Castellalto has 7,359 inhabitants on the top of a hill, along the ridge between the Tordino valley and the Vomano valley. The oldest thing in the comune came to light in 1987 near the Tordino: an Italic bronze of the Hellenistic age, ten centimetres tall, a Hercules dressed in a lion skin knotted at the neck, probably the votive offering of a temple; today it is in the archaeological museum of Chieti. From Roman times what remains instead are the roof tiles of a local kiln, stamped with the maker's name, Quinto.
The comune tells itself well through its three names. High up is Castellalto, the main town; below it is Castelbasso, a medieval village that the Acquaviva sold to the Valignani of Chieti for seven thousand ducats and that in 1806 managed to become an autonomous comune, only to go back inside Castellalto in 1813; and at the bottom, on the river, is Castelnuovo a Vomano, which grew from the postwar years onwards and is today the most populous and busiest centre of the comune.
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
Near Castellalto
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Places to see within 25 km
Outside Castellalto, but an easy day trip away.