Capracotta, located on the border with Abruzzo, is the highest municipality in south-central Italy at 1,421 m above sea level and is known as the “Snow Queen” for its heavy snowfall. In March 2015, it recorded a record snowfall, which was included in the Guinness World Record. The highest peak is Monte Campo (1,730 m).
The name Capracotta dates back to the Middle Ages and derives from a Longobard ritual involving the sacrifice of a goat to consecrate a new settlement. Although prehistoric, Samnite and Roman artifacts have been found, the town appears to have originated in the 7th century AD with the Lombard conquest of the Mezzogiorno.
Among the places of artistic interest is the church of Santa Maria in Cielo Assunta, with its three-aisled interior, an altar with balustrade, a wooden baptismal font, and the sculptural group of the Visitation. At the entrance to the village is the church of Our Lady of Loreto, while at the foot of Monte Campo stands the church of Santa Lucia.
Capracotta holds important historical evidence: at Monte Cavallerizzo there are remains of Samnite walls, while at Fonte Romito the Tavola Osca, now in the British Museum in London, was found in 1848.
From a naturalistic point of view, the localities of Prato Gentile, La Guardata and the Garden of Apennine Flora stand out, as well as the peaks of Monte Capraro and Monte Campo. The lush pastures offer striking landscapes: green in summer and snow-covered in winter, with ski slopes for cross-country skiers.
Capracotta has a long tailoring tradition, with more than 1,000 tailors emigrating in the 1900s, including Ciro Giuliano and Sebastiano Di Rienzo, former presidents of the National Academy of Tailors.
Local traditions are alive and participated in. The feast of Our Lady of Loreto, Sept. 7-9, draws distant villagers with an evocative procession. At Christmas time there are the Maitunate, itinerant carols of good wishes. Important is the Pezzata, a festival of barbecued or stewed sheep meat, held on the first Sunday in August in Prato Gentile. The patronal feast of St. Sebastian, traditionally on January 20, has been moved to the second Sunday in July due to winter difficulties.
Typical dishes, in addition to Pezzata, include polenta alla pecorara or with pork rinds and beans, typical of the winter season.