The Piano of the Dead

The succession of plots of stretches of plateaus or portions of flat land, located around at an altitude of about 1200 meters above sea level which, surrounded by small hills, are distributed from Set towards the north up to the hamlet Leofara of the Municipality of Valle Castellana form the beautiful territory called, strangely, Piano dei Morti.
The name is due to the fact that it was the scene of the last battle, around 1600, between the Brigands of Santuccio Da Froscia and an army of Calabrian Bourbon gendarmes which ended with a great bloodshed and loss of numerous lives.

In contradiction to the literal meaning of the name, the Piano Dei Morti is perhaps the most beautiful succession of enchanting panoramic observation points in Central Italy. From some positions all the most important mountain groups of the Central Apennines are visible.
There are many legends of brigands, wayfarers, witches and ghosts that are linked to these places.
Il Piano Dei Morti it is the path of the road that intercepts many paths, which lead to many hamlets of the Municipality of Rocca Santa Maria and Valle Castellana and, in ancient times, it was the place of passage for all those who went to Teramo, Ascoli Piceno or towards Campli and Civitella Del Tronto.