Abruzzo · Pescara
Penne
The brick city between the Tavo and Fino, ancient capital of the Vestini, rebuilt after Allied bombing and awarded the Silver Medal of Civic Merit.
Known for
CITTÀ DEL MATTONE
Streets, palazzi and pavements built almost entirely in red brick, the tone that earned the nickname the small Siena.
SILVER MEDAL
Awarded the Silver Medal of Civic Merit in 2006 for civilian sacrifices during heavy Allied bombing in the Second World War.
VESTIAN CAPITAL
Capital of the Vestini Italic people from at least 300 BC, defeated by Rome in the Social War around 89 BC.
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
The festa: Massimo d'Aveia, 7 May
Why come
Penne sits on four hills between the Tavo and Fino rivers, twenty-five kilometers from the Adriatic. Of pre-Roman origin, the town was the capital of the Vestini Italic people no later than 300 BC; in around 89 BC the Vestini and other Italic tribes were defeated by Rome in the Social War. The historic centre is built almost entirely of red brick.
Streets, palazzi, churches and pavements all share the same warm tone, which earned Penne the nickname Città del Mattone, the City of Bricks, and the literary tag the small Siena. The Duomo, dedicated to Saint Massimo of Aveia, stands on a tenth-century crypt; its terracotta façade was rebuilt after the war, but the crypt, the portal, the thirteenth-century rose window and the fifteenth-century bell tower belong to the original Romanesque-Gothic phase. Allied bombing levelled large parts of the town in the Second World War, and in 2006 Penne received the Silver Medal of Civic Merit for what its civilians suffered.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Penne’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
Duomo (Cattedrale di San Massimo)
Concathedral of the Pescara-Penne archdiocese built over a tenth-century crypt, with a thirteenth-century rose window and fifteenth-century bell tower.
Museo Diocesano
Diocese museum inside the Duomo complex, holding liturgical objects, paintings and sculpture from across the Pescara-Penne network.
Chiesa di Santa Maria in Colleromano
Twelfth-century church outside the historic core, one of the earliest religious buildings preserved in the Penne territory.
Chiesa di Sant'Agostino
Augustinian church with a notable historic bell-tower, on the main brick artery of the centro storico.
Centro storico in mattoni
Streets, houses and pavements all in red brick, the continuous warm tone that earned Penne the nickname Città del Mattone.
Chiesa di San Domenico
Dominican church on the higher ridge of the centro storico, with a brick façade and a Baroque interior rebuilt after war damage.
The slow-trip planner
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Living here
- Population 11,165
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 2 h 15 min drive
- Regional capital L'Aquila, 1 h 31 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
The numbers
- Elevation: 438 m
- Population: 11,165
- Surface area: 91.2 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
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