Overview
Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club
The southern shore of Lake Barrea is dominated by Civitella Alfedena, the smallest town in the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, high up on a cliff. The wildlife areas (the Lynx near the upper part of the village and the Wolf area with its museum and Park Visitor Centre on the hill in front of the village) and the natural environment to be discovered through countless picturesque excursions (also on horseback with the two young guides from the Camosciara stables) are certainly more than worthy reasons to visit the Municipality.
The unspoilt historical centre, with narrow, well-kept streets, a 14th century tower and the Church of St Nicholas, is not only beautiful but also vibrant, thanks to many accommodation facilities, shops selling local products and museums. Among the unmissable excursions is the one leading to Camosciara, overlooked by Mount Sterpidalto and the Balzo della Chiesa. La Camosciara is also the name of the local agricultural and ecotourism cooperative that, besides organising excursions and educational activities and providing services such as bike rental, also produces herbal teas, grappa and honey from aromatic plants grown at an altitude of 1,200 metres. On a hill with a nice grassy square, in a vantage point overlooking the Sangro Valley and Lake Barrea, the church-sanctuary of Santa Lucia, about 300 metres from the village, is also worth a visit.
The village cuisine is simple and typically mountain Abruzzo, combining old local recipes with typical, simple and genuine products. Besides the ubiquitous egg pasta (including chitarre alla pecoraia, a variant of the famous maccheroni "alla chitarra", made with a metal stringed object reminiscent of a musical instrument), there is a place of honour on the table for cheeses (including the rare goat's Marzolina), cured meats, saffron, sweets, honey and truffles.
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