In the name of the rose

Rocca Calascio - The fortress dates back to the year 1000 when it was built by the Lombards with defense functions. It stands on a panoramic promontory from which you can see all around the Marsica, the Majella and the Gran Sasso. With the Piccolomini government, in the 15th century, the fort was enlarged with quadrangular turreted walls, also providing them with a drawbridge, which is no longer visible.

The fate of the castle had already changed, however, when in the thirteenth in the new city of L'Aquila the wool workers united in a consortium. From the churchyard of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Collemaggio the herds left, following the Tratturo Regio, moving in transhumance up to Foggia. Along the 244 km route, all the pre-existing towers took control of the herds, as production guaranteed the financing for the construction of the buildings in the new city. Near the fortress, at an altitude of 1500 m, you can visit the Church of Santa Maria della Pietà, built between the 16th and 17th centuries as a sign of thanks for the protection from the raids by brigands who crossed the border from the Papal State.