Borgorose

What to see?

The religious architecture in the municipal area is particularly fascinating. The parish church of St. Anastasia was built in the 18th century on old walls probably erected by the Romans. The rose window and the portal visible on the façade come from the ancient Benedictine monastery of San Giovanni in Leopardis, a nearby abbey dating back to the year 1000, that still retains a five aisled crypt. The hamlet of Sant’ Anatolia is famous for the homonymous Sanctuary, built in 1877 and representing an important destination for the pilgrims who venerate the Saint. Another important place of worship is the Church of San Martino in Torano, erected in the 12th century following the Abruzzi Gothic style. Originally named Pieve (“Plebs Sancti Martini de Torano”) in the papal bull of Lucio III in 1182, it belonged to the Benedictine monks and was restored to its former glory thanks to the renovation carried out between 1990 and 2000. The hamlet of Corvaro is the most populous in the municipality of Borgorose. Of the original ancient village, only some ruins of the castle and the church of Santa Maria ad Nives remain. Like the rest of the surrounding area, Corvaro was violently struck by the earthquake of Avezzano in 1915, but some houses still preserve their stone portals of great value. On the eastern outskirts of the town stands the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, an impressive church for some archaeologists who have also hypothesized that this may have been, in ancient times, a Roman villa. The Cicolano Archaeological Museum, opened after the discovery of the funerary monument called “Montariolo” shows numerous remains belonging to the ancient populations of the Equicoli that are considered a heritage of the whole territory of the Valle del Salto. The Church of San Francesco Vecchio is particularly significant for its history since, according to tradition, it would be the eighth convent founded by St. Francis of Assisi, who spent a short period of his life in this place. The structure was abandoned after 1250 and replaced, in 1300, by the new Church of Saint Francis, restored following the disastrous earthquake of 1915. The seismic event caused the definitive loss of the convent, while the religious building underwent an extensive restoration and vault reconstruction in 1927-28. The territory of Borgorose also includes the small lake of Duchessa, situated at 1,888 meters above sea level. The basin, characterized by a meteoric origin, extends for 400 m. in length and 150 in width, and is the ideal attraction for hikers and lovers of peace and silence that surround this natural area.