We have already mentioned about the fact that Abruzzo is a region full of beautiful places to discover, which is confirmed by the classification Places Close to Heart for 2014, a list of unforgettable places in Italy.

We all have places close to our hearts: palaces, parks, squares, castles, nature reserves, but also fountains or abandoned industrial zones with which we feel a special connection and which we would like to protect against the merciless influence of time.

Project FAI [Italian Fund for Environmental Protection] in cooperation with the bank Intesa Sanpaolo was created precisely to protect and appreciate the great legacy of art and landscape, in which the country abounds.

In this VII edition, Abruzzo is represented by more than 463 places in the classification, two of which are in the first hundred. We present to you the first 10 of them.

A place located in Abruzzo, voted for the most often, is Porta Barete (or Lavareto) situated in L’Aquila which is listed on 27th position. Dating back to the late thirteenth century, now closed, was the most important entrance to the city from the west side. Along with Porta Paganica, Porta Bazzano and Porta Rivera is a part of the original Andegawen gates of municipal buildings.

With 4396 votes, Fontana di Civitanova in Lanciano won the 77th position. Neoclassical facade of over forty meters, twenty-four wash stations and the same number of arches built of bricks, form the medieval fountain, completely rebuilt in 1825, the second fountain of Abruzzo, just behind the famous fountain with 99 taps in Aquila.

On the 118th position there’s a nature reserve of Lake Campotosto. An important thing here is the basin of the lake, located at an altitude of 1313 meters above sea level, the highest in Abruzzo. Its entire area is located on the territory of the National Park of Gran Sasso-Monti della Laga.

Slightly lower, on 134th position we have Castello della Monica in Teramo. This magnificent neo-Gothic mansion, situated on the hill of San Venanzio, owes its name to Gennar della Monica, an architect, sculptor and painter from Teramo, who lived in this castle.

On 246th place there’s a representative of the province of Pescara, Rocca Turrita of Rosciano, also known as Rocca dei Capitani [Fortress of Captains], since it granted refuge for famous mercenary captains. Here we have a tower visible from afar, reaching the height of 1000- 1100 meters, to which, in the days of the Kingdom of Naples, was added a rectangularstructure that gave it the form of Palazzo Baronale [Baron’s Palace].

Next we have two monasteries in the vicinity of Chieti: Convento Michetti [Michetti Monastery] in Francavilla al Mare (230th position) and the Convento di S.Pasquale [Monastery of St. Pascal] (Vallaspra) in Atessa (349th place). The first, also known as the Cenacle D’Annunzio, thanks to Francesco Paolo Michetti became a meeting place for the people of the culture, artists and intellectuals, among which we can mention Gabriele D’Annunzio, Francesco and Paolo Tosti and Matilde Serao. Next, surrounded by greenery and tranquility of nature of the town of Vallaspra, rises a Monastery dedicated to Santa Maria degli Angeli, but known as the monastery of St. Pascal, founded in 1408 by Franciscan Friar Tommaso of Florence.

Next in the classification is the province of l’Aquila with its two castles: Castello Piccolomini in Ortucchio andCastello [castle] in Celano, respectively, on 349th and 388th position. Ortucchio Castle is a unique example of medieval buildings created on the lake, as it was built on the only inhabited island in those days, on Lago [Lake] del Fucino. The castle was part of the impressive defense system in the shape of the chess board, which also included the Celano Castle. The latter, whose construction began in 1392 on the orders of the then Count Pietro Bernardi, is a combination of medieval and Renaissance elements. Built as a defensive structure, was later transformed into a Renaissance residence, and today is home to the Museo d’Arte Sacra della Marsica [Museum of Sacred Art of Marsica region].

The top ten of the Abruzzo region closes with Faro [Lighthouse] Punta Penna in Vasto, listed on 396th position. Spiral staircase comprises of 307 stairs, which reach up to 70 meters high, making this building, built in 1906 and reconstructed many times, the highest lighthouse in Italy, right after Lanterna in Genoa.

Fortifications, fountains, churches, castles, monasteries, the beauty of nature and the wonderful sea make the Abruzzo region a place, which has to be visited at least once.

You can get acquaint with the entire classification by visiting the website of Places Close to Heart.