Scontrone: Murals, Museums and Special Nature Experiences

Scontrone combines experiences in nature with an unusually diverse cultural landscape. Several nature trails offer views of La Foce and its centuries-old beech forests. In the town and in Villa Scontrone, you can also discover churches, murals, museums, a sulphur spring and an important fossil site.

Nature Trails and Historical Traces

Scontrone’s nature trails lead to viewpoints overlooking La Foce and its ancient beech forests. This makes the trails an experience in their own right, whether you plan to spend a day mainly outdoors or want to combine nature with museum visits. Villa Scontrone is also home to a sulphur spring at the site of the town’s former thermal baths. It is therefore one of the visible traces of the area’s history.

The religious buildings also give the surroundings a historical character. The ancient Church of Santa Maria was built before 1356 and features Romanesque capitals. The Chapel of San Michele Arcangelo is located around 500 metres west of Scontrone’s built-up area. Anyone interested in architectural history and religious art can include these sites in their individual travel plans without having to limit their stay to a single theme.

Murals, Sculptures and Museums

Scontrone’s historic centre is home to 24 murals. Italian and international artists created them from 1988 onwards; the murals were restored in August 2017. Together with sculptures, they combine medieval culture and contemporary art in the old town centre. This allows you to combine a tour through the history of the town with an exploration of modern art.

The Museo Internazionale della Donna nell’Arte is a permanent museum of contemporary art. It is dedicated to the artistic work of women and displays paintings, photographs and sculptures by female artists from more than 40 countries. The Museo della Radio exhibits 50 radios manufactured between the 1920s and the 1970s. The Museo della Montagna contains around 130 paintings, sculptures and photographs by artists who took part in editions of the national poetry and literature prize named after “Teofilo Patini”. The winning entries addressed the particular living and working conditions of mountain communities.

Fossil Site and Geological-Natural History Educational Trail

Palaeontology is a particularly distinctive subject here. The Centro di Documentazione Paleontologico displays remains of primitive even-toed ungulates of the genus Hoplitomeryx. The centre is dedicated to Scontrone’s fossil site, which was discovered in 1991 and is dated to approximately 10 million years ago. The centre is connected to the site by an approximately 800-metre-long geological and natural history educational trail with an elevation difference of 120 metres. This information helps you fit the visit into your daily plans without equating the route with a walking time or a specific level of difficulty.

During the favourable season, a section of the fossil site prepared for visitors can be visited by prior arrangement with the centre’s operator. Anyone wishing to include this experience in their plans should therefore make the arrangement before visiting. When choosing accommodation, it may be useful to consider such fixed appointments separately from museum and nature days that can be arranged more freely.

Hiking, Rock Climbing and Local Traditions

Escursionisti Scontrone offers an annual programme of group hikes in the Scontrone area. The local hiking club also organises a rock-climbing course with professional instructors every year. Alongside the nature trails, these provide further opportunities to make your stay active. The accommodation that suits you best depends above all on whether you want to prioritise group hikes, a climbing course or cultural sightseeing.

Local customs add further dates and impressions to your travel plans. The Feast of Sant’Antonio Abate on 17 January includes the distribution of blessed bread and the tasting of typical dishes. In the final days of February, the “Te cumpà me” tradition is renewed every year: figures equipped with horns and bells celebrate the beginning of spring by singing. The pilgrimage to the Madonna di Canneto sanctuary, held on 21 August, begins in Villa Scontrone. Such fixed occasions can help you decide at what time of year a holiday apartment in Scontrone would be of interest.

Further Places to Consider

If you would like to compare Scontrone with other destinations, here is a compact selection: San Demetrio Ne' Vestini, Rocca Di Mezzo, Pacentro, Montereale, Collepietro, Pagliare, Castelvecchio Calvisio and Sant'Eusanio Forconese.

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