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Atessa

Sacred art and legend in the Sangro Valley

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3 min

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  • Comuni d’Abruzzo

Overview

Descrizione lunga

Come with us to the lower Sangro River valley to discover Atessa: at 11,003 hectares, there is the largest village in the province of Chieti.

It is an area, stretched between the past and the present, that has undergone a great economic-social transformation due to the industrial development of the Sangro Valley, but it still remains in the historic center and churches, all the ancient and sacred in which it is rich and worth your valuable visit. According to one legend, Atessa was born from the union of two settlements, Ate and Tixa. And here's the kicker. Listen.

The "marriage" could not materialize because a bloody, anthropophagous dragon disturbed the local people, guarding menacingly the valley that divided the two towns. So, it had to wait for the intervention of St. Leucio, later to become the town's patron saint, who cut the monster to pieces.
Would you like to see one? A giant fossil mammal rib found nearby and over two metres long is preserved in the Cathedral of San Leucio where one can also admire an elegant silver monstrance by Nicola da Guardiagrele - among the greatest goldsmiths and engravers of the time - a cross and a bust of the saint, both also in silver.
Follow us now to the centre, where we let you discover the Church of San Domenico c with a beautiful marble portal from 1654 and, inside, two ancient statues, one wooden and the other terracotta, dating from the mid-14th century.

Continue your exploration along Salita Castello where at number 24 is the De Marco house with a 1488 window adorned with capitals and lions. Turning back toward the hill of San Cristoforo, go up to the Villa comunale, 475 metres above sea level-the right size to enjoy a magnificent view of Gran Sasso, Maiella and the sea.
Another beautiful view is from Oberdan Square, with a panorama that projects from the Maiella Mountains to the sea.
Don't miss a visit to the Vallaspra Convent, founded in 1408 by Blessed Thomas of Florence, which preserves a Venetian school panel painting from 1541 depicting the Madonna of Vallaspra; in the lower cloister is the Well of Miracles: apparently it was filled with water in times of drought while all the others were dry.
How come you will say? Simple. The guardian father had poured oil from a lamp of the altar of the Blessed Sacrament into it.
Where does the legend begin and the story ends, and vice versa?  

The important thing is that the sacred and profane tradition remains standing by nourishing the Chieti town and its territory with beauty, mystery and flavors. Such as the taste of the Royal Dry Fig of Atessa, a Slow Food Presidium, produced in the hillside area of Atessa, Torino di Sangro, Archi, Perano and Paglieta, thanks to a small group of young people who have decided to recover the very ancient tradition.
Just think: some historians relate that in 1320 Roberto d'Angiò, who ruled the territory of Chieti and Lanciano, had imposed a tax on dried figs from Atessa.
To be continued...

What else to see:

  • The church of San Vincenzo Ferrer
  • The Church of the Santa Croce
  • The Aligi Sassu Museum
  • The ancient gateways to the village
     

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  • Comuni

Location of the Destination

Geolocalizzazione

42.072870284837, 14.449939727783

Last updated

20/09/2023, 10:56

Published by AbruzzoTurismo