Pescara & Abruzzo

Abruzzo's seaside gateway, with the trabocchi-lined Costa dei Trabocchi to the south and, an hour to the west, the Campo Imperatore plateau of the Gran Sasso and its hilltop villages.

Pescara is the largest city in Abruzzo in central Italy, set on the Adriatic at the mouth of the Pescara River. The city itself is known for its long beach, the Ponte del Mare and being the birthplace of the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio; life here is relaxed, and seafood and arrosticini (lamb skewers) are the signature dishes. Abruzzo is "half sea, half mountains": 30–70 km to the south lies the Costa dei Trabocchi, where wooden fishing platforms, a seaside cycling greenway, the Abbey of San Giovanni in Venere and the Punta Aderci Nature Reserve stretch all the way to Vasto, while the surrounding hills hold historic towns such as Chieti, Lanciano and Atri. About an hour to the west is the Gran Sasso, the highest massif in the Apennines, where Campo Imperatore, Rocca Calascio castle and Santo Stefano di Sessanio make up a classic driving loop; to the southwest are the Majella National Park, Sulmona and the heart-shaped Lago di Scanno. The best seasons are June–September for beach holidays and May–June and September–October for mountain hiking; in winter you can ski at Campo Imperatore or Passo Lanciano. Getting there: about 2.5 hours from Rome by bus or car; Pescara has an international airport (served by many low-cost airlines) and trains run along the coast, but the mountain sights basically require a car. Allow 3–5 days: 1–2 for Pescara and the coast, 1 for the Gran Sasso loop, and 1–2 for the Majella, Sulmona and Scanno.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries