Abruzzo
3
Day Itinerary •
Italy
Abruzzo is Italy's greatest secret. Two hours from Rome yet almost entirely unknown to international visitors, this extraordinary region contains the highest peaks in the Apennine mountains, three national parks, medieval hilltop towns perched on impossible ridges, wild wolves and Marsican bears in ancient forests and a coastline of extraordinary clarity that rivals anywhere in the Mediterranean. This 3-day route covers the extraordinary hidden Abruzzo. The Gran Sasso massif, the highest mountain range in peninsular Italy and one of the finest walking destinations in Europe. The Abruzzo National Park, home to the last wild Apennine wolves and bears. And the extraordinary L'Aquila, the mountain capital rebuilt after the 2009 earthquake with extraordinary resilience and a medieval centre of great beauty.
Best Time To Visit
May to June or September to October
Getting There
Fly into Pescara (PSR) or Rome then drive 2 hours
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 65 to 100 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
GRAN SASSO
MORNING
ROCCA CALASCIO, THE MOST DRAMATIC CASTLE IN ITALY
Rocca Calascio is one of the most extraordinary places in Italy. A ruined medieval fortress at 1,460 metres on a bare rocky ridge above the Gran Sasso, with 360-degree views over the Abruzzo mountains and the Adriatic plain stretching to the sea. Used as a filming location for Ladyhawke and The Name of the Rose. A 20-minute walk up from the village of Calascio through extraordinary mountain scenery. Free to enter. The adjacent tiny church of Santa Maria della Pieta is one of the most beautiful in Abruzzo. Drive: 30 min drive to Campo Imperatore
MIDDAY
CAMPO IMPERATORE, THE LITTLE TIBET OF ITALY
The Campo Imperatore is a vast high plateau at 1,700 metres below the Gran Sasso peaks, described as the Little Tibet of Italy for its extraordinary flat mountain landscape. Mussolini was imprisoned in the hotel at the top of the cable car here in 1943 before his dramatic rescue by German commandos. The plateau is extraordinary for hiking, with the 2,912-metre Gran Sasso peak accessible from the top cable car station. The cable car from Fonte Cerreto costs approx 11 euros return. Drive: 45 min drive to Sulmona
AFTERNOON
SULMONA, THE CONFETTI CAPITAL
Sulmona is the most beautiful small city in Abruzzo, birthplace of the poet Ovid in 43 BC and the world capital of confetti (sugar-coated almonds). The medieval aqueduct runs directly through the main Piazza Garibaldi. The extraordinary Gothic church of Santa Maria della Tomba and the Palazzo dell'Annunziata are extraordinary. The confetti shops along the Corso Ovidio sell extraordinary sculptural confetti flowers and wedding arrangements unlike anything elsewhere in Italy.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio near Rocca Calascio is one of the most extraordinary medieval villages in Italy. Almost entirely abandoned by the 1980s, it has been painstakingly restored by a private foundation into one of the finest albergo diffuso (village hotel) projects in Italy. Walk the extraordinary stone streets and stay the night if possible.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar in Calascio village Coffee in the tiny mountain village before the climb to the fortress. The views begin immediately. | Lunch: Ristorante La Torre, Calascio Simple mountain restaurant in the medieval village. Local lamb, pecorino and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. | Dinner: Ristorante Clemente, Sulmona Most celebrated restaurant in Sulmona. Local lamb, saffron risotto and the finest local Cerasuolo wine.
DAY 2
ABRUZZO NATIONAL PARK
MORNING
ABRUZZO NATIONAL PARK, THE WILD HEART OF THE APENNINES
The Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise is the oldest national park in Italy, established in 1923. It is home to the Marsican brown bear (approximately 50 individuals), the Apennine wolf, the Abruzzo chamois and the golden eagle. The Camosciara area is the finest for wildlife watching, a dramatic valley of beech forests and rocky peaks. The visitor centre in Pescasseroli has maps and information on the best wildlife routes. Entry to the park is free. Drive: 30 min drive to Scanno
MIDDAY
SCANNO, THE MOST PHOTOGRAPHED VILLAGE IN ITALY
Scanno is the most extraordinary village in Abruzzo, a labyrinth of medieval stone streets clinging to a steep hillside above the extraordinary heart-shaped Lago di Scanno below. The women of Scanno still wear the extraordinary traditional costume of embroidered black dress, white head covering and elaborate gold jewellery on feast days, a tradition unchanged for centuries. The lake below is accessible by a short drive and is surrounded by extraordinary mountain scenery. Drive: 30 min drive around park
AFTERNOON
THE NATIONAL PARK VILLAGES AND WILDLIFE WATCHING
The villages of Villetta Barrea, Civitella Alfedena and Opi are extraordinary medieval settlements on hillsides within the national park. Civitella Alfedena has a Wolf Museum where the park wolves can sometimes be observed in a large natural enclosure. The evening hours (5pm to 8pm) are the finest for wildlife watching as bears and wolves become more active. The beech forests of the park in autumn are extraordinary.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Lago di Barrea, a long artificial lake at the southern end of the national park, is one of the most beautiful and least visited lakes in central Italy. The villages of Villetta Barrea and Barrea above the lake on their ridges are extraordinary at sunset. The lakeside walk is free and the views extraordinary.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar in Pescasseroli The main village of the national park. Coffee before the morning wildlife walk. | Lunch: Trattoria degli Alpini, Pescasseroli Outstanding traditional mountain cooking. Local lamb from the park farms. | Dinner: Ristorante La Piazzetta, Scanno The finest restaurant in Scanno. Local trout from the lake, lamb and Montepulciano wine.
