Arquata del Tronto is located on the border of the Marche, Abruzzo and Lazio. Dominated by two mountain ranges – Sibillini and Laga –, Arquata del Tronto is the only municipality in Europe whose territory falls within the area of influence of two natural parks, the Sibillini Range National Park and the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga Park.

The old village has a distinctive Medieval fortress that still seems to dominate and watch over Via Salaria, while outside the scattered hamlets are delightful, including the charming Spelonga, a small cluster of houses at 910 metres above sea level, with surviving sixteenth-century houses. Each August, the Festa Bella is organized here, a re-enactment of the battle of Lepanto in 1521, in which the inhabitants of Arquata fought heroically and stole a Turkish flag, still to be seen in the frescoed church of Sant’Agata, with its decorated sixteenth-century altars.

In the hamlet of Capodacqua, along with several old houses with typical wooden walkways known as “verdesca”, we can admire the sixteenth-century church of Madonna del Sole, with its octagonal layout and frescoes of Our Lady of the Assumption, attributed to Cola d’Amatrice.

The church of Madonna della Neve is in the hamlet of Faete, in a panoramic position behind a forest of chestnut trees. The small church has large portico on the façade with frescoes attributed to Pietro Alemanno and Panfilo da Spoleto, probably built near point where snow was collected in the past, used for various purposes such as food storage.