Scanno - Scanno

Scanno
Scanno view
StateItaly
RegionAbruzzo
TerritoryPeligna-Alto Sangro Valley
Altitude1050 m a.s.l.
Surface134.98 km²
Inhabitants1.883 (2014)
Name inhabitantsScannesi
Prefix tel 39 0864
POSTAL CODE67038
Time zone UTC 1
PatronSant'Eustachio (September 20)
Position
Map of Italy
Reddot.svg
Scanno
Institutional website

Scanno is a center ofAbruzzo.

To know

It is part of the most beautiful villages in Italy.

Geographical notes

The municipal territory included within the Marsicani Mountains and partly within the boundaries of National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, in turn, is part of the Peligna mountain community. At the foot of the village it is placed the homonymous lake. The extreme proximity to the park means that Scanno enjoys more or less the same landscape, naturalistic and faunal aspects, for example with frequent encroachments of Marsican brown bears jumped to the honors of the news reports.

Background

The origin of the name commonly goes back to the Latin scamnum (stool) because the hill on which the historic center was built would resemble a small bench. In reality the term is closer to the Abruzzo phytotoponyms scandalo and scannèlla which would indicate the name of a rustic variety of barley or the places where it was grown.

As can be seen from a Roman plaque preserved in Wool Museum Scanno is already inhabited in Roman times, at the northern end of the Samnites territory. An ancient settlement in the Sagittario valley is the Betifulus pagus, which has been identified with a minor Peligni center whose fortification was to be located on the southern slopes of the Sant'Egidio hill. There is a living testimony of this center in local popular legends, in fact a mythical king of Battifolo fighting against the Emperor of Rome or against the magician Pietro Baialardo appears in a story about the birth of Lake Scanno. An ancient plaque also found in Acque Vive di Scanno recalls a decurion of Betifulo.

During the barbarian invasions Scanno remained unharmed due to the defensive structure of the mountains around the town, but during the Saracen and then the Ottoman invasions it was not spared. In this period Scanno assimilates oriental influences that are found in the characteristics of the traditional female dress of the country: in fact the female headdress looks like a turban, while the draperies of the dress are colored in the oriental way.

During the Middle Ages the town followed the feudal events of the Peligno countryside. The Marsica earthquake of 1915 completely destroyed Frattura, a center that was rebuilt closer to the capital. The 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila caused minor damage to the church of the Madonna delle Grazie and to that of Sant'Antonio di Padova.

How to orient yourself

Neighborhoods

Its municipal territory also includes the town of Frattura.

How to get

By plane

Italian traffic signs - verso bianco.svg

By car

On the train

By bus

  • Italian traffic sign - bus stop svg Arpa bus lines [1]


