Territorial survey of the town

Civitella del Tronto is located in the northern area of the Abruzzo region and, from the slopes of the mountain chains of Montagna dei Fiori and Montagna di Campli, stretches down towards the Adriatic sea, through valleys crossed by the Tronto river, and the Salinello and Vibrata torrents.
Like many other centres, Civitella is built on one of the hills, 30 km north of the sea and 18 km north of Teramo, following the course of the Vibrata torrent. Human settlements on hills, over the sides of wide valleys are a typical feature of all the inland coastal strip of the Abruzzo region. The routes leading to the interior of the territory were all made along the valleys, which always lie orthogonally to the coast. These routes intersected the longitudinal communication routes in the obligatory passages of the peninsula from north to south.
The village lies in a panoramic position, with its back to rock and with a series of bastions extending sheer on each side. The hill mainly consists of sandstone and clay, is extremely steep on the north-west side whereas there is a slight slope in the south- east direction. The east side is less impervious and in the past it soon became clear that important fortifications were needed there.
The hill of Civitella is in a strategic position along the boundary between the Aprutina and Ascoli valleys and for this reason the village very soon had a specific military function.
In the most well-known literary dissertations on this territory, Civitella has always been described as well-protected, thanks to its high position and to the layout of the inhabited centre, sheltered by the fort on the crown of the hill and following its longitudinal development.