Village of Castelli (TE)

Province: Teramo - Elevation: 793 Population: 5475

It is located in the National Park of Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga, famous for the ancient manufacturing of Maiolica and it belongs to the association "I borghi più belli d'Italia".

In the old town there is the parish church of San Giovanni Battista, built on the remains of the ancient monastery of St. Salvatore, a Benedictine abbey dating back the 12th century. The church is beautifully decorated with local maiolicas and the valuable altar made by Francesco Grue in 1647. The museum of Maiolica is the excellence centre of the town, it was inaugurated in 1984 and it is located inside the convent of Frati Minori.

The little church of St. Donato is truly a treasure with roof and floor made entirely of maiolica,in the 17th century; so Carlo Levi describes the church like the "Sistine Chapel of Maiolica".

The Dominican monk Serafino Razzi mentioned the village of Castelli in 1575, describing the town as "Terra si fanno vasellamenti nobili di candida terra, e se ne portano dino a Napoli. Ne vedemmo due botteghe e ci fu dato da bere", (a place where people produce noble and valuable china made of pure clay, delivered even to Naples. We visited two workshops and they quenched our thirst).