Pagliare are miniscule villages of stone houses which characterise the highlands near the narrow Valle dell’Aterno, facing the Sirente massif. The term pagliare comes from the fact that these buildings were initially used to store hay and straw. The inhabitants of the area, unable to find cultivatable land in the valley below, moved up to higher slopes to clear the soil. Their patient work led to the stones being assembled, creating modest houses, able to host the entire families who worked in the fields and pastures during the summers. There are pagliare in Abruzzo in Fagnano and Fontecchio (AQ) although the most famous are undoubtedly in Tione. Tione also features the small Church of the Madonna di Loreto and a large circular cistern for water conservation. It is not hard to imagine the bustling efficiency of the Pagliare di Tione before the economic boom of the 1970s sparked progressive abandonment. Some have now been restructured for use as summer holiday houses.
Film Commission d'Abruzzo
Centro Regionale Beni Culturali - Sulmona
Phone: + 39 0864 576303
Email: crbc@regione.abruzzo.it
