Loreto Aprutino is a town in the province of Pescara, located a short distance from the provincial capital, on a plateau on the left-side of the Valle del Tavo. It proposes typically medieval characteristics, with narrow streets and noble mansions, dominated by the bulk of Castello Chiola and the Church of St. Peter. Originally a village, in the Upper Middle Ages, it became a county with the Normans. Under the Swabian and Angevin rule, it became a possession of various feudal Lords, including the d'Avino, the D'Affitto, the Caracciolo and the d'Avalos.
Among the major attractions, not to miss:
- Castello Chiola, originally built in the XI century, was the scene of clashes between Angevin and Aragonese in the XV century. Over the centuries it has undergone many alterations and refurbishments by the various feudal families that lived here.
- the Church of Santa Maria in Piano, National Monument, mentioned for the first time in 864. Inside is a remarkable cycle of frescoes and a Judgement depicted by an unknown artist;
- the Church of St. Peter the Apostle, preceded by a XVI century portico adorned with three-light windows and coats of arms of the local Bishops and Lords. To the essential lines of the door in Renaissance style, oppose the scrolls and decorative Baroque interior with one major nave and two aisles, expanded in each direction with side chapels, rich in frescoes and ceramic floors.
- the Church of San Francesco, with a splendid XIV century portal;
- the Church of Santa Maria de Recepto, the oldest church of Loreto Aprutino, which features a beautiful wooden altar;
- the Church of San Biagio, built in Renaissance style, flanked by a bulb shaped spire tower;
- the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmelo and the adjoining Convent Church of the Capuchin order, dating back to the XVI century,
- the Church of Our Lady of Grace, in the district of Fiorano, probably built where once stood a Shrine dedicated to the goddess Flora;
- the Museum Acerbo of Ceramics of the Castles, whose collection, exhibited in the halls designed by Leonardo Palladini, consists of 570 pieces and is the most consistent and complete collection of fine art pottery.
- the Antiquarium