Collepardo is a beautiful village in Ciociaria, known as the town of Herbs and Caves. Surrounded by the Ernici mountains, the historic centre is a grid of alleys, squares and narrow streets alternating with picturesque views of the Ciociaria hills.
The village has been awarded the prestigious Orange Flag, assigned by the Italian Touring Club for the quality of its tourist-environmental development.
Grotte of Collepardo
The mainly karstic territory is characterised by particular geological phenomena. Not to be missed is the stalactite and stalagmite spectacle of the Collepardo Caves, or ‘dei Bambocci’, due to the unusual figures formed by stalactites and stalagmites. Also of great naturalistic interest is the path in the Flora Ernica Botanical Garden. Inside, the garden houses no less than 500 spontaneous species of Apennine flora.
Pozzo d’Antullo
And then there is the great chasm: the Pozzo d’Antullo. With a maximum depth of 70 m and a circumference of 300 m, the bottom of the cavity is covered by rich and lush vegetation, with trees up to 20 metres high.
The majestic Trisulti Charterhouse
Collepardo is home to the Carthusian Monastery of Trisulti, an impressive 13th-century monastic complex that was remodelled in the Baroque period.
The Pharmacy in the Trisulti Charterhouse
This National Monument from 1873 has a famous liquor store and pharmacy with furniture, vases and crystal from the 17th century.
Italian garden inside the monastic complex
And then there are the wonderful Italian-style gardens, with labyrinthine hedges and flower beds full of flower arrangements.
An unusual curiosity not to be overlooked: the clock without hours. On three of the four sides of the Carthusian Monastery’s bell tower, there is a clock face, each with a single hand that marks only the minutes, with no indication of the hours. To know the correct time, you have to listen to the tolling of the bells.