How to get around


What see

  • 1 Church of Santa Maria della Valle (of Our Lady of the Assumption), piazzale Santa Maria della Valle. It is divided into three naves and is supported by two pillars with cusps placed to reinforce the structure after the 1915 earthquake. The exterior, in local stone, is in Abruzzo Romanesque style. The horizontal crowning façade has three portals with as many rose windows above, of which the central one is the largest. Inside, in the first columns after the entrance, it is possible to observe traces of medieval frescoes, while in the presbytery over a polychrome altar there is a wooden choir. The confessionals and the pulpit, also made of wood, are the work of the artist Ferdinando Mosca of Pescocostanzo. The chapel to the right of the entrance is dedicated to San Costanzo and preserves a relic that arrived in Scanno around the eighteenth century. 
Church of San Rocco (Madonna del Carmine)
  • Church of San Rocco. Also dedicated to the Madonna del Carmine, it bears a fresco representing San Cristoforo on an external wall.The church is a consequence of the demolition of two churches, San Rocco and Santissimo Sacramento, which probably took place towards the end of the 17th century with consequent construction of the current church which was then remodeled several times. The date of construction of the original work is unknown, however many news from the early 16th century tell us that the church was full of chapels.
The longitudinal layout is surmounted by a cross vault supporting a choir loft. The façade is divided into three levels by two cornices and a crowning with Romanelle-shaped brackets and is enclosed by corner pilasters. On the street façade of the bell tower there is an aedicule with the stone statue of San Leonardo. The portal is in sixteenth-century style surmounted by a broken tympanum inside which there is a niche, surmounted by another broken tympanum, which preserves a fresco of the Virgin Mary.
The interior has a single nave; on the walls there are pilasters that support a frame from which part a barrel vault with lunettes and frescoes.
The altar area is higher than the rest of the church and ends with a semicircular apse with a semi-dome vault decorated with stucco coffered. In the area in front to the left of the altar there is a wooden pulpit from which a local tradition even preaches San Bernardino da Siena. Under the pulpit there is a confessional. 
  • Church of Sant'Eustachio. It is the patronal church, and inside there are various statues including Sant'Agata, Sant'Apollonia, Faith and Hope, Santa Lucia, Santa Barbara and that of the owner Sant'Eustachio.
It is dedicated to the Madonna of Loreto and to Sant'Eustachio who is also the patron saint of Scanno.
The construction dates back to the 12th century. In 1693 it was demolished following the earthquake of 1654 and rebuilt in 1712.
The elevation has a horizontal crowning and is divided into three levels with a window aligned with the portal. The façade is plastered and also has a concrete plinth. The thirteenth-century portal, with influences of pagan art, is served by three steps. Above there is a lunette archivolt with internal columns.
The interior has a single nave with a barrel vault frescoed by Francesco Antonio Borzillo in 1698 with theCoronation of the Madonna, the four angels and the triumphal arch with a false opening and the style of the painting that make the work go back to the Baroque, and three chapels on each side separated by arched wall hangings, in which paintings and statues are kept.
The wall faces of the chapels consist of openings closed only on one side. The organ is placed above the choir loft on the right side of the hall. 
  • Church of San Giovanni Battista. Used after the plague epidemic of 1764 as a hospital, it was also used as an elementary school, polling station and theater. It currently hosts a permanent exhibition of sacred statues set up by Michele Rak.
The church is already mentioned in 1612, however the church probably dates back to the sixteenth century, taking as a reference the dates engraved on the altar and on the window of the sacristy. The two frescoes inside depicting the life and death of St. John the Baptist were painted in 1698, then covered when the building was used in the eighteenth century as a hospital and a place of shelter. They were brought to light in 1947. In the first half of the twentieth century the church was also used as an elementary school, a constituency, a theater.
The church is currently consecrated and mass is celebrated there only once a year on the day of St. John the Baptist. Today it is a place of worship with a museum vocation managed in collaboration between the Diocese of Sulmona and the Wool Museum.
The façade is divided into two parts by a string course frame. The portal and the window inserted in the upper field consist of a broken triangular tympanum. In the left pylon there is a recycled plaque dating back to the imperial age coming from the ancient pagus of Collangelo. The interior has a single hall covered by a barrel vault with lunettes. The atrium is covered with three small cross vaults. On both sides of the altar there are two frescoes in the shape of oval medallions depicting St. Elizabeth giving birth to St. John the Baptist and the latter's Beheading. These two frescoes emerged during the cleaning work in 1947. The bell tower is a sail, while the roof is a hut. 
