The original settlement of Gessopalena dates back around the year one thousand, as reflected by some quotations contained in ancient documents. The primitive dwellings arose in the place called Valle Sorda (Deaf Valley), on the outskirts of the village which then settled on a rock jutting into the Aventino Valley, in a place defended by its own isolated and inaccessible location. The village, in all probability, was also protected by a castle, also mentioned in ancient documents, it is assumed that this additional defensive element was located near the Church of the Annunciazione, of which few traces remain today. Other churches existed in the village, dedicated to St. Antonio and Our Lady of the Rosary. The Gessopalena name appears only in 1481, when the country passed into the domain of Matteo di Capua, Count of Palena. It's a name that makes clear reference to the numerous chalk quarries in the area, which gave a long job opportunities and income to the inhabitants, at least until the last years of the nineteenth century. Several catastrophic events struck Gessopalena over the centuries: a landslide in 1850 led to the collapse of the entire center of the village, causing a division in two of the town. Then an earthquake in 1933 severely damaged the country, prompting residents to leave the settlement early to move into a safer area, around the church of Santa Maria die Raccomandati. Finally, during the Second World War they produced more destruction further damage.  Today the old village is reduced to a series of ruins, so that seems like a little Pompeii of Abruzzo. However, it may be interesting to visit, noticing the homes of long ago also had underground rooms and other outbuildings, such as niches, staircases, fireplaces, excavating the rock made of chalk: a way to make up for scarce financial resources supplying hospitalization family offered, so to speak, from the same nature.