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00 Rocca Di Botte
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Abruzzo · L'Aquila

Rocca di Botte

At 750 meters on the Carseolani slopes between Abruzzo and Lazio, the birthplace of an eleventh-century hermit and a fief of the Colonna.

Best time
May–Oct
By car
1 h from Rome
Population
866

Known for

  • SAN PIETRO EREMITA

    Birthplace of the eleventh-century hermit Pietro of Trevi, who refused an arranged marriage and died near Trevi nel Lazio in 1052.

  • COLONNA FIEF

    Granted to the Roman Colonna family in 1496 by Ferdinand II of Naples, the village stayed under their lordship for centuries.

  • CARSEOLANI

    Sits on the wooded northern flank of the Carseolani range at the Lazio-Abruzzo border, on the edge of the Simbruini mountains.

When to visit

Best · May–Oct

  • J9°
  • F11°
  • M12°
  • A15°
  • M19°
  • J24°
  • J29°
  • A28°
  • S23°
  • O19°
  • N13°
  • D10°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

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

Why come

Rocca di Botte sits at 750 meters on the north-western flank of the Carseolani mountains, where Abruzzo meets the Simbruini range across the Lazio border. The village formed around an eleventh-century Basilian monastery, and the Romanesque church of San Pietro Eremita, built in the twelfth century, is dedicated to the hermit Pietro of Trevi who was born here in the early 1000s and chose the contemplative life over an arranged marriage. In medieval documents the place appears as Rocca de Bucte.

In 1496 Ferdinand II of Naples gave it as a fief to the Colonna of Rome, and Colonna rule lasted into the modern period. Today the commune has 866 residents and lies on the Cammino di San Pietro Eremita, a walking route that climbs from the village toward the saint's mountain above. The closer big city is Roma, fifty-five kilometers west.

The Sunday letter

Rocca di Botte 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 Rocca di Botte comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Rocca di Botte in our articles

How to get there

From Rome (FCO), about 1h 41m by car.

Naples / Salerno (NAP) is about 2h 41m away.

By car from the centre of Pescara 1h 47m or Perugia 2h 37m.

Coming by train into Roma Termini? Rocca di Botte is about 59 minutes away by road.

Every town within reach of Rome airport.

Rocca di Botte, photo 1
Rocca di Botte, photo 2

What to see

  • Chiesa di San Pietro Eremita

    Twelfth-century Romanesque parish church dedicated to the village's hermit-saint, with an austere stone façade and a single-nave interior.

  • Centro storico

    Mountain village core grown around the Basilian monastery of the eleventh century, with stone houses tight along the slope.

  • Monti Carseolani and Monte San Pietro Eremita

    Forested limestone range rising above the village to around 1,400 meters, walked on the Cammino di San Pietro Eremita.

  • Cammino di San Pietro Eremita

    Walking route linking Rocca di Botte to the saint's mountain hermitage and onward across the Lazio border.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Rocca di Botte fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

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.

  • Mercato Settimanale Di Rocca Di Bottemarket

    usually held in December. eventiesagre.it

Living here

  • Population 866
  • In-betweeni
  • Pharmacy: none mapped
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Rome, 1 h 41 min drive
  • Regional capital L'Aquila, 50 min drive

Common questions

What is Rocca di Botte known for?
At 750 meters on the Carseolani slopes between Abruzzo and Lazio, the birthplace of an eleventh-century hermit and a fief of the Colonna.
Where is Rocca di Botte?
Rocca di Botte is a comune in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo.
What is the nearest airport to Rocca di Botte?
Rome (FCO), about 1h 41m by car.
How long is the drive from Pescara to Rocca di Botte?
About 1h 47m by car.
When is the best time to visit Rocca di Botte?
Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Rocca di Botte?
Yes. Mercato Settimanale Di Rocca Di Botte. December is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Rocca di Botte?
Anversa degli Abruzzi, Castel San Pietro Romano and Capranica Prenestina.
How many people live in Rocca di Botte?
866 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 750 m
  • Population: 866
  • Surface area: 31.11 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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