  • Church of Sant'Antonio da Padova. In the past flanked by a convent, it is characterized by interiors in sumptuous Baroque studded with gilded stuccos and valuable canvases, as well as by a particular organ. The church with the adjoining convent were founded between 1595 and 1596; there were preserved the walnut benches that came from the church of purgatory and which are now placed in the council chamber of the town hall.
After the dissolution of the religious congregations by the Napoleonic kingdom, the conventuals gradually left the convent which was used for private use (even today private individuals live in some meanders of the convent).
The church is connected to the convent on the north-east side and has the other three sides free: the main facade, the south-west side flanked by a path and the partially buried south-west apsidal front. The façade is in the local Romanesque style which recalls the Romanesque style of L'Aquila and Umbria, while the sumptuous and basilica-like interior has a single nave in Baroque style with decorations in gilded and non-gilded stucco.
The portal dates back to 1595 with a rectangular stone exhibition surmounted by two copings divided by shelves on which the triangular tympanum is placed. The interior has a longitudinal classroom layout with a cross roof. Six side altars complete the shape of the interior, one of which is dedicated to Sant'Antonio: placed in the middle area and built in 1602 by Maria Caretore, at the top it shows a canvas depicting the Annunciation.
The other altars are dedicated to: San Francesco d'Assisi, San Gregorio Magno, San Giuseppe da Copertino where a beautifully made statue of San Gerardo is placed, one dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, the other to the Deposition of Christ from the Cross .
The internal partitions that separate the side altars house the stations of the Cross that date back to the 18th century. The two confessionals and the pulpit are from the same period. On the vault there are three frescoes by Giambattista Gamba depicting: the Transit of St. Francis of Assisi; Saint Anthony of Padua; San Bonaventura.
Behind the marble altar, placed on the wooden choir loft, there is a church organ used during the Scanno organ summer. The altar perhaps designed for a chapel in the Royal Palace of Caserta is the work of Luigi Vanvitelli. At the entrance there is a 1607 canvas by Pasquale Prico di Montereale which depicts the creation of the three Franciscan orders.
In the square in front there is an obelisk in local stone. 
  • Church of San Michele Arcangelo. It is located near the cemetery, whose main avenue constitutes the access. Built prior to 1576, it has a single almost square nave on which stands the statue of the saint as he tries to kill a dragon with his unsheathed sword. The statue is from 1600.
The altar, compared to the statue, seems small. The exterior, admirable already from the access to the cemetery, has a portico surmounted by a triangular pediment and a colonnade in front, a portico accessible via a small staircase. 
  • Church of Sant'Antonio abate, Strada Ciorla. A plaque affixed to the facade traces its construction back to 1569 on commission by a certain Ercole Ciorla, but according to other documents its foundation would be earlier. The order of the clerics of Sant'Antonio abate committed it. A restoration in 2000 brought back the exposed brick exterior.
The interior is a hall with a rectangular plan divided into two cells covered by barrel vaults with a lowered arch and lunettes. On the sides there are deep pilasters made of exposed masonry linked to each other with round arches close to the walls. The back of the church is marked by a lowered sixth archivolt.
On the altar there is a statue of Sant'Antonio abate. The altar is flanked by two ogival openings. 
Santa Maria di Costantinopoli- Madonna and Child
  • Church of Our Lady of Constantinople, piazza San Rocco. Inside, above the main altar, it boasts a fresco among the most valuable works of art present in Scanno: a Madonna and Child, sitting on the throne and with a background that imitates gold flowers, which recalls the Sienese art of the fifteenth century. The church was built before 1418 as evidenced by an inscription on the fresco above the altar. In 1708 it underwent a readjustment perhaps due to an earthquake, as evidenced by an inscription on the facade. It was privately owned until 1960 when it was donated to the church of Santa Maria della Valle. The last restoration dates back to 1981.
The interior is a rectangular hall with a barrel vault.
The façade is divided into two fields by a string course. On both sides there are pilasters. The entrance portal is framed by squared stone ashlars and surmounted by a broken pediment. On both sides there are two windows also framed by stone ashlars. 
  • Church of the Madonna delle Grazie, via Roscelli. It takes its name from the homonymous brotherhood. Built in the first half of the 18th century, in the Napoleonic era; closed because it was reduced to bad conditions due to neglect, it was reopened at an unspecified time.
