Your tour can begin! It starts from Controguerra, ‘City of wine, oil and good living’, in the hills of the Val Vibrata, where vineyards and wheat fields chase each other as far as the eye can see. It has prehistoric and Roman roots and was also flourishing in the Middle Ages. From its location, your gaze can sweep from the coast to the Monti della Laga chain, in a landscape balance that is recomposed between rows of vines and fields worked by the skilful hand of man. The area has a high wine vocation, so much so that it has obtained its own DOC denomination since 1996.

In this itinerary among churches and historical buildings, it is worth visiting the Enoteca Comunale (Municipal Wine Shop), in the Old Town Hall located in the historic centre and built before 1478. The wines from the area, accompanied by typical local products, are excellent: Controguerra DOC Rosso, intense ruby red, with a dry, slightly tannic flavour, or Bianco (White), straw-coloured, with a fruity aroma and dry, slightly bitterish flavour. Also renowned are the productions of Passerina DOC, Pecorino IGT, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC.

After leaving Controguerra, head towards Ancarano, a town between the Tronto Valley and the Vibrata Valley. Some settlements found have established its foundation in Roman times. The events of distant glorious times, between Pipino, Charlemagne, bishops and dukes, can still be perceived today among the town’s entrance gates, noble dwellings and churches.

Worth visiting along the narrow streets, typical of medieval layouts, are the Church of the Madonna della Misericordia, just outside the centre, the Bell Tower, protecting the houses, Porta da Mare and Porta Nuova.

After your pleasant stroll, sit down to enjoy the typical local dish, characteristic of the month of October, the soup that is eaten with a fork: ‘li tailì de la Madonna de la Pace’ are very long thin noodles cooked in mixed meat broth and eaten precisely with a fork. Ancarano delights and amazes!

At this point, it is time to reach Sant’Egidio alla Vibrata. Its origins, thanks to the discovery of artefacts and the presence of settlements, are already attested in the Upper Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Middle Bronze Age periods. Evidence of the archaic period are the tombs of the Ripa Quarquellara Necropolis.

Following barbarian incursions, the Benedictines built an abbey here, which favoured the formation of the first settlement, still visible, from which the entire village developed.

We suggest extending your walk to the charming medieval village of Faraone Antico. Now uninhabited, it retains its charm and architectural uniqueness: the entrance gate remains intact, introducing you to the heart of the village where the mighty walls are now covered by thick vegetation.

When you sit down to eat, be sure to try the delicious pallotte cace e ove, meatballs made with egg, caciocavallo cheese and breadcrumbs, dipped in a sauce that takes on the smells and flavours. Unique. Sant’Egidio alla Vibrata also boasts traditional pork processing, so you can delight in the ventricina teramana.

Resume the itinerary heading towards Torano Nuovo, which sits on a sunny hillside and offers one of the most enchanting views in the area, surrounded by valleys covered with vineyards and olive groves, with Gran Sasso in the background.

The advice is to stroll through the historical centre, immersing yourself in its history along a route that leads from the Town Hall Square, where you can admire beautiful noble palaces, passing under the vaults of the antique Porta Castellana, a remnant of the ancient fortification, to the central square.

Its wine production earns it the titles of Capital of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Town of Taste: its lands have been known since antiquity for the quality of its vineyards and the healing properties of its wines, so much so that, according to the Roman historian Pliny, after the Battle of Trasimeno they gave refreshment to Hannibal, who used them to cure his horses sick with scabies. You can taste this excellence, with its DOC (Montepulciano, Trebbiano, Controguerra) and DOCG (Colline Teramane) products, in one of the many farms in the area.

Typical Torano products include salami and ham, as well as spelt, cheese and honey.

The next stop on the tour is Nereto, on a hill covered with olive trees, sunflowers and green fields. The village is rich in art, history and interesting architectural highlights, such as the Church of Santa Maria del Suffragio, the Old Fountain, the Monument to Multiculturalism by artist Francesco Perilli and the sculpture Inno alla Vita (Hymn to Life) by master Augusto Murer.

Continue to the ancient Borgo Galliano, where you can admire the Church of San Martino, a small jewel of pagan origins remodelled by the hands of the Benedictines in the 12th century.

Among the many local delicacies, a speciality that has been handed down for generations is the turkey ‘alla neretese’, accompanied by a side dish of cabbage ‘strascinate’ and fried peppers. Also worth savouring is the goat ‘alla neretese’, a tasty traditional dish related to sheep-farming, based on stewed goat morsels, accompanied by fried red peppers. Added to these delicacies is the “green gold”: the oil produced in Nereto has a harmonious and delicate flavour, with an intense green colour, thanks to the proximity of the mountains and the sea; it is worth tasting it in the local farms, perhaps on a slice of warm bread.

Resume the itinerary towards Corropoli, a hillside village stretching along the Val Vibrata, known for the Neolithic village of Ripoli, dating back to 3000 B.C., among the most important prehistoric centres in Europe. The famous Neolithic tomb of the ‘woman with dog’ was found in 1914 and is currently exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum of Abruzzo in Chieti.

In the heart of the town stands Piazza Piè di Corte, built by demolishing the remains of a baronial castle: here we can admire the elegant 17th-century bell tower, adorned with majolica bricks, the central fountain and the Church of San Giuseppe. A short distance away is the Marian Sanctuary, Corropoli’s main church. Lastly, on the road leading to Controguerra, we can admire the Oratory of San Rocco.

On Via del Vecchioforte, you will come across a pinciara, an ancient earthen dwelling built with raw earth mixed with straw, gravel, logs and reeds.

Don’t miss tasting the gastronomic specialities of Corropoli: succulent traditional dishes that you can enjoy at the Festival of typical dishes and specialities of the Val Vibrata, held every year at the beginning of August.

We suggest ending the tour in Cellino Attanasio, an enchanting village on a rocky relief between the Piomba and Vomano Valleys, which will take you through narrow streets, flights of steps, pretty squares and overlooks from which to admire the surrounding natural panorama.

Of pre-Roman origins, the village retains its typical medieval structure: this is testified by the two Torrioni, built at the behest of the Acquaviva family, lords of Cellino Attanasio from the 14th century, who established their refuge here due to the presence of numerous fortifications. Above the keep you can see the area now called ‘the fortress’, in memory of the fortified palace that stood in defence of the village.

Also worth a stop are the Church of Santa Maria la Nova, featuring a portal from 1424 by the Neapolitan artist Matteo de Caprio, and the Former Church of Santo Spirito, now seat of a theatre.

Between history and popular folklore, very characteristic is the culinary tradition of ‘Cingoli cellinesi with duck sauce’, a type of pasta also known as ‘Cordoni dei frati’, which dates back to the Middle Ages and is related to the presence of the Franciscan friars, for whom cingoli were the ‘dish of the feast day’.