Scurcola Marsicana is a town in the Marsica area and is located at the foot of Monte San Nicola, at an altitude of about 720 m a.s.l. and from here it dominates the entire plain of Campi Palentini, which in the Pleistocene era formed a single lake with the Piana del Fucino.

 

Monte Velino visto da vicino Scurcola. (Immagine personale)

 

The town is characterized by a high mountain landscape of great beauty with an alpine character. Admiring the town from a little distance and looking towards Monte Velino, one has the sensation of being in Switzerland or in an Alpine region, and this because of the power of the background landscape and the way the town is placed .

 

Scurcola Marsicana oggi. (Immagine personale)

 

The town covers an area of 3000 hectares and overlooking the Campi Palentini is located very close to the site of the great medieval battle of 1268, between Corradino di Svevia and Carlo d’Angiò. This battle was one of the most important in the entire Middle Ages and as well as decreeing the rise of Charles of Anjou, it also marked the political end of the Swabian imperial family.

 

Resti dell’Abbazia di Santa Maria della Vittoria. (Immagine personale)

 

Subsequently, with the destruction of the nearby villages of Alba Fucens and Pietraquaria, the tiny village, which had already existed for centuries, grew larger, giving rise to a rich and happy period, which reached its climax with the establishment in 1268 of the Abbey of Santa Maria della Vittoria, which later becomes a large medieval abbey at the behest of Charles I.

This was endowed with all medieval rights, becoming a powerful monastic abbey between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, thus leading Scurcola to become the seat of a large monastic fief that extends around Lake Fucino.

 

 

I Piani Palentini vicino Scurcola Marsicana. (Immagine personale)

 

Subsequently, with the end of the power of the monks at the end of the 15th century, the Colonnas became lords of the town, remaining there until 1806. Subsequently, the town entered, albeit in a somewhat turbulent way, the new kingdom of Italy, becoming at the end of the 20th century a large industrial and commercial center for the whole of Marsica.

Scurcola Marsicana is, with the small fraction of Cappelle dei Marsi, one of the major economic poles of the Marsica and in recent decades has also managed to establish itself as a large tourist center. In fact, starting from its medieval historic center, which has been completely restored, it has been able to characterize itself with numerous events as a great cultural pole.

 

Scorcio del paese di Scurcola Marsicana. (Immagine personale)

 

On the other hand it is sufficient to walk the narrow streets of Scurcola in a continuous up and down to the top, where there is the famous castle with the nearby church of Santa Maria della Vittoria to understand the high quality of the place.

On a cultural level, Scurcola offers a lot, it is practically a large open-air museum with palaces, churches and fountains dating back to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. To get an idea of its great wealth of art, it is enough to visit its churches, which range in style from Romanesque to Baroque. In this regard we point out the splendid Baroque church of the S.S.Trinità, the ancient church of S. Egidio and the late Renaissance church of Santa Maria della Vittoria.

 

La chiesa della S.S. Trinità di Scurcola Marsicana. (Immagine personale) 

La Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria posta in cima al paese. (Immagine personale)

 

On the other hand, on the military level we highlight the Orsini castle whose age of first construction dates back to the 10th century, but also the layout of medieval walls with its turrets that have now become homes.

 

Il castello di Scurcola Marsicana oggi. (Immagine personale)

 

Scurcola has managed, even with a little luck, to maintain its characteristic medieval aspect of a village built on a hill with its castle at the top, but over the course of the ages it has seen its urban planning evolve and while maintaining this medieval character, it has also been enriched with various noble palaces ranging from the medieval style (Palazzo Corradino), to the liberty style of the early 1900s (Palazzo Vetoli).

 

 

Palazzo Vetoli a Scurcola Marsicana oggi. (Immagine personale)

 

The mild climate, the landscape aspect, the excellent local cuisine, complete this town as an excellent holiday destination.

 

Vista da Scurcola sui Piani Palentini. (Immagine personale)

 

In recent years the numerous recreational activities, organized by the municipal administration, have made the town a concentration of many recreational activities, starting with the great medieval parade held every year in August or even the characteristic parade on Good Friday at Easter. So what are you waiting for, come to Scurcola Marsicana!!!