top of page
-
Historical notes
​
​The fortified village of Santa Maria del Ponte retains a simple and bucolic aspect, which gives it a unique identity. It is enclosed by walls with two access doors, both with gothic arches, respectively called "Porta da capo" (or Porta Nord) and "Porta da piedi" (or Porta Sud), and arranged at the vertices of an internal crossing axis. The walls are surrounded by a moat where today a series of vegetable gardens find space.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​​​​
​
.jpeg)
%20Borgo%20Fortificato%20Santa%20Maria.jpg)
The origin of the toponym is not clear. In fact, according to some it would derive from the presence of a bridge on the Aterno river, on whose left bank the village had grown, according to others it would derive from the drawbridges positioned in correspondence of the two access doors to the village and used as a defensive system of the same (on the southern access door, it is possible to observe two parallel slits where once, probably, slid the chains for lifting the drawbridge).
On the surrounding wall you can see a symbol that is still mysterious to this day: the "Merels Board". The architecture of the symbol is simple. It is composed by three squares linked by perpendicular lines with a hole located at the center. The meaning of Merels Board is more complicated. Overtime a debate rose and two main hypothesis are proposed. The first hypothesis states that it represents the board of a game called Filetto in Italy, Nine Men’s Morris in England, Jeu du Moulin in France. The last hypothesis has a historical basis: it could represents the Temple of Jerusalem or have an implicit meaning associated with Christianity. In particular, most scholars believe that this medieval symbol is linked to the presence of Knights Templar.
On the Provincial Road 46 is located the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, on whose left side is the southern access door (a.k.a. Porta da piedi) to the village. The church is in Baroque style, austere on the outside and decorated with stuccos on the inside; a windowed cupola opens above the presbytery area. It is a single nave church with an adjacent sacristy. It has five altars, of which the main altar is surmounted by an oil on canvas altarpiece depicting Madonna delle Grazie (18th century). It hosts statues of Saints (i.e., St. Pancrazio Martire, Madonna Addolorata, St. Vincenzo Ferreri).
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Memory of an important past is the Benedictine Church of Santa Maria Assunta, which is also known as Santa Maria del Ponte due to its proximity to the homonymous village. The Church was built in the 12th century probably by the Templers and expanded in the following centuries. With five bays and divided into three naves, the Church preserves precious frescoes inside, as well as:
- the terracotta "Nativity scene" (15th-16th centuries) by the Abruzzian artist Saturnino Gatti, who probably trained in Florence in Verrocchio's workshop;
- the "Saint Anthony Abbot" (1512), another masterpiece by Saturnino Gatti, whose figure is constructed from several juxtaposed blocks of clay. The terracotta sculpture reveals all the training Gatti acquired alongside goldsmith Giacomo Di Paolo, his son Silvestro dell'Aquila, and masters Giovanni di Biasiuccio and Sebastiano di Cola da Cosentino; and
- "The Beffi Triptych" (The Madonna and Child with scenes from life of Christ and the Virgin), tempera on panel, early 15th century, by the Master of Beffi;
today, they are all exhibited at the National Museum of Abruzzo - MuNDA of L 'Aquila.
One of the beauties of Santa Maria del Ponte is the medieval Fountain. In the past, women used to queue up to draw water with "conche" that they carried balanced on their heads by using a dishcloth, and the "piloni" were used for cattle watering and for washing clothes.
Among the characteristic elements of the village, we include "l'Aja", which is the most important place both for emotional reasons and for it being the main meeting point. It is a large 'spontaneous' green lawn surrounded by benches, with a small baby-park and a drinking fountain, where the sense of healthy freedom is tangible.
​Santa Maria del Ponte proudly boasts the birthplace of Giovanni 'Titta' Rosa, a writer who was forced to emigrate like so many others, yet he maintained a vivid memory and a strong bond with his land. In fact, the Sirente Mountain, the Aterno River, the peasant world, the stories of his childhood, the Abruzzo mountains are the backdrop to his poems and narrations. The house where he was born is located in rione "La Valle", and he is buried in the cemetery of his native village. Titta Rosa, together with Massimo Lelj (1888-1962), embellishes the Italian literary tradition of the 20th century, bringing prestige to the Subequana Valley. ​​​
-
There are places where devotion, folklore and community spirit meet, keeping a centuries-old history alive ...
