What is Campli known for?

Twenty-eight olive-wood steps with plenary indulgence granted by Pope Clement XIV, built in 1776, climbed on the knees by pilgrims. Porchetta tradition documented in Roman decuriones, codified in the 1575 municipal statutes; the August sagra has run since 1964. Held by the Farnese from 1538 to 1734, brought as dowry by Margherita d'Austria when she married Ottavio Farnese.

When is the best time to visit Campli?

Apr–Oct. April through October is when Campli works best. Spring is when the hills around the centro storico turn green and the Scala Santa fills with Easter pilgrims. May and September are the most reliable months for the historic core. The Sagra della Porchetta Italica, in the second half of August, doubles the population for the weekend. July is hot in the lower town but the Monti della Laga behind keep evening temperatures down. November through March is quiet, with the Scala Santa closed except for Lent and Holy Week services. The town stays open year-round, but the museums shorten their hours.

Campli is a comune in the province of Teramo, Abruzzo region of Italy, about 63 kilometers from Pescara.

How do I get to Campli?

From Pescara, Campli is roughly 63 km by road.

Abruzzo · Teramo

Campli

A 393-meter town under the Monti della Laga, held by the Farnese for two centuries, with a Scala Santa carrying papal indulgence.

Known for

SCALA SANTA
Twenty-eight olive-wood steps with plenary indulgence granted by Pope Clement XIV, built in 1776, climbed on the knees by pilgrims.
PORCHETTA ITALICA
Porchetta tradition documented in Roman decuriones, codified in the 1575 municipal statutes; the August sagra has run since 1964.
FARNESE FIEF
Held by the Farnese from 1538 to 1734, brought as dowry by Margherita d'Austria when she married Ottavio Farnese.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

Why come

Campli sits under the Monti della Laga, on a triangle of land between the Siccagno and Fiumicino streams, a few kilometres from Teramo. It was a fief of the Farnese family from 1538 to 1734, brought as dowry by Margherita d'Austria, natural daughter of Charles V, when she married Ottavio Farnese. Pope Clement XIV granted the town the privilege of plenary indulgence to those climbing the Scala Santa in prayer, the same privilege held by the staircase at San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome.

Campli's Scala Santa was built in 1776 next to the Church of San Paolo, twenty-eight steps in olive wood leading to a Sancta Sanctorum chapel; pilgrims still climb it on their knees. The Collegiate Church of Santa Maria in Platea has a 14th-century carved wooden ceiling and a Romanesque bell tower. The Palazzo Farnese (Palazzo del Parlamento) anchors the main square with a portico. Campli is also the home of the Sagra della Porchetta Italica, a porchetta tradition documented in the Roman decuriones and codified in the 1575 municipal statutes signed by Margherita d'Austria.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Campli’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

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What to see

Scala Santa
Twenty-eight olive-wood steps next to the Church of San Paolo, built in 1776, granted plenary indulgence by Pope Clement XIV, climbed on the knees.
Collegiata di Santa Maria in Platea
14th-century collegiate church with a carved wooden ceiling, Romanesque bell tower, and frescoes from the Farnese period.
Palazzo Farnese (Palazzo del Parlamento)
Renaissance palazzo on the main square with magnificent portico, seat of the city government during two centuries of Farnese rule.
Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi
Franciscan church with adjoining cloister, founded in the 13th century, with frescoed chapels and a museum of religious art.
Casa dei Massei e Casa dello Speziale
Late-medieval and Renaissance houses in the centro storico, the Speziale once an apothecary, preserved as examples of urban Farnese-era architecture.
Necropoli di Campovalano
Italic necropolis at a frazione of Campli, with thousands of tombs from the 11th century BC to Roman times, finds in the National Archaeological Museum.

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Living here

Population 6,560
Commuter belti
Pharmacy in town
High school within a 30-minute drive
Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 1 h 45 min drive
Regional capital L'Aquila, 58 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

Elevation: 393 m
Population: 6,560
Surface area: 73.43 km²

On the map

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These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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