Wild gorges and a village that celebrates the snake festival
Between Anversa degli Abruzzi and Villalago, in the province of L'Aquila, the Sagittario river has carved a narrow and spectacular canyon between high limestone walls, the Gole del Sagittario, protected by a WWF nature reserve around Anversa. The road that runs along the gorge, winding between rock walls, tunnels and the clear water of the river, is one of the most beautiful in Abruzzo. Perched on a rock spur above the gorge is the tiny village of Castrovalva, which inspired the Dutch artist M.C. Escher, who drew it in a famous lithograph in 1930. Further up, the river widens into the small Lago di San Domenico, with a hermitage on the water, and then reaches Lake Scanno. Anversa itself, with its Norman castle ruins and Romanesque church portals, was the setting for D'Annunzio's tragedy "La fiaccola sotto il moggio".
A few kilometres from the gorge lies Cocullo, a village known worldwide for one of the most ancient and surprising festivals in Italy: the Festa dei Serpari, held on 1 May in honour of San Domenico, protector against snake bites and toothache. In the weeks before, the "serpari", local snake catchers, capture non-venomous snakes in the countryside, such as the four-lined snake and the Aesculapian snake; on the day of the feast, the statue of the saint is carried in procession covered with live snakes, among the crowd, before the snakes are released back into the wild. The rite probably has pre-Christian origins, linked to the cult of the Marsican goddess Angizia.
Tip: drive the gorge road slowly and stop at the viewpoints; book accommodation early if you want to attend the snake festival.
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