Castellalto
Welcome to Castellalto!
Hello everyone! Today I want to talk to you about Castellalto, a beautiful Italian municipality located in the province of Teramo, Abruzzo. With a population of about 4,000 inhabitants, Castellalto is part of the union of municipalities Colline del Medio Vomano and is located on top of a hill with a breathtaking view of the Tordino and Vomano valleys.
But I don't just want to talk about the beauty of the city, I also want to tell you a bit about its history and ancient artifacts. Are you ready?
The history of Castellalto
The oldest artifact in the town is an Italic bronze figure from the Hellenistic period, dating back to the 3rd-2nd centuries BC, depicting Hercules wearing a lion skin. It is believed to have been a votive object from a temple in an Italic settlement located near Casemolino district and occupied by the population of Pretuzi. If you like history, you can admire this bronze figure at the National Archaeological Museum of Chieti.
But the history of Castellalto does not begin here. Further settlements were established in Castellalto, but they were mostly rural villages or Roman villas, given the artifacts of tiles, rooftops, amphorae, and loom weights. In Villa San Pietro, tiles provided by Quinto, the local bakery's trademark, were found with 3 types attributable to one Cluvio Commodo, a relative of Gaio Cluvio Basso, testified in Tortoreto in CIL, X, the entrepreneur owner of the brick factory.
But the foundation of the Castellalto castle dates back to the Lombard and then Frankish descent in the 8th-9th centuries, influenced by the Benedictine monks, since the territory was in the 10th century one of the possessions of San Clemente in Casauria, when the church of San Clemente al Vomano (Notaresco) was built in the locality of Guardia. The feudal lords of Castellalto were referred to until the 15th century as "Castro Veteri".
Castelbasso, a modern flat fraction on the river, passed from the Casauria Benedictines to the dukes of Atri, the Acquaviva family, from 1294 to 1494. In 1494, even Castrum Veteri Trasmundi passed to the government of the Acquavivas and then to the Valignanis of Chieti for 7,000 ducats and then to the Riccis of Macerata.
Ancient artifacts to visit
If you are passionate about history, you will find many artifacts to visit in Castellalto. For example, in the Villa Torre chapel, you can admire a late Roman period frieze, set in the new church of San Michele. The first church built in the Middle Ages, called "Sant'Angelo ad Leporerium" (5th century), was built in Montevallo. Furthermore, there is a 9th-century frieze placed on the vault of a parish gate of San Giovanni, of unknown origin, placed there in 1761.
A domus has been found in Casemolino, while in Castelnuovo Vomano, you can see terracotta artifacts in Pianvilla and in Feudo di Montepietro, not far from the church of Santa Maria in Melano, and north of the Castelbasso cemetery.
Conclusions
Here is a bit of the history of Castellalto and its ancient treasures! I hope I have made you want to visit this beautiful city, where you can find not only the beauty of the landscape but also the richness of history. What are you waiting for? Come and discover Castellalto!
