Abruzzo · Teramo
Campli
A 393-meter town under the Monti della Laga, held by the Farnese for two centuries, with a Scala Santa carrying papal indulgence.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Campli is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h from Pescara
- Population
- 6,566
- J11°
- F13°
- M14°
- A16°
- M21°
- J27°
- J30°
- A30°
- S25°
- O21°
- N15°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Campli occupies a triangle of land between the Siccagno and Fiumicino streams, a few kilometers from Teramo, under the Monti della Laga. The fief came to the Farnese as dowry: Margherita d'Austria, natural daughter of Charles V, brought it into her marriage with Ottavio Farnese, and the family held it from 1538 to 1734. That rule left its mark across the centro storico, from the portico of the palazzo on the main square to the frescoes inside the collegiate church and the houses of the Massei and Speziale families.
The porchetta tradition tied to the town predates all of it, traced to the Roman decuriones and later set down in municipal statute in the same century the fief was still under Farnese control. Older still is the necropolis at Campovalano, a frazione of the town, where tombs run from the 11th century BC through the Roman period. Taken together, Campli is a small hill town where a Roman-era food custom, an Italic burial ground, and nearly two centuries of Farnese governance sit within walking distance of one another, each layer legible without displacing the one beneath it.
How to get there
From Ancona (AOI), about 1 h 45 min by car.
Rome Fiumicino (FCO) is about 2 h 22 min away.
By car from the center of Pescara 1 h or Ancona 1 h 41 min.
Coming by train into Pescara Centrale? Campli is about 58 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Ancona airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Scala Santa
The staircase stands beside the Church of San Paolo, leading up to a Sancta Sanctorum chapel. It carries the same privilege as the staircase at San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome, and pilgrims still climb it on their knees.
Collegiata di Santa Maria in Platea
14th-century collegiate church with a carved wooden ceiling, Romanesque bell tower, and frescoes from the Farnese period.
Palazzo Farnese (Palazzo del Parlamento)
Renaissance palazzo on the main square with a portico, seat of the city government during two centuries of Farnese rule.
Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi
Franciscan church with adjoining cloister, founded in the 13th century, with frescoed chapels and a museum of religious art.
Casa dei Massei e Casa dello Speziale
Late-medieval and Renaissance houses in the centro storico, the Speziale once an apothecary, preserved as examples of urban Farnese-era architecture.
Living here
Could you live here?
Campli meets our one rule for a small town.
- 6,566 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Teramo, a city of 51,600, is 17 min by car. Closer than our 30 to 60 minutes: handy for everything, so check the town still keeps a life of its own.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 6,566, down 8.2% since 2015
- Nearest city Teramo, 17 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Teramo, 8 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €550 to €820 per m² to buy, €1.90 to €2.80 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 86% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Pescara airport (PSR), 1 h 11 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital L'Aquila, 58 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
9% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from China, Morocco and Romania, against 9% across Italy. 10 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe. There are 273 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 36% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Teramo province ranks 68th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Teramo, 8 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Terni, 86 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in L'Aquila, 43 km away. The nearest IB school is Acorn International School, 131 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Marche International School, 69 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.95% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Abruzzo spends about €2,120 a month, €540 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €533 a year for water, on the Abruzzo average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. Under 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, under 1% in a high or medium one. 10% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
SCALA SANTA
Twenty-eight olive-wood steps with plenary indulgence granted by Pope Clement XIV, built in 1776, climbed on the knees by pilgrims.
PORCHETTA ITALICA
Porchetta tradition documented in Roman decuriones, codified in the 1575 municipal statutes; the August sagra has run since 1964.
FARNESE FIEF
Held by the Farnese from 1538 to 1734, brought as dowry by Margherita d'Austria when she married Ottavio Farnese.
PRETUZIANO DELLE COLLINE TERAMANE
The commune lies inside the Pretuziano delle Colline Teramane DOP production zone.
Common questions
- What is Campli known for?
- Campli is a 393-meter town under the Monti della Laga, held by the Farnese for two centuries, with a Scala Santa carrying papal indulgence.
- Where is Campli?
- Campli is a comune in the province of Teramo, in Abruzzo, at 393 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Campli?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Pescara (PSR), about 1 h 11 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Pescara to Campli?
- About 1 h by car.
- When is the best time to visit Campli?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Campli?
- Manoppello, Isola del Gran Sasso d'Italia and Pianella.
- How many people live in Campli?
- 6,566 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Campli a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Campli is a small town that meets our one rule. The nearest city, Teramo, is 17 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Teramo, 8 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 86% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 393 m
- Population: 6,566
- Surface area: 73.43 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Similar
Towns like Campli
What all six share with Campli: inland, away from the coast · between 3,000 and 10,000 people · hill towns
The letter
Campli is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Campli comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Scheggino, 70 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.