What to see in Ortona in the province of Chieti, a small town located in Abruzzo on a promontory overlooking the sea and equipped with an important tourist port from which ferries leave for the nearby Tremiti islands.
Tourist information
The origins of Ortona are very ancient, it seems that its territory was already inhabited starting from the tenth century BC.
During the Roman era it became a small town as a consequence of its position on the sea and the flourishing activities related to its port.
At the time of the Aragonese domination, the imposing Castle was built located on the spur of rock overlooking the sea.
As regards the urban division, Ortona is divided into the two main districts of Terravecchia, where the oldest buildings are located, and of Terranuova, where the Renaissance buildings stand out.
Among the main places of tourist interest is the Cathedral of San Tommaso, dating back to the twelfth century and later rebuilt following the destruction suffered due to the bombings that occurred during the Second World War.
The Cathedral today has a neoclassical facade, including the recovered 14th century portal, an interior with a typical Baroque imprint where there is a crypt containing relics.
Attached to the cathedral of Ortona is the Diocesan Museum, where about 40 paintings are preserved, as well as silverware, archaeological remains and ceramics.
The Church of the Holy Trinity, which is located near the cemetery, is historically linked to the former Capuchin convent.
The original medieval layout was transformed in the eighteenth century using typical forms of the late Baroque period, today the church has a simple facade, inside the single nave there are some valuable works created by local artists.
In the adjoining convent there is a cloister with a well in the center.
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What see
The Church of Santa Maria di Costantinopoli, located in the modern part of Ortona, near Piazza Repubblica, dates back to the thirteenth century but was modified in the seventeenth century.
Although it was damaged by the bombings of 1943, it still retains the beautiful medieval facade with rose window and Gothic portal with pointed arch.
The Church of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria is located in via Garibaldi, at the point where Piazza del Teatro Vittoria opens.
The original 13th century church was rebuilt with Renaissance forms in the 16th century.
Today's appearance has two facades, one of which facing the sea belongs to the Oratory of the Holy Spirit, while the other, which is the main one, shows a splendid porch and a beautiful rose window.
The Church of San Rocco, located in Piazza Repubblica and probably dating back to the 14th century, was completely modified in the 17th century according to the Neapolitan style.
It is characterized by having a yellow and rosy plaster coating and a bell tower of considerable height with a tiled spire.
The Church of Purgatory, located in Piazza Municipio, dates back to the 1800s and presents the neo-Gothic forms of a chapel, with a brick bell tower.
The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie before 1943, was annexed to the homonymous district, located at the gates of Ortona.
Dating from the 13th century, it was modified in the Baroque period and was seriously damaged in 1943, when only the bell tower remained standing.
It was rebuilt in a modern style, trying to respect the classic canons of the nineteenth-century neoclassical style.
The church today has a brick-clad facade, with the portal incorporated in the portico at the base.
The side bell tower looks like a red brick tower and remains slightly detached from the church.
The interior has a single nave with a mix of medieval, baroque and neoclassical elements.
The remains of the Longobard Basilica of San Marco are located at the high point of Punta dell’Acquabella, in the San Donato district.
This cult building was founded in the 9th century by the Byzantine Lombards and subsequently damaged for the first time at the time of the Norman invasion.
Again damaged in the 16th century by the Saracens, the basilica fell into a state of complete abandon, to the point that today only traces of the perimeter walls remain, in addition to the bases of the columns, which belonged to the three naves, and to the floor.
