Driving along the road from Cansano to Pescocostanzo, near the lower ridges of Majella National Park, visitors will suddenly find themselves driving through a stunning forest known locally as Bosco di Sant’Antonio. The forest and protected area covers over 500 hectares and was originally a lucus, a sacred forest dedicated to Jupiter, the Roman god of the sky and thunder. However, it was later associated with Saint Anthony and the small medieval hermitage built on the fringes of the forest. The hermitage dates back to the 14th-15th centuries and consists…
