This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)

Halfway between Rome and Naples, San Donato is a medieval hamlet which still retains many traces of the past. Over the centuries, this has always been a passage region, favoured by soldiers, merchants, monks, pilgrims, shepherds and brigands; it can now be considered a “slow travelling” itinerary, along the Lazio side of the Abruzzo National Park.

Mount Pizzuto, with beech forests home of chamois and bears, sits opposite the valley dotted with medieval fortresses and castles, green plains and terraces of olive trees (Olea spp.), dry stone walls and cosy farmsteads.
Once you’ve reached the village, a stone labyrinth blessed with thin air that smells of woods and fireplaces welcomes you. It is actually, a multifunctional exhibition space set in a historical structure. Themed discoveries are available here, in order to find out more about how the current landscape has changed, going back to its ancient past of medieval and Roman routes, glacier tongues and Southern warm seas.

Themed displays available here focus on key-topics like the fossilization process and the evolution of the species, different environments, the rocks of the Val di Cornino, the water cycle and pollution, hydrogeological instability, seismic risk and historical earthquakes. A tridimensional scale model shows part of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise Regions, between the two valleys of Cornino (Val di Cornino) and (Valle del Sangro) Sangro. Huge mountain ranges, other minor valleys and castled villages are detailed as well. It’s also possible to explore this scale model further, accessing its “inside” and “below” sections. Other interactive tools allow visitors to observe and study beech tree woods, natural springs, local fauna, the blooming of wild orchids, medieval town alleyways, craft shops, markets, main cultural events, and historical/gastronomical suggested itineraries.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)