The external walls are marked by stone pilasters, while the façade develops on two levels. The main plant, however, is a hall on a central octagonal body surmounted by a dome and made longitudinal by inserting a presbytery room with a flattened pseudocupola. The unequal sides of the octagon accommodate two shallow chapels and small niches placed along the diagonals; it has stucco decorations of cherubs, frames, volutes especially on the high altar.
The minor altar on the left consists of a flat frontal, a cone with two triangular pillars, a 1764 canvas by Andrea Manei depicting San Francesco di Paola and a broken tympanum; on the right altar there is a painting by Domenico Raimondi depicting San Giuseppe Calasanzio founder of the congregation of the Piarists.
On the main altar there is the statue of the Madonna delle Grazie coming from the old church of Via Silla, transported here after the transfer in 1907 of the brotherhood of the same name. On this occasion the painting of the Circumcision dating back to the 18th century was removed to make way for that of the Virgin.
The vault is gilded and frescoed. 
  • Church of the Annunziata (Madonna del Lago). It is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Scanno. It is accessed from the Samnite state road 479, which passes under the church, via two flights of stairs that branch off from the two entrances to the small gallery. It was built between 1697 and 1702 on the place where there was an image of the Madonna indicated as miraculous.
The ancient statue of the Madonna was stolen in 1979; it was replaced the following year by a copy.
The church has a square plan with rounded corners surmounted by a dome. Next to the building there is a room formerly used as a hermitage. The interior is in its current form after various restorations: in 1903 the altar was replaced with a new one in Venetian neo-Gothic style. Then it was decided to standardize the style throughout the interior. The east wall has no wall as it rests on the rough and unworked rock. On the corners of the church, at the top, there are trompe l'œil drawings to look like statues of prophets. On the north and south walls there are 2 oil paintings relating biblical facts. The paintings inside are from 1911; the wooden doors were made by carvers from Capestrano. From the small churchyard there is a belvedere on Lake Scanno. 
  • Church of the Alpini. It is located in Collerotondo, near the ski resorts. It can only be reached via the chairlift or via the parallel path. It is characterized by a Swiss chalet structure with a strongly sloping roof. 
  • Church of San Liborio. Although privately owned, the church festival is celebrated every July 23rd. It is 3 km from Scanno on the SS 479 Sannitica towards Passo Godi - Villetta Barrea]. 
  • Church of San Lorenzo in Iovana. Built in Jovana, it is celebrated on 10 August. Of the ancient Jovana only the small church remains, restored and reopened to the public in 1952 
Lake of Scanno
  • 2 Lake of Scanno. The lake, located at an average altitude of 922 meters a.s.l. and surrounded by some peaks of the Marsicani Mountains such as the Montagna Grande and Monte Genzana, it has very reduced coasts and for some very short stretches they have been adapted for the reception of bathers, forming artificial beaches of pebbles. It is located halfway between Villalago and Scanno, and is the largest natural lake in the region. From some views it appears in the shape of a heart, such as from the viewpoint of Frattura Nuova, not far from the huge landslide of Mount Rava that generated the lake by blocking the Sagittario valley.
The hygrophilous vegetation of the lake is lacking in species. There are no floristic entities of great naturalistic importance and the plant landscape is very poor along the entire coastal stretch, also due to the steep uniformity of the banks and the absence of a stable emissary, in fact in the areas closest to the lake there is no they are neither swamps nor peat bogs.
Among the mammals you can admire the Apennine wolves, Marsican bears and red foxes. The poultry fauna is mainly composed of mallards and other wild ducks, European coots, peregrine falcons, marsh harriers, tawny owls, owls, goshawks, eagles, as well as numerous other species, especially passerines. The fish fauna is mainly composed of king perch, trout, whitefish, catfish and pike. The presence of eels and the rare tiger turtle (Emys orbicularis) should be noted. Lake of Scanno on Wikipedia Scanno lake (Q1072254) on Wikidata 
Church of Santa Maria del Lago
  • 3 Church of the Madonna del Lago (Sanctuary of the Annunziata). It is located at the southwestern shore of the lake. It is accessed from the Samnite state road 479, which passes under the church, 2 flights of stairs branch off from the 2 entrances of the small gallery under the church, giving access to it.
The building has been extended and renovated several times; the Lords who ran the University of Scanno made a request on 10 September 1697 to Monsignor G. Carducci for permission to build a church where there was an image of the Madonna, who, according to local folklore, performed miracles. It was consecrated in 1702 in honor of the Annunciation.
In ancient times the entrance was placed on the eastern facade preceded by a five-arched portico. In 1870-71, when the carriage road had to be built, the portico was demolished and the entrance moved to the facade facing the lake; during the works the two access ramps to the church were built.
