San Giovanni Valle Roveto Superiore: History and Views

San Giovanni Valle Roveto Superiore brings together local history and sweeping views across the Valle Roveto. The historic village of San Giovanni Vecchio Valle Roveto lies at 519 metres below Colle Mattoni. From the square in front of the church, the view extends across olive groves, the valley floor and the mountains. After the 1915 earthquake, San Giovanni Valle Roveto split into an upper historic settlement and a lower, newer one. The landscape and the village’s divided history give your stay different points of focus.

Landscape, Roads and Routes

San Giovanni Vecchio is connected to San Vincenzo Vecchio by a road about one kilometre long; a road connection of around 1.5 kilometres leads to the SS82. These two connections help you place the historic village on your travel itinerary. One route starts in San Vincenzo Vecchio, passes through Morrea, goes by the 15th-century Castello Piccolomini and ends in San Giovanni Vecchio. It takes you through three old villages with narrow lanes and viewpoints. The three-day “Trekking degli Eremi” itinerary leads to the Santuario di San Diodato near the village of San Giovanni Vecchio. When planning, you can choose between a route covering several stops and an explicitly three-day trekking itinerary.

Churches and Historical Traces

The settlement grew up around a church dedicated to Saint John, documented since 1308. The Santuario di San Diodato preserves the mortal remains of Saint Deodatus. A fresco in the lunette above the side door of the Church of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist depicts Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Deodatus. Deodatus thus appears both as a venerated saint in the Santuario and as a figure depicted in the fresco.

At the base of the bell tower is a votive stone dating from the 3rd to 2nd century BC. The dedicatory inscription names the local Italic family of the Gavii as the dedicators and Hercules as the recipient. The village’s history thus brings together a pre-Christian stone and the church documented since 1308 as markers of distinct historical periods. The former collegiate church is another part of the area’s recorded history: it had the mountain dependency of Sant’Elia.

In the immediate surroundings, the medieval castle complex known as “Colle Eretto” is associated with a reference dating to 1150. Along with the churches and the votive stone, this adds further historical dimensions to the area, while the square in front of the church draws your gaze towards the valley floor, groves and mountains.

Choose the Right Focus for Your Trip

When looking for a holiday apartment, you can start by deciding what you want to focus on: the village’s development and its religious art, a route through several old villages, or the three-day trekking itinerary. The views from the square in front of the church add the landscape of the Valle Roveto to these themes.

Discover more destinations: Castel Di Sangro, Mascioni, Rocca Di Mezzo, Coppito, Pratola Peligna, Verrecchie, Scanno, Meta.

For the broader travel overview: L-Aquila.