The Morrone mountain range rises in the central Apennines in Abruzzo and overlooks the city of Sulmona (AQ). It has a long, narrow ridge, compact and bare, of limestone and dolomite rock. The archaeological site of the Roman sanctuary dedicated to Hercules Curinus stands on a terrace of the mountain. A bronze statuette of resting Hercules was found here, an extraordinarily beautiful artefact which experts believe is a Lisippo original and is today conserved in the Archaeological Museum Nazionale d'Abruzzo in Chieti. Two church settlements linked to Pope Celestine V (born Pietro Angelerio) give the mountain a taste of the spiritual: the Hermitage of Sant’Onofrio and the Abbey of Santo Spirito al Morrone which is situated at the foot of the mountains in Badia di Sulmona. The ruins of the ancient Castello di Orsa can be seen near the hermitage. The historical borghi of Pacentro and Roccacasale perched on the mountains with their fairy-tale castles are particularly picturesque.
