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00 Sante Marie
Stemma di Sante Marie

Abruzzo · L'Aquila

Sante Marie

A 950-meter Marsica village and the trailhead of the Cammino dei Briganti, the seven-day brigand trail through the Cartore band's territory.

Best time
May–Oct
By car
1 h 8 min from Rome
By train
Station in the comune
Population
1,075

Known for

  • CAMMINO DEI BRIGANTI

    Seven-day circular trail through the post-Risorgimento brigand country of the Cartore band, with the trailhead office in the village.

  • GROTTE DI LUPPA

    Karst nature reserve established 2005 covering caves and Apennine forest at the L'Aquila-Rieti border.

  • CHESTNUTS

    Slope chestnut groves that earned the Città del Castagno designation, harvested every October above the six dispersed fractions.

When to visit

Best · May–Oct

  • J7°
  • F10°
  • M11°
  • A14°
  • M18°
  • J24°
  • J28°
  • A27°
  • S22°
  • O18°
  • N12°
  • D9°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

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

The festa: Quirico e Giulitta, 16 July

Why come

Sante Marie sits at 950 meters in the western Marsica, at the border between L'Aquila and Rieti provinces. The town is the capoluogo of six fractions scattered through the hills: Scanzano, Castelvecchio, Val dei Varri, Santo Stefano, Tubione, and San Giovanni. Its medieval history runs with the Fief of Tagliacozzo, held in turn by the Counts of Marsi, the De Pontibus, the Orsini and finally the Colonna.

The Grotte di Luppa Reserve, established in 2005, sits in the surrounding karst country of the Simbruini and Carseolani mountains. The town is best known now as the starting point of the Cammino dei Briganti, a seven-day circular trail at altitudes between 800 and 1,300 meters that follows the routes of the Cartore brigands, the post-Risorgimento bands who used these forests as cover. Walkers pick up a safe-conduct pass at the reserve office in the village before setting out.

The Sunday letter

Sante Marie 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 Sante Marie comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Sante Marie in our articles

How to get there

From Rome (FCO), about 1h 48m by car.

Naples / Salerno (NAP) is about 2h 33m away.

By car from the centre of Pescara 1h 38m or Naples 2h 38m.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming from Rome?

Coming by train into Roma Termini? Sante Marie is about 1 hour away by road.

Every town within reach of Rome airport.

Sante Marie, photo 1
Sante Marie, photo 2

What to see

  • Cammino dei Briganti

    Seven-day circular hiking trail at 800 to 1,300 meters along the routes of the Cartore brigands, starting from Sante Marie.

  • Riserva Naturale Grotte di Luppa

    Karst reserve established in 2005 protecting caves and Apennine landscape on the Simbruini and Carseolani mountains border.

  • Centro storico

    Medieval hill village above the modern lower town, the historic core of the Tagliacozzo fief held by Marsi, Orsini and Colonna.

  • Castagneti di Sante Marie

    Chestnut groves that earned the Città del Castagno designation, harvested in October on the slopes above the six fractions.

  • Frazioni

    Six dispersed hamlets including Castelvecchio, Val dei Varri, Santo Stefano and San Giovanni, each with their own small parish church.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Sante Marie 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.

Living here

  • Population 1,075
  • In-betweeni
  • Pharmacy: none mapped
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Rome, 1 h 48 min drive
  • Regional capital L'Aquila, 54 min drive

Common questions

What is Sante Marie known for?
Sante Marie is a 950-meter Marsica village and the trailhead of the Cammino dei Briganti, the seven-day brigand trail through the Cartore band's territory.
Where is Sante Marie?
Sante Marie is a comune in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo, at 950 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Sante Marie?
Rome (FCO), about 1h 48m by car.
Can you get to Sante Marie without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Pescara to Sante Marie?
About 1h 38m by car.
When is the best time to visit Sante Marie?
Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 28 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Sante Marie?
Yes. Sagra del Porcino. August is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Sante Marie?
Fortezza, Bovino and Garessio.
How many people live in Sante Marie?
1,075 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 950 m
  • Population: 1,075
  • Surface area: 40.82 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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