What is Campli known for?

Twenty-eight olive-wood steps with plenary indulgence granted by Pope Clement XIV, built in 1776, climbed on the knees by pilgrims. Porchetta tradition documented in Roman decuriones, codified in the 1575 municipal statutes; the August sagra has run since 1964. Held by the Farnese from 1538 to 1734, brought as dowry by Margherita d'Austria when she married Ottavio Farnese.

When is the best time to visit Campli?

Apr–Oct. April through October is when Campli works best. Spring is when the hills around the centro storico turn green and the Scala Santa fills with Easter pilgrims. May and September are the most reliable months for the historic core. The Sagra della Porchetta Italica, in the second half of August, doubles the population for the weekend. July is hot in the lower town but the Monti della Laga behind keep evening temperatures down. November through March is quiet, with the Scala Santa closed except for Lent and Holy Week services. The town stays open year-round, but the museums shorten their hours.

Campli is a comune in the province of Teramo, Abruzzo region of Italy, about 63 kilometers from Pescara.

How do I get to Campli?

From Pescara, Campli is roughly 63 km by road.

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.

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.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

Why come

Campli occupies a triangle of land between the Siccagno and Fiumicino streams, a few kilometres 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.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Campli’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

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.
Necropoli di Campovalano
Italic necropolis at a frazione of Campli, with thousands of tombs from the 11th century BC to Roman times, finds in the National Archaeological Museum.

The slow-trip planner

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Plan your trip

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

Italian Porchetta Festivalfood festival
usually held in August. sagritaly.com
Sagra della Porchetta Italicafood festival
usually held in August. TrovaSagre

Living here

Population 6,560
Commuter belti
Pharmacy in town
High school within a 30-minute drive
Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 1 h 45 min drive
Regional capital L'Aquila, 58 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

Elevation: 393 m
Population: 6,560
Surface area: 73.43 km²

On the map

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These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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