The scarcity of documents and the abundance of legends told about Scanno and the lake of the same name make it difficult to reconstruct its history. There has been much debate even about the etymology of the name. Some traced it back to eastern villages (Macua Scamnos, on the shores of the Red Sea); or to the stool shape of the offshoot of the Hill where it lies. Probably, and reliably, Scamnum was the term that indicated the border that divided the centurie in which a land, conquered by Roman troops, was divided and assigned to the property of veterans/ peasants.

Already in prehistoric times, signs of settlements have been found on the massif of Mount Genzana, east of Lake Scanno, dating back to the Paleolithic (about 400,000-350,000 years ago), and constitute the first evidence of ever interrupted human presence. The reason is simple: only on the Genzana massif there are about 40 springs of pure water and abundant pastures of the highest quality.

Wool made the wealth of the country. The sheep of Scanno were black, small in size and with lower quality wool, but the Scannesi held for centuries an important share of this wool fruit at the market of Foggia. The market for black wool had different parameters than the more valuable white variety (maiorina and aenina), nevertheless this variety of product fed a market of considerable economic importance, made of local manufactures that produced for religious bodies and for the military. Thanks to the wool, in the historic center, from the late Renaissance to the Baroque, a fantastic history has been written in stone, with an architecture of rare harmony: evocative roof escapes, houses and buildings, picturesque views, from the external staircases to the houses on the steep alleys, small shelters, dark Andites. The numerous palaces and the many rich urban and rural churches (14 still existing) embellish the country, testifying to the well-being achieved, which also favored the cultural growth of many wealthy families. The children studied in Naples and in the village they cultivated literary arts and music. The exhibitions of the Wool Museum tell this story, secular and religious.

A decisive blow to the Armenian industry, already declining since the beginning of the 20th century, was given by the occupying Germans who, in 1943, seized about 25,000 animals and sent them to Germany for food consumption. The migratory flow, internal and foreign, already in existence since the beginning of the last century, was accentuated, towards Europe and the Americas. It is thought that in 1921 there were more than 4,000 residents, while currently they barely exceed 1,700. Due to its environmental and ethnographic peculiarities, Scanno has been a destination for illustrious Italian and foreign travellers since the 18th century. The tourism industry was born in the early twentieth century. The first real hotel, the Pace, was inaugurated in 1906, but the real development is due in large part to our emigrants who, returned to the country with savings, have courageously invested in tourism initiatives, avoiding complete depopulation. Today Scanno is an established summer and winter resort, with hotels, restaurants, shops, craft shops of considerable and recognized quality. Scanno is famous for the originality and beauty of the traditional female dress; dress, not "costume" since it is still worn daily by a few elderly.

Every year, on August 14, the re-enactment of the ancient wedding procession takes place. The dress was entirely produced by women. The processing of wool and fabrics was carried out during autumn and winter, when the flocks moved to the Tavoliere delle Puglie and the women remained alone. The workforce, in fact, was exclusively female. In each family there was a small wool mill: the little ones and the old were the "workers"; the women carded, spun, warped, woven, dyed. Consider that when the King of Naples, Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, founded in San Leucio, near Caserta, one of the most famous silk factories in the world, called as a teacher of weaving and dyeing Colomba Mancinelli, scanned. The art of dyeing took place through original procedures and jealously handed down by women. For the colouration the active ingredients were extracted from plants (leaves, roots and barks) and from insects (the purple cynipe). Only indigo was purchased; it was dissolved with acidic substances that served to fix the color and, through a fermentation process, blue and its gradations were obtained. In the 1800s the dress underwent significant changes, both in color and shape. The colors became dark, the headgear (caps) gradually became sophisticated, up to take on the current form, which characterizes the clothing of the single woman scannese. The set of elements that form this sort of turban are "only" resting on the head.

