What to see in Rivisondoli, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the baronial palace and the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Portella.
Tourist information
Located in the Abruzzo region in the province of L'Aquila, Rivisondoli is a popular tourist destination both for winter holidays, thanks to the presence of ski slopes, and for summer holidays, a period in which it is possible to make pleasant naturalistic trekking excursions.
Rivisondoli, which is part of the Alto Sangro Mountain Community, as well as the Cinque Miglia Plateau and the Majella National Park, no longer retains any trace of its past.
Certainly the origins are ancient but the current urban layout is for the most part eighteenth-century, following the great building reconstruction that took place in that period after an earthquake that almost entirely destroyed the country.
However, the doors that allowed entry to the village, Porta Antonetta, dating back to 1400, and the door located near Palazzo Sardi, in addition to the so-called Porta di Mezzo, have remained visible.
Over time, various war and telluric events followed, including the 1915 earthquake, which definitively destroyed many artistic testimonies of the past, while sparing the Baronial Palace, the Suffragio church and the Sant'Anna church.
What see
The Sanctuary of the Madonna di Portella, which is located about 2 km from the center, was built to preserve an image of the Madonna.
Other buildings, which have a moderate historical value, include some eighteenth-century houses and palaces, such as Casa De Capite, Casa Torre, Casa Romito, Casa Caniglia, Casa Gasparri, Casa Notar Grossi and Casa delle Signorine Ferrara, in addition to the ancient village theater.
Among all the monuments present, the Palazzo Ferrara stands out in particular, located in via del Suffragio and belonged to Don Eugenio Ferrara, who was the podestà of Rivisondoli during the fascist period.
These are largely buildings characterized by original portals, framed by stone bas-reliefs and in some cases enriched by the so-called vineyards, which are typical landings with stairs located in front of the entrance, and balconies finished with wrought iron railings.
The San Nicola di Bari Church, in neo-Romanesque style and dating back to 1931, was built to replace the previous one.
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Equipped with a bell tower, it is characterized on the outside by the facade with a large mullioned window, while inside, which has three naves with a Latin cross plan, you can admire some stucco decorations on the dome and altars made of polychrome marble.
