Rocca San Giovanni is a small town in the province of Chieti located on the top of a rocky hill that rises 155 meters above sea level between the mouth of the river Sangro and that of the river Feltrino. The first traces of the town, found in a diploma signed by Emperor Henry III addressed to the Monastery of San Giovanni in Venere, date back to 1047.

But it is 1076 the year that marks the birth of the first real inhabited nucleus. Of clear medieval imprint, Rocca San Giovanni, placed on a rocky spur and surrounded entirely by cultivated fields, in the thirteenth century, thanks to the will of Abbot Oderisio II, lives a period of splendor: the circle of the town is enlarged; It is built a mighty wall and three quadrangular towers with the aim of giving shelter, in case of assaults, to the monks belonging to the Abbey of San Giovanni in Venere; also churches and monuments are built that with time, unfortunately, have been lost.

There are some remains of the walls, a tower and the bell tower, buildings now skilfully restored. To see, in Romanesque style with three naves, also the church of San Matteo Apostolo and the Town Hall of the nineteenth century, of classical inspiration, home to an interesting collection of works of art: sculptures, paintings, engravings, expertly arranged along the steps of honor and in the council room, are there to witness the love for art by the citizens. You should also visit the historic center of the village characterized by small alleys that once pulsated with life and that gradually you are reviving.

Descending along the course, you reach a beautiful panoramic terrace from which you can admire the valley below. Vallevò, nestled between a caressing sea and soft hills, Vallevò gathers all in a fist: a handful of low houses overlooking the vegetable gardens, some Trabocchi, and a home port populated by small boats. A piece of land miraculously escaped the contagion of modern construction. For those coming from the Highway 16, the indication Vallevò already sounds like an invitation to discover one of the most picturesque corners of the coast of Abruzzo. The Adriatica passes through the village surrounded by lush vegetation: olive, orange, medlar, are mixed with the dense Mediterranean vegetation.

Stalls set up here and there enrich the traveller with the abundance of local products: baskets full of fish and seafood are accompanied by vegetables and citrus. For those who want to go to the beach, it is advisable to park the car to walk on the paths that lead to the sea. Among bushes of broom and handkerchiefs of cultivated land, there are suggestive views. The coast, mostly rocky, is bordered by white pebble beaches. The sea, crystal clear, takes on shades of cobalt blue where it touches the rocks and melts into the crystalline greens along the gravel stretches.

The hinterland of Vallevò, like the coast, offers not negligible reasons of interest: the morphology of the soil is in fact characterized by the presence of depressions, the so-called Fossi, which are located perpendicular to the coast. The ditches are crossed by streams and host, among the vegetation, natural caves, which were, during the war, safe hiding places for partisans and displaced. The most interesting ditch in the area of Vallevò is certainly the Farfalle that marks the municipal border between the territories of San Vito and Rocca San Giovanni.

Inside, also for the presence of waters that flow perennials fed by small springs, is enclosed an unexpected treasure chest of beauty and natural values of great interest. The high and constant humidity allows the development of a luxuriant vegetation typical of the wider river valleys, rich in tree and shrub species such as poplars, willows, elms and more rarely the black alder and the oak, an oak with distinct hygrophilous characteristics. As for the animal kingdom, however, the mustelids are common, in particular the marten and the badger, and the small rodents such as the muscardino and the quercino mouse. Particularly interesting is the presence of the now rare river crab, the Potamon fluviatile.