This forces the wearer to maintain an upright posture, an attitude that gives a proud and matronal posture, which has impressed many scholars and that attracts every eye. "Ju cappellitte" was worn only on feast days (religious celebrations, weddings, special occasions). For daily use women cover the head with a simple square handkerchief, of various colors, "ju maccature", folded transversely and tied behind the nape so as to drop two tails on the shoulders. The dress is also enriched by jewelry and lace. The production of bobbin lace begins in the mid-800 when "ju cummudine", the bodice of the dress, is enriched with the "neckline", a lace sewn precisely around the neckline. This art came to Scanno from nearby towns such as Pescocostanzo, where it was used by the wives of the master masons of Como, called at the beginning of the '700 to rebuild the villages destroyed or damaged by earthquakes of the late '600 and 1703 (Aquila) and 1706 (Morrone). It quickly spread in families and still today many women of Scanno practice this art, recently used in an innovative way even in local jewelry. Jewellery was already flourishing at the end of 1970, when the historian Michele Torcia wrote: ".... Circeglie adorn their ears; they are gold pendants in subtly filigree or solid of value; the neck is a lanyard or is a chain of the same fine metal work accompanied by other threads of "canacchi with Crucifix or other image of Saints, and also necklaces of Venetian mints. Generally the image rests on the chest under the fallback of the described long necklaces. Even the fingers are to be charged with thin rings with stones and without stones, according to the faculty of the families..."

The coins were obviously the result of trade with buyers of wool and cloths, also coming from Tuscany and Veneto, while the art of processing came from nearby Sulmona, Pescocostanzo and Guardiagrele. Some wealthy breeders and owners invested capital in this new business, still thriving in Scanno. The shop windows are full of objects, created in the past centuries to enrich the dress mills and are still today the testimony of an ancient tradition that faithfully reproduces, reworks and creates refined jewelry. Walking along the streets of the old town, in fact, it is inevitable to be attracted by the windows of goldsmiths who proudly display their creations, made with the same passion of ancestors..

Scanno covers 134.4 square kilometers of territory, third in Abruzzo, after Aquila and Teramo; extension that goes beyond the natural borders, linked to the need to obtain summer pastures enough for the tens of thousands of sheep owned for many centuries. Mountainous territory, with the low summit occupied by the lake, the most important Italian natural barrier basin that fascinates lovers with its heart shape. An important part of its territory is included in the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise. The attention to conservation, protection and environmental improvement are shown by the many awards obtained. Scanno, in addition to being a Blue Flag (water quality), is part of the most beautiful villages in Italy (National Association); Breath Villages (air quality)The Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club (founded in 1894, it now has 280,000 members in Italy. Along the 1200 km of the entire Apennine ridge there are about 240 peaks that reach 2000 meters. The territory of Scanno counts 14, a real record! A so vast and varied extension, covering 1000 meters of altitude, obviously has a richness and variety equally important also for the aspects related to the flora and fauna. Walking along the meadows, the shores of the lake or rivers, through the large pastures at high altitude, or still immersed in beech forests and glades, you will come across true miracles of nature with wild orchids, colorful butterflies, majestic trees and forest rich in wild fruits. Breathtaking views are visible from every altitude, The lake is rich in fish and birds of many species. The activity and navigation are regulated by strict rules, to protect the fauna and water quality.

Normal are the encounters with deer, less frequent with bears and even wolves. Because of the geographical isolation (the first driveway was opened in the early 1900s), Scanno has preserved intact thousand-year traditions, lived by the population as identity and not tourist. In addition to the "Catenaccio", already mentioned, we mention two other, among the many still practiced: the "Chezette" of 5 January and the "Glorie di San Martino, of 10 November. The "Chezette" are probably among the most evocative manifestations of Abruzzo and Scannese folklore, both for the itinerant nature of the songs of the collection, once proposed by children under the windows of wealthy women, with sneers and requests for food, both for the charm of the views that the village offers in winter. Young people for the occasion wear the "hoods", black cloth tabards, hand-woven by women and "hang" The Glories are part of the rituals, many in Italy, related to the fire and to the peasant New Year. In Scanno the ritual retains originality and meanings quite unique. The Glories are a part of the rituals.