The little mediaeval town of Isola del gran Sasso lies in the heart of the Valle Siciliana, at the foot of the stately Gran Sasso and represents an ideal destination for those who love mountains and all the riches that only such a territory can offer.

Today the large tourist turnout is principally linked to the presence of the famous Sanctuary of San Gabriele dell'Addolorata, one of the main destinations for religious tourism within the region, which attracts millions of pilgrims from all over the world.

Evocative and suggestive are also San Giovanni ad Insulam, one of the most significant religious edifices of Abruzzo Roman-gothic style and the many ancient hermitages scattered within the area that testify the former presence of saints and hermits. At over one thousand metres of altitude, the hermitage of San Nicola, was commissioned by San Pier Damiani in the 16^th century. Above the hamlet of Pretara, the  hermitage of Santa Colomba, recalls the story of the daughter of the Counts of Pagliara who had retired to pray and do penance thus abandoning the comforts of the paternal castle.

Finally the 19th-century Hermitage of Fra'Nicola, better known as la Grotta di Frattagrande, was chosen by the last of the Hermits of the Gran Sasso as the place to spend his days dedicated to meditation.

Worthwhile is the visit to the historical centre of Isola and in particular to the Castello dell'Insula, that is confined between three gates and hosts the 16th-century Palazetto with stone portal and inner courtyard. The living unit bears a 15th-century portal with mullioned windows. A little further from Isola, in Pagliara, the remains of the Pagliara Castle are still to be seen while in the surroundings of Cerchiara, in the Piana San Valentino pre-Roman and Roman testimonies have been excavated.