Campli is situated nearly 10 km from Teramo and it is a town rich of story and art.In the past, artists like Giacomo da Campli, Cola D’Amatrice, Giovanbattista Boncori, Donato Teodoro, Vincenzo Baldati and other students of school of Giotto and Raffaello worked here.
In the main square there are two important fourteenth – century monuments: the church of Santa Maria in Platea and the Parliament building. In the church we can admire altar of S.S. Sacramento of ‘ 500, Madonna in wood, tables of Cola Amatrice and in the crypt of frescoes of ‘400. Long the main street there are houses “Del medico”(“Doctor’s house”) and “Casa della Farmacia” (“Pharmacy house”) with courtyards, loggias and Renaissance windows. An other important church is of San Francesco of the first of ‘300, the church of San Giovanni of XIV century and Porta Orientale or Angioina of the same period.
Other important work of architecture in Campli is “Scala Santa” (The Saint Scale), that after some years of being closed was reconstructed by Doctor Tilde di Giacinto, to be opened for the congregation in 1995. 28 steps in wood to climb begging, on knees, give a possibility of absolution of one’s sins. Going up we can admire paintings that represent Christ’s Passion and stages of Christ towards the cross, to live, in simbolic way, suffering of Christ.
In surroundings of the place there is Campovolano, where you can find a church of San Pietro, with a sarcophagus of V century A.D., that represents scenes of The Old Testament. But Campovolano is particulary noticed for Necropolis Picena, where were found tombs of VIII, VIV, X centuries B.C. But it’s only in the half of VIII century that were put bronze vases, pottery vases, jewels and weapons, according to tombs of men or women.
Campli has very old origins, already important in Roman and medieval epoch, it had highest development in 1500 and in 1600, when it became farnesian fief and the Bishop’s seat. Later on the town passed to Bourbons and it was distructed by a earthquake, population decimated by epidemic of typhus and town archives distructed by bandits.