​Just outside the village, on the slopes of Monte di Prato Castellano, there is the country Church of St. Pancrazio Martire built in the 16th century. With a rectangular plan and a single nave, it preserves the original altar, three ancient frescoes and the breviucci. The earth on which the sanctuary stands is considered miraculous for healing from fever and disease. In fact, it was used to make "breviucci" - white cloth sacks filled with blessed earth which were taken to the homes of the ill. Once healed, the breviucci were returned to the St. Pancrazio's Church and exposed to the admiration of the faithful for the perpetuation of the cult. Every year, on May 12, devotees go to church, attend mass and consume the blessed sandwiches together. On the first Sunday in August, accompanied by the musical band, a great Feast takes place with a solemn procession in honor of this Patron Saint. Leaving from the village, the church can be easily reached on foot in half an hour.​
From the church of St. Pancrazio the country road continues to reach Fonte Castello, a spring that gives its name to the surrounding area, and La Crocetta, a glade where the inhabitants of Santa Maria del Ponte have put an iron cross directly visible from the village.
Surrounded by nature, and 700 meters far from the village, there is the Church of St. Lucia. It consists of a rectangular plan and a single nave. The stone in Latin on the church's facade is trace of ancient Roman civilization. The Church was used as a cemetery from 1804 - emanation of Napoleon's Edict of Saint Cloud (Décret Impérial sur les Sépultures) - to 1913. The presence of this small church recalls the agro-pastoral past of this geographic zone: the building represented for the inhabitants both a place of worship and a shelter in case of bad weather. In 20 minutes you can reach on foot the church: from there, you can have a suggestive view over the Subequana Valley and you can admire the grandeur of Sirente Mountain. The church has been recently renovated and is now a pilgrimage destination, which takes place annually every August, as well as a picnic spot.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Furthermore, on the second Sunday after Easter, the Feast of the Madonna Addolorata is celebrated, which is also known as "Madonna della Cicoriella" due to the custom of food linked to her cult. Chicory, a bitter-tasting herb that symbolizes the Madonna's pains, is the indispensable ingredient of the traditional broth with chicory.​​
Procession takes place through the streets of the village, in which both the officiant and the faithful participate. Along the small road leading from the historic center to rione La Valle, don't forget to look up the stone votive aedicule (“La Madunnella”) with a fresco depicting the Madonna Addolorata holding the lifeless body of Christ in her arms.
On 5 April is the Feast of Saint Vincent Ferreri. Mass is usually celebrated, followed by a procession in honour of the Saint around the outer perimeter of the village with the blessing of the fields.
Vincent Ferreri, a Dominican friar born in Valencia in 1350, worked hard to reconcile the Western Schism and to convene a council for this purpose - the council was convened in Constance in 1417, where Pope Martin V was elected and Christianity was reunited under one guide. In 1455 he was made Saint by Pope Calixtus III.
-
St. Anthony the Abbot, tradition between fire and blessing ...
The Feast of Saint Anthony the Abbot (also known as Anthony of the Desert), which is celebrated on January 17, opens the Carnival and trough the rite of the lighting of large bonfires (as a symbol of purification but also of the Saint’s victory over the devil, temptation and hell) perpetuates an ancient tradition that has its origin in the agro-pastoral world. In Santa Maria del Ponte, in olden times, the fire was lit and pets, livestock, the farmer work were blessed; today, the presence of symbolic elements such as the solstitial fire, the lyrics, any theatrical representations and the tasting of good dishes make this feast a pleasant opportunity for getting together. Keeping alive this tradition that has been handed down since Middle Ages is very valuable; in other villages, the memory of this custom has been unfortunately lost.
