Pretoro

On a steep scarp of the Maiella's eastern flank, Pretoro's stone houses climb in a narrowing triangle towards the spot where its castle once stood. Ringed by beech woods, the village has long specialised in woodcarving, and in winter the snow often stops right at the houses while the Passo Lanciano ski slopes wait higher up.

Highlights

• The Madonna della Mazza, a 13th-century hermitage visited on the first Sunday of July
• Lu Lope and the serpari, rites held in honour of San Domenico
• The polychrome terracotta Pietà in the church of San Nicola
• The Grotta dell'Eremita, a hermit's cave with Bronze Age finds
• The Valle del Foro nature reserve within the municipality

Summary based on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA), written with AI assistance.