It is a municipality located in the National Park of Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga, in the province of L'Aquila. An ideal starting point for pleasant excursions to the beautiful mountains of the Abruzzo region. The name clearly indicates the existence of a fortified village perched on a hill. The area was inhabited since ancient times by Italic populations, also evidenced by the discovery of a necropolis dating to the XI century B.C. Subsequently it became part of the Roman Emprie and with the beginning of the Barbarian invasions, the local population was forced to flee further upstream, creating a defensive watchtower at the highest point. It was mentioned for the first time in a papal bulletin of 1223 with the name of Castellum de Monte. In 1298 the accounts Acquaviva took possession of the village, until they had to cede it to Alessandro Sforza, followed by the Piccolomini, the Medici, until finally in 1743 it became part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Not to miss:
- the Parish Church entitled to St. Mark the Evangelist, built between the XIV and XV centuries in Renaissance-Baroque style;
- the Church of Our Lady of Suffrage, from the first half of the XV century, with splendid Baroque decorations and an altar, 12 meters high, in carved wood and gilt, depicting a statue of the Virgin;
- the Church of San Rocco, built after the plague of 1656;
- the Church of St. Catherine;
- the Governor's Palace (XV-XVI century);
- Palazzo Colelli;
- the Ricetto;
- the antique gateways: Porta San Rocco, Porta Santa Maria and Porta Sant' Ubaldo.