Castelvecchio Calvisio

Castelvecchio Calvisio sits at 1,067 meters on a ridge above the Tirino valley, in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. The medieval village has a rare and distinctive form: a fortified ellipse of stone walls, with houses built into the walls themselves, and internal alleys laid out orthogonal to the perimeter. The barbacani, broad external stone staircases climbing the houses, mark each level of the multi-storey dwellings.

Narrow streets pass under vaulted arches; the steps of the alley stairs widen as they rise. The population sits at 118, one of the smallest in the province. The Church of San Giovanni Battista, with its bell tower above the rooftops, stands at the centre of the elliptical plan.

The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is just below. Ruins of the original castle survive on the highest point of the settlement, the defensive watchtower from which the village grew. The village has been part of the Borghi Autentici network for over a decade, anchored on conservation of its medieval form.