Opi Travel Guide

 sandysmith Says:  Just as in Barrea I spotted some cute mailboxes in the stonework of the houses - like this example. I know Simone likes these so I though I would add this tip :-) 

 sandysmith Says:  From the belvedere terrase of the Piazza dei Caduti there is this fine vista of the Foce di Opi. 

 sandysmith Says:  Piazza dei Caduti is the little square of Opi with the war memorial. From here there is a fine viewpoint of the Abruzzo national park. 

 sandysmith Says:  The name Opi is supposedly derived from the pagan goddess of abundance to whom a temple was dedicated during the Italic era. This area was in fact the site of very ancient settlements, from the Paleolithic settlement on Monte Marsicano to the pre-Roman tombs in the Fondillo... 

 sandysmith Says:  Opi's other church, that of Santa Maria Assunta was erected in the 12th century, but has suffered damaged by earthquakes several times. It was rebuilt after the violent quake in the mid 17th century, and of the originai building only the belltower remains. 

 sandysmith Says:  With only 500 inhabitants ..and only a sign of a couple of people, Opi had an air of a ghost town - just like neighbouring Barrea, only smaller. 

 sandysmith Says:  There are two churches in Opi. One is the chapel of San Giovanni Battista, described as an example of "sobre Abruzzo Baroque". 

 sandysmith Says:  We didn' go in - it wasn't open for our visit - but for those interested Opi has a Chamois museum - located in an old building in the town centre. Established in 1992 It chronicles the history of the Abruzzo National Park, and also provides background information on the... 

 sandysmith Says:  Like most mountain villages, Opi consists of tightly-grouped houses, steep narrow cobbled streets and flights of steps of course! 

 sandysmith Says:   Opi stands on the top of a small rise on the plateau, as a sort of watershed between the valleys of the Sangro, Fondillo and Fredda at an altitude of 1250m