Pagan cult in the Christian culture

Tour programme

June 22 - 28, 2021

Curiosities can occur in folk traditions as well. How else can we call the centuries-old celebrations of the pagan ritual, which became the Festa di San Giovanni and is celebrated by people whose life is based and is closely connected with the traditions of the Catholic faith? If you want to touch this charming celebration in your study of Abruzzo, then this is the journey for you.

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Day 1 Immersion

You come to Torre dell’Angelo, where you immediately immerse yourself in the atmosphere of rural life. You can use this day to ‘switch gears’ to resting, start enjoying the beauty of the surrounding nature and tune in to your journey.

​Day 2 Fuochi di San Giovanni

We will spend the morning enjoying a walk through the gorge, where a mountain river forms rapids and waterfalls. We’ll finish our walk in the old trattoria in the very center of the small town smelling of hydrogen sulfide sources. After that we will go to another small town, which will become the scene of a pagan performance. We will have dinner among a crowd of locals in the central square of the town accompanied by traditional songs and dances of the Abruzzo region.

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Day 3 Costa dei Trabocchi.

After breakfast, we will begin our journey south, along the Adriatic Sea, to the unique Costa dei Trabocchi. We will visit a medieval monastery built in an amazing location, which the ancient Romans chose for their temple. If we get lucky, we might even hear the holy music under the arches of the ancient church.

Then, after a walk around a small town that was inaccessible to the invaders in the middle ages, we will explore a Traboccho and even taste the seafood delicacies during lunch there. After a truly Italian lunch we will walk around the medieval fortress, located on a picturesque cliff and then return to our rural home in order to enjoy the sunset behind the peaks of Gran Sasso.

Day 4 Town of the Holly Angel

After breakfast, we will take a walk through the narrow streets of a medieval town which bears the name of “Holy Angel”. This is the same town, the outlines of which we can observe daily from Torre dell’Angelo. The town was placed 6th in the Forbes list of cities that are best suited for retirement. We will then have a tasting of wines and local produce at a nearby winery.

A guided tour of the cantina will reveal to us how these wines are made. After a walk through the vineyards, we will move to another small town, which, for one week every year, goes back to the medieval times. In the evening, we will have a dinner on the terrace, where our friends will introduce you to the traditional costumes, songs and dances of this area.

Day 5 Culinary experience and Volto Santo

We will start the day in a hospitable rural house overlooking Maiela, where the hostess will teach us to cook the traditional Abruzzese pasta using antique tools. After lunch, we will see one of the most important relics of the Christian world, Volto Santo. Then we will continue our walk along the creek in order to admire the temple hidden in the mountains, the first version of which was built in the time of Charlemagne.

Day 6 Ceramics and a shepherd’s land

We will spend the morning in a small mountain village, where almost every family has been making ceramics for several centuries. We will visit the church, which has been a source of inspiration for these masters throughout all that time. Afterwards, we will visit one of the oldest ceramic workshops in the village. For lunch, we will try local specialties – arrosticini, which we will prepare ourselves right on the mountain plateau. We will then travel to the Campo Imperatore for a short walk. We will explore Abruzzo from a bird’s eye view, while being on the ruins of a medieval fortress, which served as the set of several movies. Dinner will be waiting for us in our rural home.

​Day 7 Farewell and departure

Trip’s price is 1750 euro, single supplement is 620 euro

The price is per person based on double occupancy. Single supplement is for those who are traveling alone and/or have a room to yourself.

What’s included:

  • Torre dell’Angelo stay for 7 days and 6 nights
  • All breakfasts, 5 lunches and 6 dinners
  • Visitation fee for all historical attractions, cultural and musical events, holiday’s celebrations, tastings and workshops
  • All ground transportation during the trip
  • All guides

Book your tour, choose your own dates if the group is more than 6 people: