Atri is a small medieval pearl, city of art of ancient origin, which looks down on the sea, protected behind it by the Gran Sasso. The visit will wind through the historic center, where historic monuments and palaces, fortifications, churches, museums, suggestive views form a splendid historical architectural mosaic. The subject of visit and study will be the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the medieval Church of S. Nicola, the Palazzo Acquaviva, the Palazzo Mambelli, the Bishop’s Palace and the Seminary, the nineteenth-century Municipal Theater inspired by the Scala di Milano and the remains of the fortifications of the cities whose most imposing example is the San Domenico gate.
Before entering the city you will cross the naturalistic oasis of the Calanchi di Atri, natural formations, born from the millennial erosion of the clay soil, which form small canyons giving the landscape a unique and suggestive profile. The area is Regional Natural Reserve and WWF Oasis. The interior of the protected area is characterized by a very varied environment: cliffs, ponds, small woods, cultivated fields alternate continuously, forming a palette of iridescent colors. Finally, the mystery that surrounds the so-called “Pietra di San Paolo“, the thaumaturgical monolith kept inside a small chapel that legend has it that the stone on which it was, also contributes to giving further charm to the places. beheaded Paolo di Tarso in 67 AD.