What is Castelvecchio Subequo known for?

Convent founded 1221-1261 on land Francis himself was given, with frescoes of his life and a relic of his stigmata blood. Roman municipal town of the Paeligni mentioned by Pliny, with 4th-century Christian catacombs cut into the rock. Sits at the foot of the 2,348-meter Monte Sirente, inside the boundaries of the Sirente-Velino regional park.

Where is Castelvecchio Subequo?

Castelvecchio Subequo is a comune in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo region of Italy, about 82 kilometers from Pescara.

Abruzzo · L'Aquila

Castelvecchio Subequo

under Monte Sirente, the Roman Superaequum and Franciscan station where the saint himself built a convent between 1221 and 1261.

82 km / 51 mi

Nearest hub (Pescara)

832

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Borghi Autentici

Why come

Castelvecchio Subequo sitson a rocky spur of Monte Putano, at the foot of Monte Sirente in the Subequana valley. It stands on the site of Roman Superaequum, a municipal town of the Paeligni mentioned by Pliny, and was called Onuffolo under the Lombards before returning to its Latin name under the Normans. A 4th-century Christian catacomb cemetery, among the oldest in Abruzzo, was cut into the rock here. Saint Francis of Assisi passed through between 1216 and 1222, and the Counts of Celano donated him a small church around which the Convento di San Francesco was built between 1221 and 1261, a national monument since 1902 with Giottesque 14th-century frescoes of his life. Pope Celestine V stayed in 1294. The village is widely called the little Assisi of Abruzzo. The convent still holds a 14th-century crystal reliquary said to contain blood from Francis's stigmata.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Castelvecchio Subequo fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

Gallery

5 photos · scroll →

Known for

Convento di San Francesco
Franciscan church and convent founded 1221-1261 on land donated to Saint Francis by the Counts of Celano, with Giottesque frescoes.
Museo d'Arte Sacra
Convent museum holding reliquaries, the 1403 altar cross, and the silver Pasquarella sculpture donated by the Counts of Celano.
Catacombe paleocristiane
Fourth-century Christian catacomb cemetery cut into the rock, among the earliest evidence of Christianity in Abruzzo.
Resti del castello medievale
Ruins of the original Castelvetere fortification on the upper rocky spur, source of the modern town name meaning old castle.
Monte Sirente
2,348-meter limestone massif rising behind the village, the dominant peak of the Sirente-Velino regional park.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through October is the strong stretch for Castelvecchio Subequo. The Subequana valley warms early, the convent runs visiting hours through the high season, and the trails up Monte Sirente clear of snow by late May. July and August are hot in the valley and the village empties between three and six in the afternoon. September and October are the gold months for walking, with the Sirente catching the first dustings of snow late in the month. November through March is quiet. The convent stays open but on reduced hours, and the Terni-Sulmona railway runs through with a handful of trains each day.