The best MTB trails around Lettopalena

Grotta-Sacrario di Bocca di Valle – Stillness and history at the foot of the Majella ⛰️ Hidden among the forests at the foot of the Majella mountains lies the impressive Sacrario di Bocca di Valle. This special war memorial is carved into the limestone of the mountain and pays tribute to the Abruzzese soldiers who lost their lives during World War I. The artificial cave with its monumental arches exudes a special tranquility. Inside, you will find the tomb of Andrea Bafile, a national war hero, and beautiful majolica panels by the famous artists Basilio and Tommaso Cascella, made up of hundreds of hand-painted ceramic tiles. Besides being a place full of history, it is also a beautiful starting point for walks through the cool beech forest, including the route to the spectacular Cascate di San Giovanni. A hidden gem where nature, art, and remembrance come together.

Built in the Middle Ages, this gateway is one of the main entrances to the ancient village. On one of its sides, you can read a verse by Gabriele D'Annunzio, which reads: "The city of stone, shone in the clear of May."

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Medium difficulty route

Wonderful place made by mountain bike until we were I recommend it for those who love trekking and mountain bike

In the interior of room 1 of the museum, a small, interesting Diocesan Museum has been set up in the crypt, which collects various art objects from the church's treasure, among which is a fifteenth-century wooden statue known as the Madonna of the Help, but above all the fragments of a silver processional cross by the famous fifteenth-century goldsmith sculptor Nicola da Guardiagrele, signed and dated 1431. The cross was stolen years ago, dismembered and placed on the clandestine antiques market to be sold in pieces, and only some are been recovered. On the EAST side and more precisely the opposite part of the facade, crossing the portico you arrive at a beautiful viewpoint adjacent to Piazza Mercato.

It was said of Him that he died smiling. Andrea Bafile, born in Monticchio, a hamlet of L'Aquila, on 7 October 1878 and died on the Piave front in the night between 11 and 12 March 1918. Below is why he was buried in Guardiagrele (CH). He had to be buried in the monumental cemetery of Venice, Gabriele D'Annunzio pushed hard for this to happen, but two Abruzzo people prevailed over him who managed to bring the body back and buried it, in 1923, with an impressive ceremony at in which around 10 thousand people took part, in the shrine dug in Guardiagrele (Chieti), in the bowels of the Majella. It was Raffarle Paolucci of Orsogna and the Honorable Cristini of Guardiagrele who ensured that instead of any unknown soldier it was Andrea Bafile himself who was buried in the shrine, considering him the example of courage and heroism belonging to three military corps: the Navy, Aviation and Infantry. And it is not clear why no intercession was received from L'Aquila, his hometown. Guardiagrele thus had the honor of hosting Bafile's body, in Bocca di Valle, in a cave which is a place full of suggestions, decorated with the delicate enamelled colors of the majolica by the Ortonese artist Basilio Cascella, three gigantic ceramic panels made up of 1400 tiles, a masterpiece of the art of the founder of the Cascella family. The Guardiagrele cave was dug with the economic participation of all of Abruzzo and Molise, a sort of subscription by both regions, every single citizen paid their own donation to pay homage to the soldier Andrea Bafile. When as a child I asked why a sailor was buried in the mountains, popular wisdom replied that he likes to admire the sea from the mother mountain, the Majella. On 29 and 30 September 2023, at the Bocca di Valle shrine in Guardiagrele, the celebrations for the centenary of the transfer of the remains of Lieutenant Andrea Bafile, hero and gold medal for military valour, with the presence of the Undersecretary of State for Defense with delegation to the Navy, Matteo Perego of Cremnago, together with the commander of the Southern Maritime Command, Admiral. of Division Flavio Biaggi, representing the Navy General Staff, who will join the other civil and military authorities present for the commemoration of the Hero.

According to local tradition, the church was built on the remains of a former pagan temple.