Piazza dell'Obelisco and ducal palaces in one of the most elegant villages of the Marsica
At the foot of Monte Civita, at the entrance to the Marsica from Lazio, Tagliacozzo is one of the most elegant and best preserved historic towns of Abruzzo, which for centuries was an important fief of the Orsini and then of the Colonna families, the great Roman noble families. Its name is linked to a famous episode of medieval history: in 1268, in the plain nearby, the battle of Tagliacozzo was fought, in which Charles of Anjou defeated Conradin of Swabia, the last of the Hohenstaufen, putting an end to the dynasty of Frederick II in southern Italy; Dante recalls it in the Inferno, speaking of "Tagliacozzo, where old Alardo won without weapons", referring to the cunning strategy of the French knight who advised Charles.
The heart of the town is the scenic Piazza dell'Obelisco, an elegant square surrounded by palaces with Gothic and Renaissance windows, with a fountain topped by an obelisk in the centre. From here, lanes and steps lead to the Palazzo Ducale, the residence of the Orsini and Colonna, which preserves a beautiful loggia and rooms with fifteenth-century frescoes, and to the convent of San Francesco, which houses the remains of the Blessed Tommaso da Celano, biographer of Saint Francis. The historic centre, with its noble houses, Renaissance portals and churches, makes it one of the most pleasant towns to stroll through in the region. In summer, Tagliacozzo hosts a festival of music and theatre, and in winter it is close to the ski slopes of Marsia.
Tip: have a coffee in Piazza dell'Obelisco; visit the Palazzo Ducale for its frescoes.
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