Abruzzo

home to many of the best preserved medieval and Renaissance hilltop villages and towns in Italy.

Our travels in the Abruzzo Region

The Region of Abruzzo, also known as Abruzzi, is in Southern Italy and has four provinces: L’Aquila, Teramo, Pescara, and Chieti. Its western border is 80 km east of Rome. Abruzzo has a mountainous area in the west and a coastal area in the east with beaches on the Adriatic Sea. Almost half of the region’s is protected as parks and nature reserves - that a higher percentage than any other Region.

Our first visit was in 2005. We were passing through going from the West to East coast. On the east coast of Italy, the Abruzzo Coast has beautiful clear waters and sandy beaches that seem to stretch on forever! The majority of the region is made up of mountains/hills.

Roads tend to run between mountains so keep this in mind as driving around the region is dependent on working the valleys. While the coast line is very scenic, some areas can be best viewed from afar due to the amount of modern development. I guess everyplace can't be an old fishing village!

L'Aquila

Luckily our first visit to this town was before the 2009 earthquake. That devastating earthquake hit the town of L'Aquila and from the reports there was considerable damage to the old structures. We will have to go back and see the town again. The G8 Summit was held in the town in the summer of 2009, as planned, and I would think that high profile events like this are good in terms of getting funding for reconstruction work.

More on L'Aquila

photo: mytravellinglens.com - Basilica di Santa Maria di Collemaggio

Giulianova

Giulianova is one of the coastal towns that has a small medieval section set back from the beach area. The Santa Maria a Mare, a Romanesque monument with interesting bas-reliefs on its façade is found in the old town centre. We would not say that this town is worth a journey, but if you are in the area, the town has a historic center rather than just being a resort town with modern development.

Pescara

Pescara is the largest city of the region. I was not taken with the town. We went to Pescara because of its beach. It stretches for some 15 km. That sounds so scenic. But if the beach stretch forever, so does the rows of hotels. The Pescara beach itself has a 6.5 km seaside promenade.

We did stop at a cafe and have lunch along the water. It was okay, but there was not enough for my liking to stay much longer. Luckily we were not here in August. In that month I understand life is almost unbearable along this stretch. In the other months you will have plenty of room to yourself.