Bominaco is a tiny village in the Abruzzo hills, about 30 km from L'Aquila and most easily reached by car. There is not much to the village itself — a handful of houses and a castle ruin on the hill above — but it holds two churches that are among the finest in central Italy.
The Oratorio di San Pellegrino contains a complete cycle of thirteenth-century frescoes that ranks as a national treasure: vivid biblical scenes covering every surface in rich blues, reds, and golds. Photography is not permitted inside, and rightly so — the pigments are fragile. Next door, Santa Maria Assunta is an eleventh-century Romanesque church with three apses, beautiful in its austerity.
You need to arrange access through the local custodian, who lives nearby. It is a short detour if you are driving between L'Aquila and Sulmona, and absolutely worth it.