Magliano De' Marsi between the Piani Palentini and Monte Velino

Magliano De' Marsi combines the expansive landscape of the Piani Palentini with the Monte Velino massif. The mountain area belongs to the Sirente-Velino Regional Nature Park, which also includes the Monte Velino Nature Reserve. This gives you a travel experience that combines observing nature, marked trails and notable religious buildings. When choosing a holiday apartment, the main consideration is whether you want to focus your stay more on hiking, culture or a mixture of both.

Experience nature around Monte Velino

A good starting point for exploring the landscape is the Centro Visita Monte Velino. The reception and information hall provides information about the reserve through models, dioramas, display panels, showcases and photographs. In the CITES collection, you can see more than 500 stuffed birds from Europe and Italy. All the animals displayed there belong to rare and endangered species. This also makes the visit interesting for families who want to discover nature not only along trails but also through additional, vivid information.

A nature trail leads from the Centro Visita to Monte lo Pago. The route is just under 2,000 metres long. If you would like to include a specific walk in your plans, you can consider this route a nature experience in its own right. The Anello dell’84 is also a trekking route in Magliano De' Marsi. Use of the area of the Monte Velino Oriented Nature Reserve is restricted to officially marked trails shown on the official map of the Sirente-Velino Regional Park. You should therefore base your route planning on these designated trails.

The visitor centre of the Monte Velino Oriented Nature Reserve has been adapted for visitors with motor and sensory disabilities. This specific information may play an important role when putting together a varied day of holiday activities. The reserve can be reached via the Autostrada dei Parchi, A24/A25, taking the Magliano dei Marsi exit.

Churches and historical discoveries

Magliano De' Marsi also offers several destinations for a morning of culture or a peaceful sightseeing stop. The Chiesa di S. Lucia preserves three portals with pointed arches from the 14th century in the lower part of its façade. The church may date back to the mid-13th century. The Chiesa e il Convento di San Domenico date from the 14th century. The single-nave interior contains a wooden pulpit in the Dominican style.

A particularly ancient landmark is Santa Maria in Valle Porclaneta: the earliest records date from the mid-11th century. A pulpit and a ciborium from 1150, attributed to the master Nicodemo, have been preserved there. Santa Maria in Valle Porclaneta lies outside the settlement of Rosciolo at the foot of Monte Velino, on the road leading to the trail access points. To visit it, you must make a reservation with Signora Costanza, the custodian who lives in Rosciolo; she will be collected for this purpose.

Santa Maria delle Grazie in Rosciolo itself is also worth a look. The church preserves a 13th-century portal; its façade was created in 1446 by the Aquilan masters Giovanni and Martino. The Chiesa della Madonna di Loreto dates from the 14th century and preserves two cycles of medieval frescoes. Religious ceremonies commemorating the great sacrifice of sons of the Marsica who survived the earthquake and served as soldiers during the war are held in the Sacrario dei Caduti. Via Massa d'Albe & Via Alba Fucens is also located in Magliano De' Marsi.

Which base suits your plans

If you would like to combine nature and culture, a holiday apartment in Magliano De' Marsi is a good base for days with a variety of activities: you can include the Centro Visita and the nature trail, which is just under 2,000 metres long, choose a trekking route or focus on historic churches with their portals, frescoes and medieval furnishings. Anyone wishing to visit Santa Maria in Valle Porclaneta specifically should include the required reservation with the custodian in their plans from the outset. For further destination searches, you can also visit Santo Stefano Di Sessanio, Lucoli, Gagliano Aterno, Avezzano, Assergi, Pescocostanzo, Barete and Prezza.

For the higher-level travel overview: L-Aquila.