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00 Lama Dei Peligni
Stemma di Lama dei Peligni

Abruzzo · Chieti

Lama dei Peligni

A 669-meter Majella village known for chamois, the Cavallone cave, and a prehistoric burial dug from Fonterossi dated 7000 to 5000 BC.

Best time
May–Oct
By car
1 h 17 min from Pescara
Population
1,057

Known for

  • GROTTA DEL CAVALLONE

    Europe's highest accessible natural cave at 1,475 meters, 1,300 meters of karst gallery branching into three tunnels.

  • ABRUZZO CHAMOIS

    Locati museum and fenced reserve, the centre of the chamois reintroduction program for the Majella National Park.

  • UOMO DELLA MAIELLA

    Prehistoric burial from Fonterossi dated 7000 to 5000 BC, the oldest documented human presence on the massif.

When to visit

Best · May–Oct

  • J9°
  • F11°
  • M11°
  • A14°
  • M19°
  • J24°
  • J28°
  • A27°
  • S23°
  • O19°
  • N14°
  • D11°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: San Sebastiano, 20 January

Why come

Lama dei Peligni sits at 669 meters on the southern flanks of the Majella, between the Aventino river and the massif behind it. The name comes from a pre-Latin word for ground where water pools. The earliest evidence of human use here, the so-called Uomo della Maiella, was excavated from Contrada Fonterossi at the start of the twentieth century, a burial dated between 7000 and 5000 BC.

The Grotta del Cavallone opens at 1,475 meters in the wall above town, the highest accessible natural cave in Europe, 1,300 meters of karstic gallery branching into three secondary tunnels. The Maurizio Locati museum at the entrance to the village runs a fenced reserve for the Abruzzo chamois, the species the zoologist worked to reintroduce in the Majella park. The Maiella Brigade fought partisan actions out of these slopes in 1943-44, and the obelisk at San Pietro commemorates them.

The Sunday letter

Lama dei Peligni 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 every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Lama dei Peligni comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Lama dei Peligni in our articles

How to get there

From Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 2h 43m by car.

Ancona / Pescara (AOI) is about 3 hours away.

By car from the centre of Pescara 1h 17m, Rome 2h 42m or Naples 2h 47m.

Coming by train into Pescara Centrale? Lama dei Peligni is about 1h 18m away by road.

Lama dei Peligni, photo 1
Lama dei Peligni, photo 2

What to see

  • Grotta del Cavallone

    Karst cave at 1,475 meters, 1,300 meters of gallery on the border with Taranta Peligna, the highest accessible natural cave in Europe.

  • Museo Naturalistico Maurizio Locati

    Wildlife and archaeology museum at the village entrance, dedicated to the zoologist who reintroduced chamois in the Majella park.

  • Giardino Botanico Michele Tenore

    Botanical garden adjacent to the museum, reconstructing Majella flora alongside a Neolithic village display and chamois enclosure.

  • Sito di Fonterossi

    Excavation area where the so-called Uomo della Maiella, a prehistoric burial dated 7000 to 5000 BC, was discovered.

  • Chiesa di San Nicola

    Parish church on the small piazza, with the war memorial obelisk to Maiella Brigade partisans nearby.

The slow-trip planner

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Living here

  • Population 1,057
  • Remotei
  • Pharmacy: none mapped
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Naples / Salerno, 2 h 43 min drive
  • Regional capital L'Aquila, 2 h 7 min drive

Common questions

What is Lama dei Peligni known for?
Lama dei Peligni is a 669-meter Majella village known for chamois, the Cavallone cave, and a prehistoric burial dug from Fonterossi dated 7000 to 5000 BC.
Where is Lama dei Peligni?
Lama dei Peligni is a comune in the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo, at 669 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Lama dei Peligni?
Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 2h 43m by car.
How long is the drive from Pescara to Lama dei Peligni?
About 1h 17m by car.
When is the best time to visit Lama dei Peligni?
Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 28 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Lama dei Peligni?
The town keeps its patron saint's day: San Sebastiano, 20 January.
Which other towns are like Lama dei Peligni?
Savignano Irpino, Trentinara and Pacentro.
How many people live in Lama dei Peligni?
1,057 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 669 m
  • Population: 1,057
  • Surface area: 31.37 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.

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