Opi, Abruzzo, Italian comune
Opi is a small town sitting on a rocky hilltop in the mountains within a national park in Italy. It features narrow, steep streets lined with old stone houses built close together that retain a medieval layout and structure.
Opi was founded around the year 1000 when people built houses with walls facing each other to protect against attacks. The compact arrangement and fortification show how carefully the settlement was designed as a defensive village.
The name Opi may derive from a Latin word meaning a protected place or small fortress. The houses are built closely together, as they were centuries ago for defense, and this arrangement shapes today's narrow alleys and stone passages that define the town's character.
The route to reach the town involves driving up a winding, steep road with many curves through mountain landscapes, so careful driving is necessary. Parking is available just outside the town center along Via Domenico Ursitti, and exploration is best done on foot through the very narrow and steep streets of the historic core.
The Belvedere V'ttale offers views across distant peaks such as Monte Greco and Monte Amaro, serving as a vantage point that reveals why this area has remained important to people for many generations. Another distinctive feature is the old water tank from around 1903, a reminder of efforts to modernize the town in the early 20th century.
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