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.
66 km / 41 mi
Nearest hub (Pescara)
2,192
Population
Apr–Oct
Best time to visit
Recognised as
Why come
Controguerra sitsin 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.
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Gallery
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Known for
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.
When to visit
Best months · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
April through October is the working season for vineyards and oil. May and September are the best months for cellar visits, with mild light and the vineyards in full leaf. July and August can climb into the mid-thirties and the centro empties through the hot afternoon. October brings the harvest, both olive and wine, with cellar gates open and the Vibrata valley loud with tractors. November through March is quiet, with the cellars in barrel-aging mode, the olive press running late November, and the small piazza emptying by dusk. The Adriatic fifteen kilometers east keeps winters mild.
How to get there
From Pescara, Controguerra is roughly 66 km by road. Allow about 57–79 minutes depending on traffic and route choice (autostrada vs scenic).
Drive time to the nearest gateway airports
- Ancona / Pescara1h 24m
- Rimini2h 28m
- Rome3h 5m
Elevation 267 m
Reachable by train
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Close by
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