Rocca San Giovanni
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
Monks of the abbey of San Giovanni in Venere founded this village in the 11th century as a fortified refuge, on a rocky hill above the Costa dei Trabocchi. Its 14th-century centre, laid out like a herringbone, keeps stretches of Norman walls and the round Torrione dei Filippini. Along the shore below stand the trabocchi, the old wooden fishing machines typical of this coast.
Highlights
- Chiesa di San Matteo, a smaller medieval copy of the abbey church
- Norman walls built in 1061 and the Torrione dei Filippini
- Wooden trabocchi fishing machines at Punta Cavalluccio and Punta Punciosa
- The abbey of San Giovanni in Venere, the area's main sight
- The Belvedere Paolucci at the end of the old streets
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Rocca San Giovanni (IT), Rocca San Giovanni (EN)), Wikivoyage (Rocca San Giovanni). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Population: 2,276
Things to see
- Abruzzo Zoo (IT)
Events through the year
- Feast of Saint Matthew
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikipedia (Rocca San Giovanni). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Specialities of Abruzzo
Typical of the region rather than of this village.
- Confetti di SulmonaSweet
Ventricina vastesePublic domainVentricinaCured meat
Adapted from Wikipedia (Cucina abruzzese). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
3 places to stay within 3 km
- Hotels 2
- B&Bs and guest houses 1
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- Crecchio · 13 km
- Casoli · 21 km
- Guardiagrele · 21 km
- Pretoro · 27 km
- Abbateggio · 37 km