-
The Confraternita "Madonna del Suffragio"
The presence of the Confraternita Madonna del Suffragio ("Confraternity of Our Lady of Suffrage") is a manifestation of the great faith and spirituality existing in Santa Maria del Ponte. It was established in 1741 and officially recognised by the Diocese of L'Aquila in 1749. In 1777 it also obtained the approval of the 'Chapters' from the Sovereign of the Kingdom of Naples, King Ferdinand IV. In 1934, following the provisions of the Lateran Pacts of 1929, the Confraternita was recognised as a legal entity by Royal Decree No. 933. The Confraternita is mentioned in the history of the Collegiate Church, inside which, on the right-hand side, its oratory still exists. It worked on the restoration of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie after the violent fire it suffered in 1906.
In public events, the Brothers and Sisters wear symbols, also known as "paludamenti", such as cloak and coat of arms. The blue cloak is a reminder of Baptism and represents the cancellation of social class differences. Applied to the cloak, on the heart side, is the coat of arms, the "signum", i.e. the imprint, of the Confraternita Madonna del Suffragio:
-
In the footsteps of Pope Celestine V
​
Just outside the village, along the Aterno river, appear The Roman Bridge with its stones, to tell - staying there - the ancient stories that have inhabited these places, and the Wayside Shrine of the "Madonna della Cona" with a lot of green all around. This is the same path that Pietro da Morrone walked, seated on the saddle of a donkey, in August 1294, leaving from the retreat of Hermitage of Sant'Onofrio al Morrone to reach L'Aquila, where he would be crowned Pope in the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio with the name of Celestine V, instituting The Celestinian Forgiveness (the so-called First Jubilee of history).
​
-
Trekking and hiking
​
The possibilities are numerous for those who love the thrill of the mountain peak, but also for those looking for a pleasant and relaxing walk through valleys and mountains to discover the enchanting natural scenery in the Sirente Velino Regional Natural Park. From the trails of Arano Valley to the more complicated ascent of Monte Velino, from the trails in the Sirente beech woods to the more cultural excursions among the small and silent villages, to the rediscovery of the Abruzzese Transhumance - which is UNESCO Intangible Heritage since 2019 - with “le Pagliare” (typical rural mountain villages), there are numerous safe and well-marked paths, organized for both horseback riding and mountain biking and hiking, as well as a good number of rest areas with drinking fountains and equipped refuges for those interested in an outdoor excursion.​
​
-
From Santa Maria del Ponte to Milan ... Giovanni “Titta” Rosa​​​
​
Giovanni Battista Rosa, better known under the pseudonym of Giovanni “Titta” Rosa, was born in Santa Maria del Ponte on March 5, 1891 and died in Milan on January 7, 1972. He represents a figure of great importance in the Italian literature of the twentieth century.
Essayist, storyteller, journalist, poet, art and literary critic, the illustrious Titta Rosa was the author of many works. His famous pieces include: "Sole di Lombardia", "Le luci a Milano", "Aria di Casa Manzoni", and "Il nostro Manzoni". In 1931, he obtained the "Bagutta Prize", thanks to the collection of short stories titled "Il Varco del Muro". The Abruzzesi roots of our intellectual author re-emerge in his works such as, "L'Avellano", "I giorni della mia terra" and "Cinque Abruzzesi e alcuni paesi d'Abruzzo". Titta Rosa was influenced by Pascoli, Teocrito, Orazio. In his works, we note the closeness with Leopardi and with another great Abruzzese named Benedetto Croce. After completing the high school in L'Aquila, where in 1916 he founded the magazine "Le Pagine" with Moscardelli, and graduating in Florence, in 1920 he moved to Milan, his adopted land. He collaborated with various journals ("L'Avanti", "La Stampa", "Il Corriere della sera"). Also, he was the director of the "Illustrazione Italiana". He is the protagonist of the epigram A Titta Rosa included in the collection entitled "Nuovi epigrammi (1958-1959)" by Pier Paolo Pasolini.
