Barrea on Lake Barrea - An Italian Medieval Settlement, Barrea, Italy

Barrea, a unique historic settlement, straddles a rocky ledge above Lake Barrea in Abruzzo, a region of Southern Italy. This region encompasses the beautiful beaches that fringe the Adriatic Coast, the mighty Apennine mountains and the fertile plains between the two. It is home to over three-quarters of the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo. Lazio e Molise generally shortened to PNALM. I visited Barrea, part of this park, while staying in Pescasseroli, the capital of the park, a short distance away.

When the first settlers arrived in Barrea there was no lake just a river, the River Sangro, winding its way through a steep-sided gorge in the Valle del Sangro. The Italian journalist, Domenico Lanciano, describes this valley as the most beautiful valley in Europe. There is evidence that the Italian population of Samnites settled here between the sixth and seventh century BC. However, the first significant building in this area was the eight century Benedictine monastery of San Michele Arcangelo. This complex was destroyed by the Saracens in the eleventh century so the monks built a new monastery in a different location. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).