Piazza and Lanes

The Scalinata in Colonnella connects Via Roma with Piazza del Popolo and is considered a landmark of the town. Colonnella preserves characteristic small squares and narrow lanes known locally as “rue”.

Church and Historical Features

The Chiesa dei Santi Cipriano e Giustina was built between 1795 and 1815 by Pietro Maggi and his son Giacinto. The church contains a valuable organ created in 1833 by Quirino Gennari of Lanciano and his son Gaetano. In both works, father and son worked together.

The Torre dell’orologio di Colonnella is a landmark of the historic centre, probably dates from the Middle Ages and is located near the main square. Its presumed medieval origins predate the construction of the church.

Traditional Building Forms and Water Facilities

Around 20 traditional earth houses can still be found in the municipality of Colonnella. Colonnella’s traditional earth houses are called “pencire” and are built from unfired earth. Within the municipality, these traditional earth houses remain present as a distinct building form alongside the church and tower.

The Cisterna Cincolà is located on Colle Pianaccio in Contrada San Martino; it rises 1.70 metres above the ground. The Cisterna Ricci is in Contrada Vibrata near Villa Ricci and is completely underground. The Fonte Vecchia is said to be of Roman origin and has a spring tunnel approximately 20 metres long that leads into the hill. The location details distinguish the visible Cisterna Cincolà from the completely underground Cisterna Ricci.

Paths and Views

In Colonnella, historical and natural areas can be explored along several paths. These include the white Sentiero della Chiusa, the yellow Sentiero dei Calanchi, the orange Sentiero della Fonte, the red Sentiero della Natura, the blue Sentiero dei Laghi e Oasi, the green Sentiero delle Querce, the purple Sentiero dei Tendoni and the brown Sentiero Storico. The eight colour-coded names cover both historical and natural areas. For exploring Colonnella, the mode of transport is a separate consideration: the paths can be travelled on foot, on horseback or by bicycle. The choice of mode of transport can therefore already be taken into account when planning your day.

Colonnella offers views across the entire Apennine range, from the Monti Sibillini and Gran Sasso d’Italia to the Maiella. The mountain panorama thus provides a scenic counterpoint to the town centre’s small-scale character. For those interested in culture, the church architecture, organ, Torre dell’orologio, earth houses and water facilities complement the routes and mountain panorama.

More destinations for your trip to Italy: Cesi, Sant'omero, Sant'egidio Alla Vibrata, Basciano, Mosciano Sant'angelo, Alba Adriatica, Scerne, Mazzocco

To the higher-level travel overview: Teramo.