Abruzzo runs in three bands. First the Adriatic coast, then a belt of hills full of towns and olive groves, and behind them the highest mountains of the Apennines. It’s the line I tell every first-time visitor: this is the only region where in half an hour you can go from the mountains to the beach…ski in the morning, seafood by the sea in the evening. Here’s how my guides map onto each landscape.
The coast
- Pescara, the city beach where I grew up and worked as a lifeguard in my teens…commercial, lively, fun.
- Ortona, where the Trabocchi coast begins, with its old wooden fishing platforms standing over the water.
- Vasto, the southern coast and the dunes of Punta Aderci…for me, the most beautiful stretch of our shoreline.
The hills
- Penne, brick lanes on a hilltop with the Gran Sasso on one side and the Adriatic on the other.
- Atri, hill country that suddenly breaks into the calanchi, steep clay gullies below the town.
- Guardiagrele, on the first slopes of the Maiella, looking out over the hills of Chieti province.
- Civitella del Tronto, a fortress town on a rocky ridge in the far north of the region.
The high mountains
- Rocca Calascio, the highest fortress in the Apennines at 1,460 metres…these are the mountains I know best.
- Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a fortified Medici village at 1,250 metres inside the Gran Sasso park.
- Pietracamela, stone houses under the walls of the Corno Piccolo.
- Campotosto Lake, Abruzzo’s largest lake, wide open water at over 1,300 metres.
- Castelli, the ceramics village high on the Teramo side of the Gran Sasso.
- Pescocostanzo, stone streets at altitude, near the high plateau of the Cinque Miglia.
The valleys
- Sulmona, in the middle of the wide Peligna valley, ringed by mountains.
- Scanno, at the top of the Sagittario valley, above its famous heart-shaped lake.
- Pacentro, stacked on the lower slopes of the Maiella, watching over the same valley as Sulmona.
- Tagliacozzo, in the west of the region near the Lazio border, in an area I’ve known for years.
- Caramanico Terme, at the mouth of the Orfento valley, deep in the Maiella.
Every one of these landscapes has its season. My seasonal guide to Abruzzo explains when each one is at its best.