ROCCAMORICE
(Pg. 1)
La Rocca Pg. 1  (history / photos)
La Rocca Pg. 2 (Santo Spirito)
La Rocca Pg. 3 (San Bartolomeo)
La Rocca Pg. 4 (photos)
La Rocca Pg. 5 (photos)
La Rocca Pg. 6 (photos)
La Rocca Pg. 7 (festa)
La Rocca Pg. 8 (the old ways)
La Rocca Pg. 9 (the old ways)
La Rocca Pg. 10 ("Lu Sand'Andune")
La Rocca Pg.11 (La Rocca's Sand'Andune)
La Rocca Pg.12 (Don Donato Bianco)
La Rocca Pg. 13 (San Donato Church)
La Rocca Pg. 14 (people / places)
La Rocca Pg. 15 (people / places)
La Rocca Pg. 16 (people / places)
La Rocca Pg. 17 (places to stay / eat)
La Rocca Pg.18 (Asphalt Mines)
La Rocca Pg.19 (Asphalt Mines)
La Rocca Pg. 20 (Churches)
La Rocca Pg. 21 (Churches)
La Rocca Pg. 22 (people / places)
La Rocca Pg. 23 (people / places)
La Rocca Pg. 24 (people / places)
HISTORY OF ROCCAMORICE
About 26 miles west of the city of Pescara, and close to Lettomanoppello,  is the town of "La Rocca" as it is known in the local dialect.  Roccamorice has about 1000 inhabitants.  Located in the foothills of the Majella mountains, at an altitude of 1850 feet, the town is situated on a large rock base between the Lavino and Lanello rivers, with beautiful views of the Majella.  Both rivers, now dried up, are at the bottom of deep rocky ravines.  For many years there was an asphalt mine in the eastern section of La Rocca, known as San Giorgio, along the Lavino river which separates Roccamorice from Lettomanoppello.  Stone ruins are all that is left of San Giorgio today. Although in 2000 a new church was constructed at the same site.
Roccamorice Coat of arms
Panorama of Roccamorice taken in 1950's with Monte Morrone in the background.
Roccamorice in 1930's, taken from the campanile with Monte Amaro (left) and Monte Morrone (right) in the background.
Roccamorice was born in medieval times, and from the 1400s into the 1700s it belonged to the feudal Valignani family.  In the town there is still a remnant of a tower, "La Torre," which was built hundreds of years ago by a powerful feudal family that controlled Roccamorice at the time.  At that time such towers served as strongholds during attack.  To see the 1999 restoration of La Torre, click here.
Panorama view of LaRocca showing the part of town surrounded on both sides by the two deep ravines. Locals call this first view of Roccamorice- "Pied la Terra".
History of the name of "Roccamorice"

The known history of Roccamorice dates back to early Roman times when the Maiella mountains (then known as Nicate) above Roccamorice  were mined by the Romans  for precious metals. A great many slaves were used and there is some indication that it also became a Roman penal colony.

The area then began slowly to develop into a seasonal agricultural and pastoral territory giving rise to the building of shelters by the shepherds for themselves and their flocks. These were built with walls made of stones/boulders (which were readily available) stacked dry and covered with branches. These type of walls were known as moricci (Roccamorice) derived from mora -pile of rocks/boulders; moriccia -stacked stones or dry wall (stones stacked and not cemented); murra -rocky terrain.

With the later influx of Christianity and a variety of monastic hermits taking to building retreats/sanctuaries in the mountains, groups began to form near these spiritual guideposts seeking guidance and counsel and further seeking refuge from barbarians and predators. 

The next major period which surfaces in written records is the eighth century as the area became a fortified post against Adriatic pirates. At this time, it was known as Morice (remember moricci). The town tower (La Torre),which was recently restored, was built during this period next to an adjacent castle which is now gone.
The addition of Rocca to Morice probably came about at the time the tower was built as it also utilized the method of dry stacking stones/boulders readily available from the surrounding rocky terrain. The word rocca itself refers, amongst other things, to mountain fortification.  Monastic records from the thirteenth century verify use of the new name as reference is made to the now Roccamorice  district as being the site of the still present Santo Spirito Monastery.

There is another line of thought which suggests a different origin for the name, i.e. that it may be based on the name of an actual person. Many variations of the name Morice (Murici, Moricii, Moritii, Morici) have shown up in feudal histories and records of the time (12th and13th centuries). They seem to emanate from an actual (but unknown) Maurizio - a name very popular in the area as there had been a local Saint Maurizio dating back to the 3rd century.

**Thanks to Donato DiPronio for the use of information and pictures from his book "Pietro Celestino Eremita di Santo Spirito a Maiella" and Blaise DiPronio for his translation.
Via de Horatis, Roccamorice's main street (circa 1940s-1950s?)
Via de Horatis circa 1990s.
Two streets typical of many found in LaRocca.
Street in Roccamorice, with Monte Amaro  looming above the town.
Farmland around Roccamorice
Panoramic view of Roccamorice.
LaRocca is known for its numerous tholoi or capanne, as the shepherds' huts are called; they are considered a national historical treasure. The road continues up to Blockhaus, passing first through the pastures on the lower slopes, then through the forest, and finally through the grassy mountain plateaus. Just below the summit it meets the road that comes up from Lettomanoppello. In summer, near the junction of the two roads, is a shed where you can buy for your picnic some of the delicious pecorino cheese made from the milk of the sheep and goats which graze nearby.
Stone shepherd's hut at Roccamorice. These huts were built and used mainly in the 18th and 19th centuries, to shelter the shepherds and lambs; stone pens were also built to protect the flocks at night. Some of the piles of stones visible in the photo were made by farmers clearing land for crops.
Dry-stone shepherd's hut (capanne) at La Rocca; one of many there.  In dialect this structure is called "La Pagliara di Cantoni" -- "the stone hut."
One of the largest examples of tholi is the Colle Civita found on the road up to Blochaus. Several capanne and  stazzi may be seen here. Locals may call it La Mandra di Bruno or Colle de Ciut.
From certain vantage points in Roccamorice you can see the neighboring towns of Lettomanoppello, Turrivalignani, and Scafa. There are few stores in the town, but on Wednesday mornings you can catch a local bus to Scafa to visit a wonderful outdoor market.
There are still a few olive trees and vineyards grown around the town and  there are  still  a few people who raise sheep and goats, make cheese, and cultivate small plots of land, but the majority of the inhabitants have emigrated, and those who are left are mostly either retired or they have to travel in order to work. Some commute daily to jobs in the nearer cities, such as Pescara and Chieti. Others travel as far as cities in northern Italy, such as Milan, where there are big industries, returning home only once a month.
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