Abruzzo · Teramo
Controguerra
A 267-meter Val Vibrata wine village, seat of the Controguerra DOC since 1996, and a founding Cittaslow of the Teramo hills.
Known for
CONTROGUERRA DOC
DOC since 1996, Montepulciano-based reds and Trebbiano-Passerina whites across forty hectares in five Val Vibrata communes.
OLIVE OIL
Extra-virgin oil from slopes alongside the DOC vineyards, on the Città dell'Olio route through the Teramo valleys.
CITTASLOW
Member of the Cittaslow network for slow-food and slow-life governance, the only Cittaslow in the upper Val Vibrata.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Why come
Controguerra sits in the Val Vibrata, fifteen kilometers from the Adriatic coast at the northern edge of Abruzzo. The Controguerra DOC, established in 1996 after the persistent work of a few growers, covers around forty hectares spread across five communes (Controguerra, Torano Nuovo, Ancarano, Corropoli and Colonnella) at the elbow between the Tronto and the sea. The reds are predominantly Montepulciano, at least sixty percent, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon permitted up to fifteen percent.
The whites are sixty percent Trebbiano with at least fifteen percent Passerina. The spumante carries Trebbiano against Chardonnay, Verdicchio and Pecorino. The town carries both Città del Vino and Città dell'Olio designations and joined the Cittaslow network with its slow-food charter for the centro storico. Olive groves and vineyards mix on the same slopes, and many cellars open for tastings by appointment.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Controguerra’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
Centro storico
Small hilltop medieval centre on a ridge above the Vibrata valley, with brick palazzi and the parish church on the central piazza.
Chiesa di San Salvatore
Parish church on the main piazza, the religious anchor of the medieval ridge village, with a rebuilt eighteenth-century interior.
Cantine del Controguerra DOC
Family cellars producing the Controguerra DOC since 1996, with Montepulciano-based reds, Trebbiano-Passerina whites and Pecorino spumante.
Val Vibrata vineyards
Vineyards and olive groves on slopes between 200 and 400 meters, the basis for both the DOC wine and Città dell'Olio designations.
The slow-trip planner
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Living here
- Population 2,192
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 1 h 24 min drive
- Regional capital L'Aquila, 1 h 15 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 267 m
- Population: 2,192
- Surface area: 22.82 km²
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.
Close by
More towns near Controguerra
Alba Adriatica
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The northernmost of the Teramo coast's seven sisters, a 1956 spin-off from Tortoreto with a fine-sand beach known as the Spiaggia d'Argento.
Monteprandone
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A hilltop borgo at 266 meters above the lower Tronto valley, birthplace of San Giacomo della Marca and home to his fifteenth-century convent library.
Civitella del Tronto
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A rocky crest at 589 meters above the Tronto valley, crowned by the last Bourbon fortress to surrender to united Italy in March 1861.
Acquaviva Picena
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A walled hill borgo at 359 meters six kilometers from the Adriatic, anchored by a Baccio Pontelli fortress and the surviving pajarola craft.
Ascoli Piceno
Province: Ascoli Piceno
The travertine city at 154 meters where the Tronto meets the Castellano, capital of the Piceni and host of the Quintana joust.
🐌 Cittaslow
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