Visit Scanno
Scanno is a town situated in central Italy, in the Abruzzo region. Part of the town falls within the boundaries of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park.
As a traditional Italian hill town in a very scenic location - surrounded by forest covered hills - Scanno is becoming quite established on the tourist trail in the region and is a popular destination in both summer and winter. The town is also a classified most beautiful village of Italy.
There are numerous alleys and streets to explore, lined with ancient houses to discover as you explore this finely preserved town. There are also a myriad of small churches to discover such as San Rocco church, church of Saint Eustace, church of San Giovanni Battista, and others. Be sure to venture inside the churches of Scanno which often contain impressive frescoes or statues.
There are also many grand houses (palazzos) to discover around the town, including the Palazzo di Rienzo, the Piazza de Angelis, Palazzo Serafini and Palazzon Mosca with varying degrees of interesting architectural features.
The residents, at least the more elderly among them, also take pride in wearing traditional clothes around the village. Indeed, the original reputation of the village as a tourist destination came about when renowned photographer Cartier-Bresson photographed the residents in Scanno in their traditional clothes in the 1950's.
The approach to Scanno is also among the highlights of a visit, with the 20km route from Sulmona passing through the very scenic Sagittarius Gorge and past the peaceful Scanno Lake where you can hire boats etc (Scanno Lake becomes very busy during the summer).
A chair life operates up the adjacent mountain in both summer and winter - for skiers in the winter and walkers or those wanting to admire the scenery during the summer.