What is Corfinio known for?

Capital of the Italic League during the Social War of 91 to 88 BC, where the first coins bearing the name ITALIA were struck. Romanesque cathedral of San Pelino, seat of the medieval diocese of Valva, renovated between 1075 and 1102. Excavated forum and necropolis of the Italic and Roman city that gave the Peligna valley its first urban center.

Corfinio is a comune in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo region of Italy, about 59 kilometers from Pescara.

Abruzzo · L'Aquila

Corfinio

A village of under a thousand on the Peligna valley floor, sitting on the Italic League's would-be capital Italia.

59 km / 37 mi

Nearest hub (Pescara)

970

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Corfinio is a village of fewer than a thousand people on the floor of the Peligna valley, surrounded by the Maiella to the east and the Morrone to the north. Underneath it lies Corfinium, the city the Italic socii chose in 91 BC as the capital of their revolt against Rome. They renamed it Italica, struck silver coins with the legend ITALIA, built a new forum, and were defeated within four years. The Romans demoted the place; the bishopric of Valva eventually replaced it in the Middle Ages. What remains above ground is the Basilica Valvense di San Pelino, an eleventh-century Romanesque church just outside the present village, with a separate twelfth-century oratory of Sant'Alessandro built on the cemetery where Pelino was martyred in the fourth century. The archaeological museum holds the coins and the inscriptions. Corfinio sits inside the Maiella National Park.

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Known for

Basilica Valvense di San Pelino
Eleventh-century Romanesque cathedral renovated by Bishop Trasmondo between 1075 and 1102, one of the finest in Abruzzo.
Oratorio di Sant'Alessandro
Twelfth-century chapel adjoining the basilica, built on the early Christian cemetery where Saint Pelino was martyred in the fourth century.
Area archeologica di Corfinium
Remains of the Italic and Roman city that served as the Social War capital under the name Italica, including forum traces and necropolis.
Museo Archeologico Nazionale Antiquarium
Houses coins, statuary, and inscriptions from Corfinium, including reproductions of the silver denarii stamped ITALIA in 90 BC.
Parco Nazionale della Majella
Corfinio lies inside the park, the trailheads east of the village climb into the Morrone and the western face of the Maiella.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June is when the Peligna valley is at its best, the slopes green and the air still cool enough for archaeological walks. September and October are the second window, with cooler days and grape harvest in the surrounding farms. July and August can push past thirty-five degrees on the valley floor; the basilica stays cool, the open digs do not. November through March is quiet. The basilica is open for mass and on request. Sagra dell'uva, the grape festival, is held in mid-September and draws people from across the valley.