In Milan, where he resided in Via della Spiga n° 3, he met with Archbishop Cardinal Montini who, when he became Pope, entrusted him to write the epitaph for the tomb of John XXIII (a copy is in the Convent of San Giuliano in L'Aquila).
​
In "Ritratto su misura", Titta Rosa writes about himself:
«I was born in a small village in Abruzzo, a village of the ancient Vestini, in the Aterno valley, before the river reaches the lock of Raiano, a knot that links the last cliffs of the Sirente, to the east, with the buttresses hilly and wooded of the Gran Sasso, sloping down towards the plain of Sulmona. From my village, which is called Santa Maria del Ponte, whoever comes to us from the narrow Vestina valley, sees that at that point the valley closes like the bottom of a sack, and underneath it the river flows between the banks of willows and poplars, and close to it, the train that goes up from Sulmona or goes down from L'Aquila enters and emerges from smoky tunnels. I say 'smoky' in my memory those tunnels, through which there are crags and groves, where you can see goats that climb there to eat in spring, the shoots of oaks, halzenuts, and other shrubs in a tangle of wood, that once, after 1860, also had to hide some brigants' lair. The mountain in front of my village, black of holm oaks and ashes and oaks, borders the sky with a perennial embroidery: and among those tree embroideries, when I was a child, I imagined seeing the brigands, who spied from up there an enemy of theirs to reach him with a shot or, better, capture him, and send him back home with a severed ear. Tuffaceous and gray is the mountain behind Santa Maria, and naked at the top, with here and there tufts of junipers, brambles and wild asparagus. Lands of thrushes, hares, and even snakes -- which in summer they run to the river to drink, they come down from the holes and from the stones, with a straight tail and a thirsty head. Woe to meet them, they are vipers. At the first of the century, I attended elementary school in my village of Santa Maria, a young priest with plump fingers and a plump face taught me the first rudiments of Latin, the Schultz, or the grammar of Cesare De Titta. Then at home they sent me to study in L'Aquila, where I did gymnasium and high school, many readings, and I found myself at the University. I started writing alcaics in high school, and I wrote one for the 20th of September. Then, readings of classics, a little in bulk, with more commitment the poets of the last 'triad', but I still had a soft spot for Giosuè Carducci, even if I felt the poem by Gabriele D'Annunzio so musically flute. Pascoli was a short secret love. […] I have books that testify, let's say, my affection for Milan: the affection of an 'immigrant', if not of a citizen, who finds and cultivates other affections there, a home, an environment, a society. They are now my realities, but the nostalgia is always for that valley, and is testified by this book. It is for those woods, for those lean and tufaceous lands where cherry and peach trees bloom in spring, and the birds celebrate my father farmer who prunes the vines on the hill near home. Now, in 'an internal garden', from here, of this dear sticky Milan - as Leopardi said - every now and then a little bird, from among the branches of a plane tree, comes chirping, solitary and happy. It is perhaps a tit bird, I do not think a nightingale, which arrives later, in June. That chirping of a tit reminds me of the one who was celebrating my father who, lucky him, pruned his vineyard. I have no vineyard; I have only a field of words, thin, and often painful. And they are the ones I love the most».​
In the timeless writings of Titta Rosa, the beauty and cultural roots of an extraordinary local product:
«The sun rose veiled by mists; and the mists lingered on the backs of the hills, fading slowly. The season moved in the laborious slowness of time, exhausted in the color of the last flowers; and only the saffron flower sprouted boldly, drenched in dew».
(from novel "Giornate d'ottobre")
The cultivation of saffron in the territory is very ancient - the first attestation about it is in fact found in a diploma issued by Roberto d'Angiò in 1317. Today L'Aquila saffron (or Navelli saffron), referred as ‘red gold’, boasts the Denomination of Protected Origin (DOP) recognized worldwide for its excellent quality, obtained by a limited number of producers belonging to the Consortium for the Protection of L'Aquila Saffron.
bottom of page