Italy Vacations

A wild, mountainous region, to the east of Rome, stretching from the Apennines to the Adriatic, Abruzzo is a rugged yet stunningly beautiful locale, with one third of its territory designated as a National Park.  Abruzzo’s well preserved parks include Abruzzo National Park, Gran Sasso National Park, National Park of the Makella, Barrea Lake Wetlands, and Sirente Velino Regional Park. Each of which is a cherished home to a variety of rare flora and fauna, including the Marsican Bear and the Gray Wolf.
 

The capital of this region of Italy is L’Aquila, with other notable cities being Pescara (Abruzzo largest city) and Chieti. Small medieval and Renaissance hill villages also find a home in Abruzzo.  Town’s such as Coculla, hold incredible festivals for which this region is well known. 

Year round, Abruzzo has the best of both worlds for a fantastic Italy vacation: with beach resorts for the summer months, such as the Southern coast’s Vasto and Silvi Marina- the sands of which considered among the best in Italy; and, for the winter months, fantastic snow skiing due to Alpine-comparable heights and a spectacular amount of snow fall due to the region’s proximity to the Adriatic Sea.

Other sites worthy of discovery within Abruzzo include preserved hermitages, or Christian monk’s caves dating back to the year 1000 that had been eventually turned into pilgrimage sites and small churches.  One of the most famous monks of these sites was Pietro del Morrone who later became Pope in 1294. 

When visiting Abruzzo, one will find a welcoming region rich with tradition, beauty, and best of all, plenty of peace and tranquility.

Parco Nazionale Della Maiella, Abruzzo Vacations Photo Provided by the Italy Tourism Bureau