Montebello di Bertona, Province of Pescara, Abruzzo

High on a hilltop south of the Tavo river, this small centre is inside an area full of prehistoric and Italic remains.

Info

Altitude: 615 m a.s.l
Distance from Pescara: 42 km
Population: ca. 1000 inhabitants
Postal code: 65010
Dialing Area Code: +39 085
How to reach it: by road, S.N. 81 from Teramo or Chieti, from Penne (S.N. 151 from Pescara)
Frazioni: Campo Bertona, Campo delle Piane, Campo Mirabello, Campo Santa Maria, Colasante.

Provinces of Abruzzo

Italian Regions

History

Inhabited since prehistoric times and a lively Italic settlement (a necroplis was found nearby), the village takes its name from Mount Bertona, where the ruins of a medieval castle can still be seen. In the XV century Montebello belonged to the town of Penne, later on to the Farnese family.

What to see

The Farnese Palace, built on the remains of the medieval castle.
The church of St. Pietro Apostolo, with wooden sculptures inside.
The Gran Sasso-Laga National Park.
The ruins of a 9th-century Castle on Monte Bertona.
The Pozzo sacro (holy well) dedicated to St. Agatha.
In the area called Campo delle Piane, important prehistoric site, which gave the name to the local Bertonian culture, a stage of the late-Upper Paleolithic, lasting from about 18000 to about 10500 BC.