Collelongo sullo sfondo. (Immagine personale)

Collelongo is a town in the Marsica, area immersed in the verdant and very ancient Vallelonga, which in turn is an integral part of the Abruzzo National Park. The  town has an ancient history that dates back to the pre-Roman age, in fact the area has been inhabited since time immemorial and continuously, even if the habitation sites have changed over time. In a certain sense the ancient pre-Roman and Roman site of Amplero, we could almost say that it is the ancient Collelongo.

La chiesa di Santa Maria Nuova di Collelongo. (Immagine personale)

The present town, like all the towns of Marsica, were mostly founded in the early Middle Ages. In the case of Collelongo we can say that the town was founded in the eighth century with the arrival of the monks of Farfa and Cassino, who gradually contributed to the repopulation of Vallelonga in the Frankish age (774-887), after it had suffered the destruction of the Gothic Wars.

Palazzo Baronale di Collelongo. (Immagine personale)

Collelongo thus founded in the early Middle Ages then developed belonging to various lordships and countryside until it became an autonomous marquisate in the 16th century which lasted until 1806.

In the 19th century Collelongo consolidated itself as an autonomous municipality overcoming many adversities, such as brigandage, which is highly active here in the Vallelonga, emigration at the end of the century, etc. Then in 1915 it suffered the destruction of its inhabited area due to the terrible earthquake  of Gioia dei Marsi.

Fonte Vecchia di Collelongo. (Immagine personale)

During the 1900s Collelongo was reborn as an important agricultural town, consolidating itself further after 1950, i.e. after the peasant conquest of the Fucino lands. Unfortunately Collelongo suffers the loss of population due to emigration in the second half of the 1900s, but the affirmation of the Abruzzo National Park brings out new commercial realities linked to tourism, which finds new life with the discovery in the 70s of the very important archaeological site of Amplero. 

Resti di Amplero. (Immagine da Wikipedia)

Today Collelongo is an important tourist site both for its archaeological heritage of high historical value and for its landscape of mountains and woods, authentic and uncontaminated, formed by a nature that paints events, capable of creating a large presence of flora and fauna. So Collelongo is a dream of history and nature to live and immerse yourself in.

Collelongo oggi. (Immagine personale)

Here time passes slowly and full, slow for the nature that you experience and full for the history that you breathe and then the excellent food for both the first and second courses. A true delight of the palate to be enjoyed in the local restaurants.