Caramanico Terme

Caramanico Terme is a comune and town in the province of Pescara, located in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Nestled on a hilltop, it lies near the confluence of the Orfento and Orta rivers, between the Monte Morrone and Majella mountains. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").

History


The town takes its name from cara, meaning rock and/or  arimannia, a Lombard establishment in the late Middle Ages. Then the name Terme was added in 1960 because of the presence of a spa nearby.

The present settlement is recorded since Lombard times. Then it underwent a remarkable development in the 14th-15th centuries, under the D'Aquino family, and in that period many important monuments were built. In 1706, an earthquake nearby destroyed the town.

Main sights

 * Church of S. Maria Maggiore (15th century), with a Gothic exterior and an ogival portal with a depiction of the Coronation of the Virgin (1476). The exterior has also depictions of apostles, pilgrims and singers with 15th century musical instruments. The Assumption Chapel (17th century) has a Baroque interior.
 * Romanesque church of St. Tommaso, founded in the 13th century in honor of Thomas of Canterbury. It was built above a 9th-century pieve. It has a nave and two aisles, with different levels. The façade has a rose window and single mullioned windows, three portals and four semi-colons from a never built portico. The side portals have with floreal decorations, while the central one has a high-relief of the Twelve Apostles and Christ Enthroned (1118). The interior, with a nave and aisles divided by composite columns (right) and square columns (left). The interior houses also a Corinthian column (known as Colonna santa) which has alleged miraculous properties.
 * Archaeological Museum "P. Barrasso"
 * Museum of Abruzzo and Italy Fauna
 * Hermitage of San Giovanni all'Orfento