About Abruzzo

Monthly Archive: September 2023

view of Capestrano 1

Mountains / Province of L'Aquila

Capestrano

In the summer of 1934, a certain farmer named Michele was digging trenches in his fields when his plough hit something solid. More digging revealed a limestone sculpture, later ascertained to be from the sixth-fifth century BC. It is the oldest sculpted figure in Italy, the Guerriero di Capestrano. The warrior has been identified as Nevio Pompuledio. But more interesting to me is what the sculpture reveals about the craftsmanship of a people – the Piceni – who lived in an era almost too distant and too different to imagine, in a landscape which instead has perhaps altered little. Back to the present When we arrive in Capestrano on...

portion of Guerriero di Capestrano

Treasures of Abruzzo

Chieti – Museo Archeologico Nazionale

The Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Abruzzo is housed in the 1830s neoclassical Villa Frigeri in Chieti, atop a small hill. Were I not so impatient to see a certain exhibit, I would linger in the gardens, cool off by the fountains, sigh over the views. Later, I tell myself. The museum is a gem Inside, the spaces are airy and uncluttered, the staff courteous and informed. They hover nearby, ready to answer questions. All the exhibits are meticulously labelled and explained in Italian, with a (mostly) good English translation. The Guerriero di Capestrano, the main object of our visit, is on the ground floor of the Museum but it...