The statue of the Madonna is a copy made after the theft of the original.
The church has a square plan with rounded corners and is covered by a dome; next to it there is a room formerly used as a hermitage.
The interior is in its present form after various restorations: in 1903 the altar was replaced with a new one in Venetian neo-Gothic style. Then it was decided to standardize the style throughout the interior.
The east wall has no wall as it rests on the rough and unworked rock. On the corners of the church, at the top, there are trompe l'œil drawings to look like statues of biblical prophets. On the north and south walls there are 2 oil paintings relating biblical facts. The paintings inside are from 1911 and the wooden doors were made by carvers from Capestrano.
The small churchyard is a belvedere on the lake. Church of the Madonna del Lago on Wikipedia church of the Madonna del Lago (Q3668944) on Wikidata 
The hermitage of Sant'Egidio
  • 4 Hermitage of Sant'Egidio. Located on the hill of the same name, between Scanno and the lake, it was built in the early seventeenth century in rural Romanesque style. It is mentioned as a hermitage in a document relating to the pastoral visit of 1612. Sant'Egidio was venerated as a protector against the plague, in particular that of 1656; since then every year a solemn procession has been celebrated to the hermitage.
The main facade is made of exposed square stone. The entrance is preceded by a porch with a lowered barrel vault, surmounted by an oculus window framed by a molded stone. In the single lancet window at the top right there was most likely a bell.
The quadrangular-shaped interior with a single nave, covered by a barrel vault with a lowered arch, has a simple altar leaning against the wall of the apse. Above the altar a fresco of Sant'Egidio made by masters of the Neapolitan school in 1796.
The church was restored in 1780. Hermitage of Sant'Egidio on Wikipedia hermitage of Sant'Egidio (Q3731359) on Wikidata 
  • Rienz Palace. originally the seat of the University (Town Hall) of Scanno, it was inhabited by the feudal lords who had the title of princes. 
  • De Angelis Palace, Strada Ciorla 3. Of exquisite workmanship are the decorations with the De Angelis coat of arms around the portal. 
  • Moscow Palace. Characteristic of this palace are the decorations under the eaves, with dancing cherubs and seraphim. The main facade is Baroque. 
  • Houses Roncone. They have a characteristic three-light window and an underpass arch. 
  • Serafini-Ciancarelli Palace, Piazza San Giovanni. It has undergone several transformations over the centuries; it has two floors, while the main building has four floors. Relevant are the balconies. 
  • . 
  • Castellaro. It is one of the largest buildings in Scanno, and is located in the district of the same name; in Baroque-Romanesque style, it has a characteristic T shape. 
  • Colarossi Palace (Casina; other Palazzo di Rienzo), via Silla 3. The façade is enlivened by gates, windows, balconies and mezzanine windows, the portal has a rectilinear termination and cushion ashlar. The pediment of the windows is broken. The crowning is with zoomorphic shelves with references to fishermen's stylistic features. 
  • Tanturri house, Via De Angelis. It has a fine three-light window on the top floor, a cherub on the side facade and straight-cut windows with jambs; particular is the perhaps apotropaic mask of Via De Angelis. 
  • Antonio Silla House, Via Calata Sarracco. It has an imposing portal with a base capable of supporting the balcony above. The arch of the portal is round arch whose transom is surmounted by a mask aligned with the key. 
  • Palazzetto Nardillo, Via Porta Sant'Antonio 18. It has a fine cornice, a baroque portal with a curved transom. One window consists of a gable with a shell motif. The loopholes converging towards the entrance are a deterrent against malicious people and a current reason of tourist interest. 
Ruins of Old Fracture
  • 5 Ruins of Fracture. On 13 January 1915 the Marsica earthquake caused extensive destruction in the hamlet of Frattura Vecchia. The reasons for this can be attributed to the effects of the site: the old town was located near the detachment niche of the Pleistocene landslide which caused the damming of the River Tasso and the formation of the lake of Scanno. In fact, during an earthquake, the presence of loose material, such as that resulting from a landslide, leads to amplify the seismic wave, causing greater damage to buildings than those placed on rocky ground. In fact, the neighboring countries, according to what is reported by the INGV macroseismic catalogs, suffered minor damage.
At the time of the earthquake the residents were about 350 people, as many as 120 were the victims (almost the entire population) mostly women and children, as the men were emigrants in Puglia and in United States of America. Remains of the original nucleus remain of the ancient inhabited area. However, some houses have been renovated, the village is reached by water and electricity supplies and a tourist use is planned.
The center was rebuilt between 1932 and 1936 on another spur of Mount Rava, but slightly closer to the municipal capital. The present country has fewer than 50 inhabitants. Fracture (Scanno) on Wikipedia Fracture (Q2799135) on Wikidata 


