From the town of Roccamorice (Pescara) it takes very little to reach the Hermitage of Saint Bartholomew, both in terms of time and space.

Once having left the plain, you go down the path, at every step the wayfarer (a traveler, especially on foot… how beautiful this word is!) distinctly perceives that he is about to enter an absolutely new dimension, for the rhythms of life we are used to are very different.

In addition to time slowing down, one realizes that the surrounding nature releases a primeval energy that is almost visible: in the rocks, in the woods and in the river that flows below.

This and much more certainly draw Pietro Angelerio, better known as Pope Celestine V (1215 – 1296), to choose this (and other places in the Maiella Mountain) as a retreat.

For all of us, used to being always hyper-connected, hyper-stressed and hyper-reactive, a visit to a place like this can only give some relief, being able to rediscover, even for a few hours, the pleasure of being alone with our thoughts, without external interference.

“Beata solitudo, sola beatitudo“, a Latin phrase meaning “Blessed solitude, only happiness.” Perhaps… undeniably they were right .
Yours, Lorenza Destro

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“I deserted the people because their natures were in conflict with mine, and their dreams did not agree with my dreams.… I left man because I found that the wheel of my soul was turning one way and grinding harshly against the wheels of other souls which were turning in the opposite direction.” (Khalil Gibran)