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.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Sante Marie is on our list
It holds Borghi Autentici, Città del Castagno and Città del Tartufo.
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Visiting
- Best time
- May–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 8 min from Rome
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 1,059
- J7°
- F10°
- M11°
- A14°
- M18°
- J24°
- J28°
- A27°
- S22°
- O18°
- N12°
- D9°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
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.
How to get there
From Rome Fiumicino (FCO), about 1 h 20 min by car.
Naples (NAP) is about 2 h 33 min away.
By car from the center of Pescara 1 h 38 min or Naples 2 h 38 min.
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 h 6 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Rome Fiumicino airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
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.
Living here
Could you live here?
Sante Marie is a village with a town close by.
- A village of 1,059, with Tagliacozzo (6,416 people) 14 min away for the shopping and a meal out. Our rule is a town within 15 minutes.
- Tivoli, a city of 55,115, is 51 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
- A station of its own. Trains are the overlooked way to get around Italy: no parking, straight into the center.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 1,059, down 11.9% since 2015 (Italy's emptying towns)
- Nearest city Tivoli, 51 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest national health service hospital Subiaco, 20 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €510 to €760 per m² to buy, €1.50 to €2.20 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy: none mapped
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 98% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 1, Italy's highest hazard
- Rome Ciampino airport (CIA), 1 h 4 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital L'Aquila, 54 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
6% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania and Morocco, against 9% across Italy. There are 542 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 72% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. L'Aquila province ranks 69th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Subiaco, 20 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Rome, 66 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in L'Aquila, 37 km away. The nearest IB school is Marymount International School Rome, 64 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Little Genius International, 54 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.96% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.6% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Abruzzo spends about €2,120 a month, €540 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €533 a year for water, on the Abruzzo average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. The national maps show no residents in a high or medium flood zone. 7% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
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.
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?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Rome Ciampino (CIA), about 1 h 4 min 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 1 h 38 min 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.
- Which other towns are like Sante Marie?
- Fortezza, Scurcola Marsicana and Greccio.
- How many people live in Sante Marie?
- 1,059 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Sante Marie a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Sante Marie is a village with a town of 5,000 people within 15 minutes (Tagliacozzo, 14 min). The nearest city, Tivoli, is 51 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Subiaco, 20 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 98% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 950 m
- Population: 1,059
- 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.
The ranked lists
Lists Sante Marie appears in
- The best mountain towns you can reach by train within 90 minutes of RomeNear Romemountainby trainwithin 90 min6 towns · smallest 1,059 residents · closest 60 min away
- The 7 best small mountain towns you can reach by train in the province of L'AquilaL'Aquila provincemountainby trainsmall7 towns · smallest 512 residents
- The best hidden mountain towns within 90 minutes of RomeNear Romemountainwithin 90 minhidden10 towns · smallest 325 residents · closest 57 min away
- The best mountain towns within 75 minutes of RomeNear Romemountainwithin 75 min10 towns · smallest 273 residents · closest 57 min away
Similar
Towns like Sante Marie
What all six share with Sante Marie: mountain-valley towns · under 3,000 people · high up, between 600 and 1,000 metres · have a railway station in the comune
Our guide
Our nearest guide, 84 km away
Tuscia: the towns, when to go, how to get there
The Tuscia guide came out of the letter. Letters from the towns we visit. Free.
Read the guide: The land Rome took twice. 16 towns, the drive and train times, the months, where to eat and sleep.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.