Events and parties

  • Ju Catenacce. Simple icon time.svgon August 14. Re-enactment of the Scanno wedding in traditional Scanno costume. 
  • Torchlight procession. Simple icon time.svgon August 24. sort of fireworks on the lake of Scanno. Since the end of the 2000s, the torchlight procession takes place on the evening of 24 August for technical and organizational reasons, instead of on 16 August as before. 
  • Literary Saturdays, Via degli Alpini / Via del Lago. At a café located between Via degli Alpini and Via del Lago, the "literary Saturdays" are held in August, a sort of cultural theme conferences. 
  • Feast of the Chezette. Simple icon time.svgon January 5. In conjunction with the Befana (on the eve, on January 5), the town hosts the feast of the Chezette, which in the Scannese dialect means "socks", a party for young people who sing a serenade with the most disparate instruments in the streets of the town under the windows of the girls until girls give them very succulent food. 
  • Sant 'Antonio. Simple icon time.svgon January 17. The religious feast of Sant'Antonio abate is celebrated 
  • Good Friday. On Good Friday the Passion is celebrated with a procession, on this occasion a Miserere is performed. 
  • Madonna del Lago. Simple icon time.svgApril 30th or May 1st. A procession carries the statue of the Madonna del Lago to the parish church where it is hosted for the whole month. 
  • Feast of St. Anthony of Padua. Simple icon time.svgThe Sunday after June 13th. The festival includes a procession of beams on Saturday and a procession of loaves on Sunday. 
  • Feast of Our Lady of Grace. Simple icon time.svgThe first Sunday of July. 
  • Pilgrimage of San Gerardo. Simple icon time.svgAugust 10. A pilgrimage is made to Gallinaro for the cult of St. Gerard the Confessor. In ancient times it was done on foot, but today all sorts of means are used. 
  • Feast of the Madonna del Carmine. Simple icon time.svgThe Sunday closest to July 16th. 
  • Summer events. Simple icon time.svgFrom July to September. During the summer, concerts of jazz and Afro-Cuban music, open-air cinema, children's theater, recitals with gospel songs and spirituals are organized around the characteristic squares and streets of the historic center. 
  • Patronal feast of Sant'Eustachio. Simple icon time.svgSeptember 20. 
  • Scanno Award. Simple icon time.svgin September. Literary prize with various categories - entitled (from the year of his death) to its creator and creator, the journalist Riccardo Tanturri. 
  • Glories of San Martino. Simple icon time.svgNovember 10. The glories of San Martino. 
  • Christmas time. On the occasion of the Christmas holidays there is a live nativity scene in traditional local clothes and on New Year's Eve a night torchlight procession organized by the ski school. 
  • Photographers' bench. International Photography Award. 


What to do


Shopping


How to have fun


Where to eat

Restaurants

Pizzerias

Trattorias

  • 12 On the lake, Via Circumlacuale, ☎ 39 0864 747296. 
  • 13 The Chimney, Via Case Nuove (a Fracture), ☎ 39 0864 747024. - 


Where stay

Moderate prices

  • 1 Belvedere Hotel, Piazza Santa Maria della Valle 3, ☎ 39 0864 74314. Two stars 

Average prices

Bed & Breakfast

Farmhouses

Hotels and hotels


Safety

Italian traffic signs - pharmacy icon.svgPharmacy


How to keep in touch

Post office



Around


Other projects

  • Collaborate on WikipediaWikipedia contains an entry concerning Scanno
  • Collaborate on CommonsCommons contains images or other files on Scanno
1-4 star.svgDraft : the article respects the standard template contains useful information for a tourist and gives brief information on the tourist destination. Header and footer are correctly filled out.