Destination Abruzzo, Southern Italy

Abruzzo's wealth of castles and medieval towns, especially near the town of L'Aquila, has earned it in some quarters the nickname of 'Abruzzoshire', by analogy with the 'Chiantishire' nickname sometimes used to refer to the Chianti area of Tuscany, but Abruzzo is still off the beaten path for most visitors to Italy. The Times newspaper described the Abruzzo region as 'the king of agrotourism'.

• Discover Abruzzo Guide A-Z

» Abruzzo National Park

Abruzzo National Park is an Italian national park founded in 1922. The majority of the park is located in the Abruzzo region though it is not constrained by regional boundaries and also includes territory in Lazio and Molise. The oldest in the Apennines, with an important role in the preservation of species such as the Italian Wolf, chamois and Marsican Brown Bear, the park is around two thirds beech forest …

» Alba Fucens

Alba Fucens was an ancient Italic town occupying a lofty situation at the foot of the Monte Velino, north of Avezzano, Abruzzo, central Italy. Its remains are today in the comune of Massa d'Albe. It was originally a town of the Aequi, though on the frontier of the Marsi, but was occupied by a Roman colony (304 BC) owing to its strategic importance. It lay on a hill just to the north of the Via Valeria …

» Discover L'Aquila

L'Aquila sits upon a hillside in the middle of a narrow valley; tall snow-capped mountains of the Gran Sasso massif flank the town. A maze of narrow streets, lined with Baroque and Renaissance buildings and churches, open onto elegant piazzas. Home to the University of L'Aquila, it is a lively college town and, as such, has many cultural institutions. The city is popular for winter sports with 6 ski resorts in the area …

» Castel del Monte

Castel del Monte is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and comune in the province of L'Aquila in northern Abruzzo, Italy. Located in the heart of Gran Sasso mountain range, the town is set into a steep hillside nestled beneath mountain peaks near the high plain of Campo Imperatore. Castel del Monte sits opposite the ancient mountaintop fortress of Rocca Calascio and faces Monte Sirente in the distance …

» Discover Chieti

Chieti recovered some political and economic importance under the Norman rule of Southern Italy, a role it kept also under the Hohenstaufen, Angevine and Aragonese rules. After a cultural and architectonic flourishing during the 17th century, under the aegis of the Counter-Reformation, Chieti was again shattered by plague in 1656. In the 18th century it received several new academies and schools …

» Gran Sasso d'Italia

Gran Sasso d'Italia is a mountain located in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. The Gran Sasso forms the centerpiece of the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park which was established in 1993 and holds the highest mountains in continental Italy south of the Alps and is part of the Apennines, the mountain range that runs the entire length of the Italian Peninsula …

» Discover Giulianova

Giulianova lies in the north of the Abruzzo region, between the Salinello and the Tordino rivers. Giulianova is split between the Paese, the historic town up in the hills, and the lido, the more recent development down by the beach. Tourism plays a big part in the town's economy. The town, characterized by several beaches, is a summer retreat for people from large cities like Rome and Milan, as well as German and French tourists …

» Maiella National Park

Maiella National Park is a national park located in the provinces of Chieti, Pescara and L'Aquila, in the region Abruzzo, Italy. It is centered around the Maiella massif, whose highest peak is Monte Amaro. The park contains about 500 kilometers of Hiking trails through the mountains, cave paintings in Grotta S. Angelo and Grotta del Cavallone (the latter being one of the deepest caves in Europe open to the public). Many tourist centers are located in the park …

» Discover Pacentro

Pacentro is a well preserved historic medieval village located in the central part of Italy, several kilometers from the City of Sulmona about 170 km east of Rome. Pacentro has been nominated as one of the "Borghi pił belli d'Italia" (the most beautiful villages in Italy). The village has documented origins back to the 9th or 10th centuries, but the area was known as a mountain retreat since Roman times …

» Discover Pineto

Pineto is known as one of the Sette Sorelle (Seven Sisters), seven Adriatic beach resorts in the province of Teramo. Pineto's beaches have received the Blue Flag (by the Foundation for Environmental Education - signifying water quality) in many years. The Tower of Cerrano is 2 km from the town centre, at the town's southern border with Silvi Marina. It was built in the 16th century by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V …

» Discover Teramo

Teramo, 150 km from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines (Gran Sasso d'Italia) and the Adriatic coast. The town is located by the confluence of the Vezzola and Tordino rivers. The economy of the town is mostly based on activities connected with agriculture and commerce, as well as a sound industrial sector: textiles, foods, engineering, building materials and ceramics …

• Food & Drink of Abruzzo

» Arrosticini

Arrosticini are a traditional dish from the Italian region of Abruzzo. Arrosticini (rustelle or arrustelle in the local dialects; also known as spierini or spidducc) are typically made from castrated sheep's meat (mutton), cut in chunks and pierced by a skewer. It is cooked on a brazier with a typically elongated shape, called canala as it resembles a gutter …

» Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a red Italian wine made from the Montepulciano wine grape in the Abruzzo region of east-central Italy. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo was classified as Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) in 1968; a separate Denominazione di origine controllata e Garantita (DOCG) for wine produced around Teramo, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane, was established in 1995 …

» Pizzelle

Pizzelle are traditional Italian waffle cookies made from flour, eggs, sugar, butter or vegetable oil, and flavoring (often vanilla, anise, or lemon zest). Pizzelle can be hard and crisp or soft and chewy depending on the ingredients and method of preparation. Pizzelle were originally made in the Abruzzo region of south-central Italy. The name comes from the Italian word for 'round' and 'flat' …