Entrance to the Lecceta of Torino di Sangro

THE PRESENT LECCETA: THE ONLY TESTIMONY OF A MEDIEVAL FEUD
Until the end of the eighteenth century Torino di Sangro could have a large extension of wooded territory between the L’Aquila-Foggia sheep track and the Adriatic coast which included the current Lecceta; over two thirds of the other wooded patch was cut between 1806 and the following two decades. Abbot Antonio di S. Giovanni In Venere entered into a lease contract at the University of Turin of the fiefdom of Civita di Sangro for the price of 240 ducats. The fiefdom bordered the territory of Turin, the Adriatic Sea, the Sangro river and the territory of Rocca dell'Osento. Sangro castle was completely ruined and the monastery received no income there. The University of Turin was granted a perpetual lease with the obligation to pay an annual fee of 7 gold ducats to be paid on the feast of St. John the Baptist. This lack of formal and contractual clarity led to undue appropriations and claims that lasted until well into the eighteenth century. In 1739 the University of Turin appealed to the Royal Hearing to invalidate Benedetto Betti's claim against the rent of acorn pasture in the woods: another claim that committed the University.

Warning! The trail through the holm oak forest is quite steep and is interrupted about halfway due to a fallen tree.