Middle Ages and architecture in Caporciano

The small medieval village of Caporciano is a tourist destination of absolute value, part of the mountain community 'Campo Imperatore - Piana dei Navelli'. Located more than eight hundred meters above the sea level, the inhabited center preserves numerous historic buildings. The most important are the parish church of San Benedetto abate and the small church of San Pietro in Valle. The latter dates back to the thirteenth century and is adorned with sixteenth-century frescoes and an ancient ciborium. Also in the municipality of Caporciano we find the small hamlet of Bominaco, with its sixty-one inhabitants. Here we find two truly extraordinary sites: the first is the abbey of Santa Maria Assunta, built on an original monastic complex dating back to the 4th century AD. C. and which now appears as one of the most shining examples of Abruzzo Romanesque architecture. The second site is the castle of Bominaco, which stands in an elevated and dominant position with respect to the aforementioned abbey and with respect to the oratory of San Pellegrino (another Romanesque building from the thirteenth century). The castle is large and can be visited; it strikes the tourist for its large walls and for the ruins of the large square towers, on which stands the keep (main bastion) with a circular plan. It is a great example of medieval military architecture.