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LOCATION AND TERRITORY

Abruzzo is a region situated in the centre-south of Italy, between the Apennines and the Adriatic Sea.
It is a mountainous region with a lot of natural parks, but there is also a rather nice seaside.
The sandy shores to the north coast contrast with the rocks and cliffs along the southern coast, while the unbroken rows of nearby hills conceal art towns full of authentic masterpieces and scattered with holiday farm centres.
But the real heart of Abruzzo is the mountains, with the highest summits of Apennines. Abruzzo offers a holiday in the midst of nature: to observe and to follow its rhytms feeling owe is and becomes part of it.

ACTIVITIES

Skiing. Abruzzo has 21 ski areas with 368 km of runs, all within a few hours of Rome.
The most developed resort being Roccaraso, followed by Campo Felice, and Campo Imperatore. Located in the highest region of the Apennines, these ski areas are at heights nearly comparable to many Alpine resorts.
Because of their proximity to the Adriatic and winter precipitation patterns, they often have more snow than the Alps. Abruzzo also is popular for cross country skiing, especially on the high plain of Campo Imperatore in the Gran Sasso as well as the Piana Grande in the Majella.

Hiking, horseback riding, mountain climbing and sight seeing. Abruzzo's extensive park system lies within two hours of Rome or less and includes natural beauty akin to national parks in the western United States.
Within Abruzzo's parks lie some of Italy's most beautiful ancient hill towns rivaling those of Tuscany and Umbria.

WHAT TO VISIT

Beaches
Abruzzo’s 129 km. long sandy coastline is home to a many popular beach resorts. Beaches worth visiting are Vasto on Abruzzo’s southern coast; mid-coast Silvi Marina, which is rated among the best beaches in Italy, Francavilla al Mare and Pieneto, and on Abruzzo’s northern coast Alba Adriatica and Martinsicuro.

Though the beaches of Abruzzo are pristine and the waters of the Adriatic are warm, few Italian beaches have full-time lifeguards, especially during ideal bathing times in late afternoon.
It is best to follow posted advisories and flags describing the sea's condition on the day you decide to take a swim. Most beaches have corded off bathing areas - pass these at your own risk, as the waters deepen significantly very quickly.

Abruzzo National Park
A visit to the Abruzzo National Park, its scenery and environment changing from season to season, is always an enjoyable experience. Thanks to the temperate climate, it is possible to visit the Park all year round.
It is advisable, however, to avoid holiday periods, when the Park is usually crowded: spring and the beginning of summer are preferable, when nature reawakens with its blossoming and birdsong; or autumn, when the forests are clothed in rich warm colors.

L’Aquila
Its main sight is the castle that was erected by Don Pedro of Toledo midway the 16th century.
The fortress is only one of many castles in the area that served as strongholds, as the story goes that the inhabitants of the round and about 100 castles in the area helped to built the city in the 12th century.
The central Piazza Duomo, with its daily market, is an excellent place from which to explore the town with its little courtyards and gardens. The city boasts the most well known basilica of the Aruzza area, the ‘Basilica di S.Maria di Collemaggio’.
Besides that, there are several well-preserved churches with an interesting array of frescoes. The fountain with the 99 spouts is located nearby the remnants of the city wall and the Quattro Cantoni, a meeting point for the inhabitants.
This is also the area where one can see the finest examples of one of the town’s characteristics, the arcades, also better known as ‘portici’ in this region.

Civitella del Tronto
Located on top of a charming hill (600 m. above sea level) with an “eagle’s nest” position, the small village of Civitella del Tronto is one of the most interesting in the whole region because of the architectonic beauties enclosed by its ancient walls.
This aristocratic village is built on a travertine rock overlooked by an imposing fortress, the last Bourbon bastion before the Unity of Italy.
Such incredible engineering work is perfectly integrated in the surrounding landscape, which encloses both the Gran Sasso Mountain and the Adriatic Sea.
The fortress of Civitella del Tronto is the second in Europe for its dimensions. It is fully open to visitors, who can enjoy its imposing squares, bastions and communication trenches.
Civitella is also rich in other architectonic treasures, such as the several medieval and Renaissance buildings in the main streets, Via Mazzini and Via Roma, dotted with elegant palaces. St. Francesco and St. Lorenzo churches are both worth visiting.
The Franciscan monastery of “Madonna dei Lumi” and the beautiful Montesanto Abbey are located nearby.

FOOD SPECIALTIES

The diet of the area is consequently dominated by lamb.

Abbacchio: a lamb that is usually cut into chunks and roasted.

Castrato, castrated lamb, when the meat is often cooked as a casserole with tomatoes, wine, herbs, onion and celery (intingolo di castrato), while the innards are typically roasted in the oven (alenoto di castrato).

Agnello a cutturo: a lamb cooked in an aromatic herby casserole served with bread.

Zafferano di Navelli (saffron) a yellow coloring and flavoring substance used in cooking, especially with rice.

Arrosticini: are very small pieces of lamb inserted in long wooden sticks and then barbecued with salt only.

Maccheroni alla chitarra, the most famous Abruzzo’s dish   made by pressing a sheet of pasta over a wooden frame wired like a guitar; usually it is served with a tomato or lamb sauce.
Other local pastas include the roughly cut strengozze and maltagliati, both inevitably served with a lamb sauce.

CLIMATE AND TRAVEL SEASON

Abruzzo has two climates: maritime and continental.
The annual average temperature varies from 8°-12° in the mountainous area to 12°-16° in the maritime part: in both areas, though, the differences between maximum and minimum temperature can be considerable.
The coldest month is January, (winter is perfect for who loves ski).
In the summer the average temperature of both areas are similar: 24° on the coast, 20° in the interior.
This is the perfect season for those want to spend time at the beaches.
In the more internal areas, mainly in the most elevated basins, besides the annual thermal changes, there are also noticeable daily changes that are a marked difference between the day and the night temperature.

SPECIAL EVENTS

A la corte de lo Governatore. Historical re-enactment of a medieval banquet in costume inside the fortress. Civitella del Tronto on August.

Festival of arrosticini, that takes place in Cugnoli on August.

Festival of ceci and zafferano, with a typical palio of donkeys ridden by local riders, traditional carts and costumes etc. Navelli hosts this festival on August.

Trout festival and Cronoscalata 'Svolte di Popoli' (car race opened to all categories from the plains of Popoli to the top of a 10 km winding road leading up to the mountain, which every year is a popular destination for all professionals and amateurs). Popoli, on August.

Lamb Festival takes place in the first half of April, in Civita d’Antino.

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