Abruzzo

Abruzzo is the greenest region in Europe, with a third of its land protected in national parks. The Gran Sasso and the Majella are the highest peaks of the Apennines, and in the Abruzzo National Park you can still meet the Marsican brown bear and the wolf.

Medieval villages such as Santo Stefano di Sessanio and Scanno seem frozen in time, while the Adriatic coast is known for the Trabocchi, old wooden fishing platforms over the sea. Arrosticini skewers and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wine are the local favourites.

The green region of Europe

Abruzzo is called the green region of Europe because about a third of its territory is protected by three national parks, a regional park and dozens of reserves. Here the Apennines reach their highest peaks, with the Corno Grande of the Gran Sasso, almost three thousand metres high, and the Majella, the mother mountain. In less than an hour you go from snow-capped peaks to the Adriatic Sea, along a coast of sandy beaches and trabocchi fishing platforms. Abruzzo is a land of shepherds and transhumance, of medieval hill villages, castles, hermitages and abbeys, of ancient traditions and of genuine, flavourful cooking. It is an authentic region, still little known to international tourism.

L'Aquila and the Gran Sasso

L'Aquila, the regional capital, is an art city wounded by the 2009 earthquake and now largely rebuilt. The Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, with its facade of white and pink checks, holds the tomb of Pope Celestine V and every year, at the end of August, hosts the Perdonanza, a UNESCO intangible heritage celebration. The Fountain of the 99 Spouts, the Spanish Fort and the Basilica of San Bernardino are other symbols. North of the city rises the Gran Sasso, with the Campo Imperatore plateau, called little Tibet for its boundless landscapes and reached by cable car from Fonte Cerreto. At the foot of the massif are villages such as Santo Stefano di Sessanio, with its Medici tower, and Castel del Monte, and Rocca Calascio, one of the highest fortresses in Italy and the set of famous films.

The Majella and its villages

The Majella, a sacred mountain for the people of Abruzzo, is a national park rich in hermitages carved into the rock, such as those of Sant'Onofrio and San Bartolomeo, linked to Pope Celestine V, and in trails through beech woods and valleys. Sulmona, the poet Ovid's birthplace, is famous for its colourful sugared almonds and has a medieval aqueduct and the fine Piazza Garibaldi. Around it are beautiful villages such as Pacentro, with its Caldora castle, and Scanno, overlooking its heart-shaped lake, where some women still wear traditional dress. Pescocostanzo, on the Cinquemiglia plateau, is famous for its bobbin lace and its stone historic centre.

The Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park

Founded in 1923, the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park is one of the oldest parks in Europe and the refuge of the Marsican brown bear, the Apennine wolf and the Abruzzo chamois. Its ancient beech forests are a UNESCO site. Pescasseroli, Civitella Alfedena and Opi are the main villages, with visitor centres, wildlife areas and trails for every level. At dawn and dusk, with a little luck and accompanied by expert guides, you can spot red deer and, more rarely, the bear. Lake Barrea and the Camosciara are among the most evocative places in the park.

The Trabocchi Coast and the sea

The Abruzzo coast is about one hundred and thirty kilometres long. In the north fine sandy beaches prevail, with resorts such as Giulianova, Roseto degli Abruzzi, Alba Adriatica and Pescara, the region's largest city and birthplace of Gabriele D'Annunzio, with a lively seafront and nightlife. South of Ortona begins the Trabocchi Coast, one of the most beautiful stretches of the Adriatic, with pebble coves, cliffs and a cycle path built on the old railway line. The trabocchi, old wooden fishing machines on stilts, are now often restaurants where you eat fresh fish suspended above the sea. Vasto, with its old town overlooking the gulf, and the Punta Aderci reserve close the coast towards Molise.

Villages, castles and abbeys

Abruzzo has dozens of villages that rank among the most beautiful in Italy. Civitella del Tronto, with its enormous Bourbon fortress, was the last stronghold of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Atri has a cathedral with fifteenth-century frescoes and badlands all around, and Penne and Città Sant'Angelo are brick villages on the hills. Chieti, one of the oldest cities in Italy, has an archaeological museum with the Warrior of Capestrano, a symbol of the region. Lanciano preserves a Eucharistic miracle and a medieval old town. The abbeys of San Clemente a Casauria, San Giovanni in Venere by the sea and Santa Maria di Propezzano are masterpieces of Abruzzo Romanesque.

Food and wine

Abruzzo's cooking is linked to sheep farming and the land. Arrosticini, skewers of mutton grilled over embers, are the region's symbol and are eaten by the dozen. Maccheroni alla chitarra, cut on a frame strung with wires, are served with a mixed-meat ragù, and sagne pasta with pulses. Brodetto from Vasto, pallotte cacio e uova, cheese and egg balls, ventricina, a spicy salami, pecorino from Farindola and saffron from L'Aquila, among the finest in the world, are other typical products. Solina bread, Sulmona's sugared almonds, parrozzo cake from Pescara and ferratelle wafers complete the table. Among the wines are Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, Cerasuolo rosé and Pecorino, an aromatic white.

Traditions and festivals

Abruzzo preserves very ancient traditions. In Cocullo, on 1 May, the procession of the Serpari carries the statue of Saint Dominic covered with live snakes, a ritual rooted in pre-Roman cults. In Sulmona, on Easter Sunday, the Madonna che scappa is celebrated, with the statue of the Virgin carried at a run to meet the risen Christ. Transhumance, recognised by UNESCO as intangible heritage, shaped life in the mountains for centuries, and the tratturi, the ancient grassy droving roads, can still be followed on foot. In summer the villages come alive with festivals devoted to arrosticini, sagne and local produce.

Sport and outdoor activities

In winter Abruzzo offers skiing at Roccaraso, Rivisondoli and Campo Felice, the largest resorts in the Apennines, as well as cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on the plateaus. In summer the Gran Sasso and the Majella are ideal for hiking, climbing and via ferrata routes, while the rivers offer rafting and canyoning. The Via Verde along the Trabocchi Coast is perfect for cycling by the sea, and the Way of Saint Thomas links Rome with Ortona. Nature lovers can go birdwatching in the reserves and follow the park trails with authorised guides.

When to go and how to get around

Summer is the season for the sea and high-altitude hiking, with cool temperatures in the mountains. Spring and autumn are ideal for the villages, the parks and the colours of the woods, and autumn is also the season of the deer rut and the saffron harvest. Winter is perfect for skiing and living nativity scenes. Pescara is served by trains along the Adriatic coast and to Rome; L'Aquila and Sulmona can be reached by bus and train, but for the villages and parks a car is essential. Abruzzo Airport in Pescara is the main airport, and Rome is less than two hours away by motorway.