Discover Colonnella

Colonnella combines a distinctive historic townscape with a landscape that can be explored along a variety of routes. Anyone planning a trip between culture and nature will find striking details here: the Scalinata connects Via Roma with Piazza del Popolo and is considered a landmark of the town. Small squares and narrow lanes, known in Colonnella as “rue”, also give the town its own linguistic and spatial character.

Discover historic Colonnella

In the historic centre stands the Torre dell’orologio di Colonnella, which probably dates from the Middle Ages and is located near the main square. Its position makes it an illustrative reference point if you would like to explore the town centre attentively. The combination of tower, squares, lanes and the Scalinata does not create a fixed tour, but offers several specific points of reference for a walk through Colonnella.

Another focal point is the Chiesa dei Santi Cipriano e Giustina. It was built between 1795 and 1815 by Pietro Maggi and his son Giacinto. The church contains a valuable organ created in 1833 by Quirino Gennari from Lanciano and his son Gaetano. Anyone interested in architectural history, sacred art and craftsmanship can incorporate these details into their exploration of the town.

The traditional earth houses of Colonnella are also part of its special cultural heritage. Around 20 of these houses can still be found in the municipal area. They are called “pencire” and are built from unfired earth. This detail broadens the perspective beyond representative buildings: Colonnella can also be discovered through traditional construction methods and the surviving traces of everyday town life.

Springs, cisterns and views

Several smaller structures and locations add to the picture of the surrounding area. The Cisterna Cincolà is located on Colle Pianaccio in Contrada San Martino and rises 1.70 metres above the ground. The Cisterna Ricci is situated in Contrada Vibrata near Villa Ricci and is completely underground. Both names refer to different forms of water storage and invite you to notice less conspicuous historical traces during your exploration as well.

The Fonte Vecchia is believed to be of Roman origin. It includes a spring tunnel approximately 20 metres long that leads into the hill. Colonnella also offers views across the entire Apennine range, from the Monti Sibillini via Gran Sasso d’Italia to the Maiella. This allows you to set different priorities when planning your day, combining local history, individual landscape features and more distant mountain views.

Trails for different day plans

In Colonnella, historic and natural areas can be explored along several signposted trails: the white Sentiero della Chiusa, the yellow Sentiero dei Calanchi, the orange Sentiero della Fonte, the red Sentiero della Natura, the blue Sentiero dei Laghi e Oasi, the green Sentiero delle Querce, the purple Sentiero dei Tendoni and the brown Sentiero Storico. The trails can be travelled on foot, on horseback or by bicycle.

This variety is particularly helpful if you do not want to limit your trip to a single type of experience. For a stay focused on culture, the town centre, church, tower and traditional houses can take centre stage. On other days, the trails, springs, cisterns and views can be included in your plans.

Colonnella as a starting point for planning your trip

A holiday apartment in Colonnella is especially well suited to your plans if you would first like to get to know the character of the town through specific sights and landscape features. When choosing, consider which location suits your planned daily activities. What matters is your personal preference: would you mainly like to discover historic buildings and lanes, use different trails, or combine both? Colonnella offers an unusually diverse basis for this decision, consisting of its townscape, architectural heritage, water structures and Apennine views.

Further destinations for orientation

For further travel planning, you can also view Cologna Paese, Tossicia, Civitella Del Tronto, Cologna Spiaggia, Intermesoli, Bisenti, Penna Alta and Cellino Attanasio.

For the higher-level travel overview: Teramo.