Crecchio is a small rural village in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

Historical sources date Crecchio back to at least the 11th century, and archaeological evidence suggests it was inhabited at least as far back as the Roman era. Its main vocation is agriculture and tourism, yet small family conducted businesses exist. The territory stretches out for 19.36km² and it has a population of 3153 (as of 2000).

Geography

Crecchio is located about 10km from the Adriatic coast in the southern-central part of the Abruzzo region, in the province of Chieti . Crecchio is easily reachable from the A14 motorway (Ortona exit), the main Italian traffic artery of the Adriatic coast. Once out of the motorway, the direction to follow is towards Guardiagrele and the Maiella mountain.

The morphology of the area is dominated by an alternation of hills and valleys. The elevation of the village centre is about 208m above sea level.

Economy

The economy is mainly based on agriculture where vineyards and olive trees dominate the hills and valleys. The main vines that are grown are Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Trebbiano. The first produces a dense red wine while Trebbiano grapes produce a rich white table wine.

The few business activities are mainly focused on the textile and mechanical industry.

History

The castle is famous for being the site of an event during the second world war when, on September 10th, 1943, after the armistice, King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy, in flight from Rome, spent a night in the castle before leaving Italy from the port of Ortona.

Tourism

The tourist attraction of Crecchio is mainly due to the medieval castle that dominates the hill where the centre of the village lies. An Etruscan and Byzantine museum, which registers many visitors each year, is located inside the castle.