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Territory

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Discovering Cortino and the Hamlet of Padula

The territory of the Municipality of Cortino, set in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, represents a precious treasure chest of history, nature and traditions in the heart of mountainous Abruzzo.

Monti della Laga Park

Thanks to its favourable location and high altitudes, the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park has a high biological richness, in fact it is home to about 2300 species species and more than one third of the Italian floristic heritage, making it one of the European and European and Mediterranean areas with the greatest number of endemic entities, including for example the extremely rare edelweiss of the Apennines. The Park is also an immense resource of handicrafts, typical products, food and wine and folklore. Established in 1995, it is among the largest in Italy. The park is divided into two easily identifiable sections: the Gran Sasso chain further south, formed by limestone and dolomite that give the massif an Alpine appearance, with vertical, rocky walls, and, moving northwards, the Monti della Laga and Monti Gemelli, with a rounded profile, made up of sandstones and marls that allow water to flow on the surface, forming a small Eden of streams and waterfalls. The Laga chain, about 30 km long, constitutes the highest sandstone relief of the Apennine ridge, with no fewer than 10 peaks over 2,000 metres in altitude, culminating in the majestic Monte Laga. peak with the majestic Mount Gorzano (2,456 m). In the Park territory, thanks to the diversity of environments, lives a very rich fauna represented mainly by the deer, the roe deer and their natural predator, the wolf, which has recently definitively established thanks also to the presence of numerous Wild Boars, and which represents a fundamental element in the reconstitution of the ecological balance. Common are also the Badger, the Porcupine, the Fox, many rodents and the Hare, which also lives on the high-altitude grasslands. Biogeographical interest is also confirmed by the presence of the Orsini Viper, which lives in the grasslands, and the Snow vole, a rodent of high altitude environments, which came down from the Alps with the last glaciations and has remained to the present day, bearing witness to the last geological event, which according to some researchers, determined the formation of a subspecific entity in the Laga. In the wetlands we find the Alpine Newt and numerous types of snakes. Among the birds are a few specimens of Golden Eagle that fly over the highest peaks in search of hares and partridges, while, hovering over the grasslands, we find the Pilgrim Falcon, more common and evenly distributed. common and evenly distributed. In the humid fir woods of Cortino and in the Martese Forest one can hear the can be heard the typical call of the extremely rare Mezzanine Woodpecker; the abundance of water abundance of surface water determines greater life possibilities for species typical of mountain streams such as the Dipper and the Yellow Wagtail, easy to observe along the rivers Castellano, Salinello and Tordino; in the shade of the woods, in addition to numerous birds, we also find as many as five species of bats.

Cortino Municipality

Padula, 938 m, in the municipality of Cortino. The drive up the Tordino River Valley, from the city of Teramo, is undoubtedly one of the most pleasant and recommended itineraries to be enjoyed. It is the last stretch in particular that interests visitors, the one in which the valley narrows between Monte Bilanciere and the spurs that descend from Pizzo di Moscio, ending at a small natural basin on which the town of Padula lies. Anyone driving along the stretch of road that climbs the high and narrow valley of the Tordino River cannot escape the unusual sensation of being pleasantly sucked into a natural corridor, which is generated once the verdant mountain barrage that closes the horizon appears above the characteristic sandstone houses. And yet, it is enough to lift one's gaze a little to the left, to realise that it is instead possible to go further on, to reach the last real outpost of the valley, elegantly perched on a rocky spur separating two cool streams: this is the village of Macchiatornella. We are at an altitude of one thousand metres, at the point of greatest convergence of the natural impluvi that descend from the steep slopes of the Laga, within which, limpid and impetuous torrents offer some of the most appreciated postcards of this corner of Abruzzo. The village of Padula is located on the bank of the Tordino river, in an elevated position with beautiful balcony views of it. Even today, the village retains its urban elegance with its typical sandstone houses, skilfully restored, which once housed families as well as animals and which also feature some stone portals with interesting bas-reliefs and inscriptions. Its history is strongly influenced by brigandage, in particular by the bandit Santuccio di Froscia, who in 1683 settled in Padula with his company that managed to escape the soldiers dispersed in the woods. Padula has a long river rich in tree species, flowers, shrubs and plants that offer shelter to numerous types of insects in the warm months. It is an open-air nature laboratory, ideal for bringing children into their first direct contact with nature, the perfect place, quiet and safe, where school groups and youth groups can carry out educational and playful activities

