| Ortucchio | ||
 | ||
| State | Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Abruzzo | |
| Territory | Marsica | |
| Altitude | 680 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 39 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 1.875 (2015) | |
| Name inhabitants | Ortucchiesi | |
| Prefix tel | 39 0863 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 67050 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
| Patron | Sant'Orante | |
Position
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| [link not working]Tourism site | ||
| [link not working]Institutional website | ||
Ortucchio is a city of Marsica, subregion ofAbruzzo.
To know
At the gates of the town, dominated by the Piccolomini castle, there is a natural lake, the only remnant of the ancient Fucino lake, declared definitively drained in 1878. Several caves located on the mountains that surround the former Fucino riverbed to the south have subsequently returned of research campaigns and excavations, precious testimonies that trace the presence of man continuously in these places since the Paleolithic.
Geographical notes
The Municipality of Ortucchio is located on the south-eastern side of the Fucino plateau, where a small island with rather variable boundaries stood before the Fucino Lake dried up due to the sudden changes in the level of the same lake. Totally different landscapes can be observed, from the dense mountain bush to the fertile flat fields that host the important teleport for civilian uses, the Fucino space center. Piero Fanti by Telespazio.
When to go
Summer is the best time to visit Ortucchio, the castle and the ancient church of Sant'Orante, now elevated to a sanctuary. Numerous paths lead to the mountain area full of caves and a destination for caving enthusiasts and nature lovers.
Background
Ortucchio in medieval times was subjected to Ruggero da Celano and subsequently passed from Ferdinando d'Aragona to Antonio Piccolomini, lord of the Marsicana county. The advent of the Piccolomini family significantly changed the appearance of the town in which the castle, strategic for defensive and lookout purposes, was built at the behest of Antonio Piccolomini. The Spanish domination and the subsequent advent of the brigands, linked to the Neapolitan revolts of Masaniello, caused devastation and serious damage to the already precarious economy of the Fucense town. To all this was added the plague of 1656 and the continuous flooding of Lake Fucino. The earthquake of 1915 caused deaths and devastation also in Ortucchio. However, the country knew how to get up from this terrible tragedy.
How to orient yourself
Ortucchio: full screen map.How to get
By plane
- Pescara airport (Abruzzo International Airport), Via Tiburtina, Km 229,100 Pescara (It is about 97 kilometers away), ☎ 39 085 4324201, ☎ 39 899 130 310, fax: 39 085 4324207, @[email protected].
- Rome Ciampino Airport, Via Appia Nuova, 1651 Ciampino-Rome (It is about 133 kilometers away), ☎ 39 06 65951, @[email protected].
- Rome Fiumicino Airport, Via dell 'Fiumicino Airport, 320 Fiumicino-Rome (It is about 160 km away), ☎ 39 06 65951, @[email protected].
By car
The closest motorway exit is that of Pescina of the A25 Rome-Pescara. Via Circonfucense connects the town to Trasacco, Luco dei Marsi ed Avezzano to the west, while a short distance to the east is the intersection that leads to Strada Statale 83 Marsicana, an artery that connects the Fucense area to national park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise.
On the train
The nearest railway station is that of Pescina located along the railway line Rome-Sulmona-Pescara.
By bus
Bus lines managed by TUA bus lines (the only Abruzzese transport company - ex Arpa) [1]
Bus lines managed by TUA bus lines (the only Abruzzese transport company - ex Arpa) How to get around
What see
- 1 [link not working]Piccolomini Castle, Piazza Castello, (Old Town), ☎ 39 0863 839117, fax: 39 0863 830208, @[email protected]. The medieval castle built by Count Antonio Piccolomini in 1448 represents a very particular architectural typology. The manor, having to coexist in the Fucino lake, drained only between 1855 and 1878, has a large moat whose waters came directly from the lake. Rectangular in plan, it has four imposing circular towers for each corner. Today the castle is surrounded by the Fucino plain and by an artificial lake with an adjoining equipped park. Cultural or recreational events are often organized there. The accessible structure can be visited.
- 2 Sanctuary of Sant'Orante (Old Town), ☎ 39 0863 413827, fax: 39 0863 412725, @[email protected]. The cult building expanded several times over the centuries, was built around the end of the eighth century AD. on a pre-existing structure with a polygonal base dating back to the III-II century BC. Severely damaged by the Marsica earthquake of 1915, its reconstruction took place at the end of the sixties of the last century. Sant'Orante lived inside this building in 1400, living off the alms of the faithful and resting on the floor of the church. Forced outside the church, the saint died on the evening of March 5, 1431. The next morning they found the hermit on the bundle of vine shoots that were no longer dry, but had put leaves and bunches of grapes. In 1578 the chapel in honor of the patron saint was built inside the church. His bones are kept in a glass urn under the altar. In 2018 the bishop of Avezzano, Mons.Pietro Santoro, elevated the church to a sanctuary.
- 3 [link not working]Ortucchio lake, Via Circonfucense (at the entrance to the town), ☎ 39 0863 839117, fax: 39 0863 830208, @[email protected]. The municipal park of Ortucchio surrounds the small lake (remnant of the ancient Fucino lake) located at the gates of the town. It features two heated swimming pools, an amphitheater, a solarium, a bike path, a five-a-side football pitch, a bowling green, a multipurpose gym and a playground for children.
- 4 [link not working]The caves of Ortucchio, Via Circonfucense (At the edge of the Fucino riverbed), ☎ 39 0863 839117, fax: 39 0863 830208, @[email protected]. The caves Maritza, Ortucchio (or dei porci), La Cava, La Punta and La Penna, together with the necropolis of Via Mesola, Strada 28 del Fucino and the village of Colle Santo Stefano, located in the locality of Pozzo di Forfora, bear witness to how from the Upper Palaeolithic the populations settled continuously thanks to the favorable environmental and climatic conditions of the area surrounding Lake Fucino. Numerous testimonies of the past have come back to light following excavation campaigns and studies carried out starting from the fifties.
- 5 [link not working]Telespazio, Via Cintarella (Piana del Fucino), ☎ 39 0863 5501, fax: 39 06 40999910, @[email protected]. The "Piero Fanti" space center on the outskirts of the town was built in the sixties to manage the first satellite telecommunications experiments between Europe and the United States. The activity has gradually expanded, and today with its 100 antennas spread over 370,000 square meters of surface, it is indicated as the first and most important teleport in the world for civil use. As if to symbolically connect the modern technology of space communications with the pioneering one of the genius of Guglielmo Marconi, the remaining part, propeller and rudder, of the stern of the yacht "Elettra", the first floating laboratory in history, was located.
Events and parties
- 1 [link not working]Feast and fair of Sant'Orante, Colle di Sant'Orante (Old Town), ☎ 39 0863 839117, fax: 39 0863 830208, @[email protected].
March 5th. Patronal feast in honor of Sant'Orante. The fair attracts hundreds of visitors to the historic center of the Marsican town. - 2 [link not working]National Literary Prize "Caro Diario", Municipal council chamber (Old Town), ☎ 39 0863 830112, @[email protected]. Between May and June. The authors of unpublished short stories in the form of a diary take part in the literary competition. The jury, made up of distinguished writers, reports and awards the works.
March 5th. Patronal feast in honor of Sant'Orante. The fair attracts hundreds of visitors to the historic center of the Marsican town.What to do
Shopping
How to have fun
Where to eat
Where stay
Safety
- 3 De Marco Pharmacy, Via Trento, ☎ 39 0863 839142. , 67050 Ortucchio AQ
How to keep in touch
Post office
- 4 Italian post, Via del Casone, 7, ☎ 39 0863 830311.
