Perched at an altitude of 1,250 meters in the heart of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park halfway between Pescasseroli and Villetta Barrea, you can discover Opi, one of the villages that has preserved intact the charm of Abruzzo’s mountain villages. Surrounded by mountains, picturesque valleys and lush beech forests, it is set on a rocky promontory so as to dominate the valley below where the Sangro River flows undisturbed. The town, built around the year one thousand, still retains the characteristics of an ancient medieval village where in the oldest part you can find a narrow gorge carved by the river where there is the Chamois Museum flanked by a wildlife area where some chamois specimens live in semi-freedom.
The village has fewer than 400 inhabitants but for the past year has been experiencing a popularity linked to the success of “Un mondo a parte,” the film by Riccardo Milani starring Antonio Albanese and Virginia Raffaele. In fact, there are not a few intrigued tourists who travel to Opi to try to unearth what sceneries are discovered within the film, especially the scenic places and areas, but in addition to Nature taking the lead, the village also has several historical architectures to discover.
Walking through the streets of the center, one encounters a 17th-century palace, which is the current seat of the town hall, but also of note are the Mother Church of Santa Maria Assunta, located halfway between the new center and the historic center, damaged several times by earthquakes and rebuilt in its present form in the 17th century, while on the main square one can appreciate the Church of St. John the Baptist, a former private chapel, built in the early 17th century. Also attractive in the village is the Ski and Mountain Museum, which houses a small exhibition of ski equipment used in the last century, accompanied by a photographic collection.
There is also no shortage of opportunities for hiking, walking, horseback riding or mountain biking along the park’s more than fifty trails. For winter sports lovers, there is a 5-kilometer ring where cross-country skiing or snowshoeing can be practiced, activities that can be carried out without the need for facilities, thus immersed in the wildest nature, among snow-covered woods and beech forests, leaving the area pristine.
