Abruzzo
Why go?
The Abruzzo is one of Italy's hidden gems. Just a couple of
hours from Rome, and 1 hour from Pescara on the east coast, you
find yourself in wild mountainous landscapes dotted with hilltop
hamlets, crumbling castles, deep forests, turquoise lakes,
semi-Alpine peaks and wild flowers which persist right through the
summer.
But it's not just the scenery which impresses: the people are among
the friendliest in Italy, the air is cool and clear, and the food
is the kind of hearty, rustic fare - almost always grown
within a few miles - that tastes wonderfully wholesome and sets you
up for an energetic day of sightseeing.
Linger for half a day in the main towns of L'Aquila (epicentre of a
devastating earthquake in 2010, but fast being rebuilt) or Teramo
(a provincial capital) and you'll find Renaissance-style
palazzi and pretty piazzas with open-air sculptures and
bustling markets.
Two of our favourite mountain hamlets are Santo Stefano di
Sessanio, whose artfully weathered houses conceal a score of
immaculately restored hotel rooms; and Castel di Monte,
perched on a hilltop and famous for its pecorino cheese. Near here,
the plateaus and rolling green hills of Campo Imperatore make for
delightful rambling and mountain biking (or cross country skiing in
winter).
And looming above, at the heart of the homonymous National Park, is
the Gran Sasso d'Italia ('Great Stone of Italy'), the
highest peak in the Apennines at 2,912m, and an exhilarating
scramble for keen mountaineers.
Further south, in another national park bordering the neighbouring
regions of Lazio and Molise, Barrea is one of the area's most
beautiful hilltop towns, with ancient churches and fabulous views
over its valley and lake; while idyllic Lago di Scanno, the
Abruzzo's showpiece lake, has some of the most emerald (and icy)
waters imaginable! It's not much further to Alba Fucens, a Roman
town with an amphitheatre, shrine and Medieval church.
For those who want to combine mountains with sea, the coast around
Pescara offers sandy beaches and watersports, with very few
foreign tourists. You can choose between empty shingle coves and
buzzy lidos with umbrellas and beach bars. A distinctive feature of
this coast is the trabocco (or trabucco), a spidery wooden
structure built over the sea that is used for line fishing.
With thanks to
Giovanni Di Gregorio
and to
"ste"
for their photos