DAY 3
L'AQUILA AND THE ADRIATIC
MORNING
L'AQUILA, THE EXTRAORDINARY MOUNTAIN CAPITAL
L'Aquila was devastated by the 2009 earthquake that killed 309 people and has been rebuilding for 15 years. The process of reconstruction has been extraordinary: hundreds of historic buildings have been restored with extraordinary technical skill, and the city is gradually returning to life with a combination of scaffolding, construction and the resilient beauty of the original medieval city beneath. The Basilica di Santa Maria di Collemaggio, built in 1288, with its extraordinary pink and white stone facade is one of the finest Romanesque churches in Italy. Drive: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
THE FONTANA DELLE 99 CANNELLE
The Fontana delle 99 Cannelle is the most extraordinary fountain in Abruzzo, a medieval civic monument from 1272 with 99 stone faces each pouring a continuous stream of water into a long rectangular basin. The 99 fountains represent the 99 castles and villages that contributed to the founding of L'Aquila. The setting, in a dramatic walled enclosure below the old city, is extraordinary. Free to visit. Drive: 1.5 hours drive to coast
AFTERNOON
THE ADRIATIC COAST AND THE HIDDEN TRABOCCHI
The Abruzzo Adriatic coastline is extraordinary and almost entirely unknown internationally. The Via Verde dei Trabocchi is a cycling and walking path following the coast through ancient fishing machines (trabocchi) built on wooden stilts over the sea, each one used by a single fishing family for generations. The most beautiful stretch runs from Ortona to Vasto, with extraordinary views of the trabocchi against the Adriatic. Several have been converted into extraordinary restaurants accessible only across the wooden walkways over the sea.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Abruzzo saffron grown in the fields around Navelli near L'Aquila is considered the finest in the world, more intense and aromatic than Spanish or Iranian saffron. The Zafferano dell'Aquila DOP designation is the most stringent in Italy. Buy it directly from the producers in Navelli for a fraction of the price in Rome or Milan.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Caffe in L'Aquila old town Coffee in the rebuilt city. The bars in the Piazza del Duomo are extraordinary for people watching. | Lunch: Ristorante Elodia, L'Aquila The finest restaurant in L'Aquila. Local saffron, lamb and the extraordinary Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. | Dinner: Trabocco Punta Tufano, coast Dinner on a trabocco fishing platform over the sea. Fresh Adriatic catch. Book well ahead in summer.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
Santo Stefano di Sessanio Sextantio Albergo Diffuso, the extraordinary restored medieval village hotel. Approx 120 to 180 euros per night. Scanno, Night 2 Hotel Vittoria or a family agriturismo in the national park. Approx 70 to 110 euros per night. Budget Option Sulmona: Albergo Stella from approx 50 euros. L'Aquila: Hotel Duca degli Abruzzi from approx 55 euros.
Top Tips
1. Rocca Calascio is most extraordinary at sunset. Stay in Santo Stefano di Sessanio for the evening light.
2. National Park bears are most active at dawn and dusk. The Camosciara valley is the finest area.
3. Trabocco restaurants on the coast are extremely popular in summer. Book at least 2 weeks ahead.
4. Abruzzo saffron from Navelli is the finest in the world. Buy it directly from producers near L'Aquila.
5. L'Aquila's rebuilt city is extraordinary and profoundly moving. Allow a full morning to explore properly.
6. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo red wine is outstanding value and largely unknown outside the region. Buy it locally.
Total Budget
85 to 140 euros/day