Sanctuary Madonna dei Monti della Laga in Padula

The Sanctuary of the Madonna dei Monti della Laga, also known as the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, is located a short distance from the village of Padula, a hamlet of Cortino. Built in the 15th century and renovated in the 18th, it has a basilica layout with a stone convent cloister. The bell tower, a tower spire, was inspired by the masters of Atri in the 1950s and is similar to the towers of Teramo, Città Sant'Angelo and Cellino Attanasio. The very simple façade has a Gothic portal. The interior, originally with three naves, now presents only the nave with transept and an organ on the counter façade. The interior sides are decorated with marble tiles covering the old masonry with some frescoes still visible. The ceiling is decorated with Renaissance paintings showing the coats of arms of the Acquaviva family. The monumental canopied Baroque altar has a classical temple form, surmounted by the monumental coat-of-arms of the Dukes of Atri, with the Risen Christ in triumph in the centre and two statues of the Assumption and Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows in side niches.

The Padula Mill

Just below the settlement, towering over a cosy picnic area, are the remains of the old mill, which operated from 1600 until 1955. All that remains intact of the old building are the outer walls made of perfectly dressed stone, which give the building a unique appearance of refinement, while the housing of the wheel is just as well worked, demonstrating its importance. The vaulted roof has collapsed on the inside where the old millstone can still be seen, while below the building one can see the water collection channel, the old reservoir for the ’refogge“, with a height of the water fall of up to ten metres. A few hundred metres away, on the river bed, traces of the channel dug into the rock that served to collect the water are still visible. The one in Padula is only the first mill along the Tordino river, of which there were as many as 18 up to Teramo, since each village had its own, which, in addition to grinding wheat, was also used to grind other cereals such as Cecerchia.

Monte Gorzano

Just below the settlement, towering over a cosy picnic area, are the remains of the old mill, which operated from 1600 until 1955. All that remains intact of the old building are the outer walls made of perfectly dressed stone, which give the building a unique appearance of refinement, while the housing of the wheel is just as well worked, demonstrating its importance. The vaulted roof has collapsed on the inside where the old millstone can still be seen, while below the building one can see the water collection channel, the old reservoir for the ’refogge“, with a height of the water fall of up to ten metres. A few hundred metres away, on the river bed, traces of the channel dug into the rock that served to collect the water are still visible. The one in Padula is only the first mill along the Tordino river, of which there were as many as 18 up to Teramo, since each village had its own, which, in addition to grinding wheat, was also used to grind other cereals such as Cecerchia.

Tordino Waterfalls

The river Tordino, called Batinus by the ancients, is 59 km long from the foot of Mount Gorzano where it rises at an altitude of 2,200 m, to the Adriatic Sea where it flows into Cologna Spiaggia. The impermeability of the rocks of the mountains it crosses represents the particular and general character of its entire course where only a few permeable patches are the exceptions. From Mount Gorzano to Teramo, its course stretches over sandy-clayey rocks, with a prevalence of sandstone often alternating with shale or clay layers. It is precisely the impermeability of the rocks that has allowed the existence of numerous jumps, water features and waterfalls that dot the entire course of the river. For decades, the motive power of the Tordino moved as many as 18 grain mills, 2 oil mills, 3 gualchiere and 1 branch mill.

White Fir Nature Trail

The White Fir Nature Trail is one of the most precious and fascinating routes in the entire Cortino area. The path winds through greenery and crosses the uncontaminated landscapes of Mount Bilanciere, offering spectacular views of the Laga mountain range. The Cortino White Fir grove is one of the few spontaneous clusters of white fir remaining in the entire central Apennines and constitutes an environmental peculiarity, being the southernmost in Europe and originating from the Ice Age. It is a cluster of approximately 130 hectares that develops from 800 to 1400 metres, on Mount Bilanciere which overlooks the village of Padula, with specimens reaching 40 metres and 200 years of age, which can be admired by following an easy and comfortable path with several access points.
Ostello Montano
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