Cineteatro Massimo was one of the first multiscreen cinemas in the city. It has three rooms on three floors. It shows commercial films that follow the tastes of the public. The smallest screen is reserved for art films, which have less commercial success. Ever since the opening, it has hosted the Flaiano Prize which also includes an international cinema show. There is also a small bar here.
Dedicated to the poet from Pescara, this is an open air theater-monument that hosts a theatrical season every summer which includes concerts and ballet. On rainy evenings the shows take place at the cinema-theater Massimo. It is adjacent to the D'Avalos park and faces the sea. Made of cement, it was built in 1956. On the right side is a tall obelisk 65 meters (213 feet) high, made by Vincenzino Michetti and decorated with stylised motifs along its height. The surrounding area is green and fairly large, and if you adventure into the pinewood you will find the roots of liquorice which are a favorite with young people.
This was discovered by excavators examining a succession of strata at Roman, sub-Appennine and Neolithic levels. The value of this discovery is not only related to the fact that it is over 6500 years old. It is also that the cave was not a hunting shelter like so many other archaeological finds from the same period. This cave was a sanctuary. Studies have found remains of a child sacrificed in some rite, that was probably linked to the fertility of the land. It is near Bolognano, in a rocky landscape with waterfalls and green water from the Valley of Orta.
According to legend, this place was built in 1498 on the site of a miraculous apparition. The frescoed portal of the Deposition is from 1505. On the left of the portal, is another Renaissance fresco of the Virgin, Child and two Angels. On the right side are remains of an old building which could have been a cloisters. The bell tower has little windows and finishes in a pyramid shape. The interior has one nave with a cross vault, decorations and ornaments. There is an arch by the apse and the main altar was made in 1642 with a great deal of golden stucco, decorated columns, allegoric statues and a 15th-century triptych. There are also frescoes by the school of Andrea de Litio. The church is found on the road between Alanno and Cugnoli. From Alanno, take the road for Cugnoli and turn left for Torre De Passeri. After 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) you find the church.
Built in the 17th Century to commemorate an apparition of the Madonna, this has a facade with a central, square part covered by stone blocks. Above the neoclassical portal is a square window underlined by a cornice. The upper, central part of the facade finished with an oval, horizontal cornice. The higher sides are sloping. The interior has a nave with two lateral chapels, covered by frescoes. The decorations contain 54 scenes and portraits. This is not far from Pietranico which can be reached by the A25 from Pescara, from the Casauria-Torre de Passeri exit.
This church dates from 1607 and has an oval shape. The ornate facade has a distinctive, triangular front. There is a simple, classic portal. The interior has one nave with a discontinous perimeter and lateral altars. The walls are concave and there is a pulpit. There are Baroque, stucco decorations made mostly by Ambrogio Piazza in 1669. On the vault are frescoes of scenes from the book of Esther. The back wall has paintings of S. Cristoforo, and there are paintings on the altars and works of wood and a wooden choirbox. There is also a reliquary of the saint. Services: Weekdays: 8a, 6.30pm Weekends: 9a, 11a, 6.30pm.
This reserve extends over an area of 2600 hectares (6425 acres) that goes from the river Orfento to Mount Focalone. The network of pathways has been purposely made to allow visitors to get to know the varied environment of the Maiella, which is a complex habitat of animals and vegetables. The reserve is well kept, as can be seen from the presence of precious species such as the dipper. An initiative by the forestry commission has created, in the visitors center, an area where otters can be observed and can reproduce. This is also the place to see roe deer, deer, eagles and hawks. Visitors need authorisation from the Majambiente Cooperative to visit the reserve. Call ahead for timings.
People have sometimes imagined that the name of this town came from the chains worn by the prisoners who were brought from Aquila. But it's really derived from Catonius which refers to a rural town. The fantasy has had its effects though, for example a there is an inscription which mentions this on the façade of the Church of S. Giovanni Battista, an unusual example of neoclassical Baroque. Near the church there is a building constructed by a noble family in the 19th century. The monastery of Santa Maria a Catignano on the town's outskirts and the rural architecture in the surrounding countryside are also worth seeing. From Pescara take the s.n. 602, or the A25 then the Chieti exit.
According to historical records, the founding of this city coincides with the building of the castle in the year 1000. The walls with houses built into them and the towers (which were also houses) are still standing in the historical center. Another type of fort was the already decaying Palazzo de Petris which of which the main arched doorway decorated with diamond-shaped ashlars can still be seen. The Church of Santa Maria Assunta from 1690, has a main doorway in stone with Baroque decorations. Inside there is one nave with lateral chapels (in a Latin cross plan) which are as Baroque as the paintings and the crucifix. In the valley on the other side of the river there is the historical monastery of S. Clemente a Casauria. From Pescara take the A25, Casauria-Torre de Passeri exit.
This town was once called Turris Passum, named after its Castle's tower which signaled a passage through the valley with fires lit at night. The town is currently a business hotspot, but also hosts artistic initiatives on a yearly basis. An annual painting exhibition, held from September to November in the Mazara-Gizzi Castle, focuses on Dante's Divine Comedy, and presents works by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Blake, Signorelli, Raffaello and others.