Palena
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
The parents of the singer Perry Como came from Palena, a mountain town on a spur above the Aventino river inside the Majella National Park. The Normans built its castle on the highest point in the 11th century. War hit hard: in 1944 bombing flattened the church of San Falco except its bell tower, and the church was rebuilt in 1953.
Highlights
- Church of San Falco, with a red-brick façade and the saint's relics
- Eremo della Madonna dell'Altare, near the cave where Pietro da Morrone lived
- Palaeontology museum with fossils showing the Majella 7 million years ago
- The Norman ducal castle at the top of the spur above the river
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Palena, Palena, Abruzzo), Wikivoyage (Palena). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Population: 1,234
Things to see
Events through the year
- Feast of San Falco at the Madonna dell'Altare hermitagePilgrims climb to the clifftop hermitage where Pietro da Morrone lived
- September feast at the Madonna dell'Altare hermitage
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikivoyage (Palena). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Local food & wine
- Sagne stracciateBread and pastaPasta torn from the sheet, dressed with fried pancetta and pecorino
Adapted from Wikipedia (Palena). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
No places to stay are mapped within 3 km.
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Thermal baths nearby
- Thermal spa: Terme Alte · ~22 min by car
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- Pescocostanzo · 12 km
- Pacentro · 14 km
- Pettorano sul Gizio · 14 km
- Introdacqua · 20 km
- Casoli · 20 km