The complete guide to Abruzzo Italy

Life in Abruzzo Italy

You can lay on one of the most beautiful beaches of the Trabocchi coast, a 54-kilometer (33 miles) coast that stretches from Ortona to Vasto area, in the province of Chieti, named this way for its collection of old fishing net structures known as trabocchi; walk along the ancient and noble cities and the thousand-year-old villages perched on the peaks, visit the beautiful town of Vasto, and within an hour find yourself on the top of one of the ski resorts in the Majella National Park. 

The region has breathtaking mountain ranges, enriched by a great variety of flora and fauna, fascinating hilltops, and hermitages. And if you are not into skiing or you are planning to visit Italy during the summer, you can always hike or take a walk in one of the regional parks and reach fabulous hamlets (such as Rocca Calascio and Santo Stefano di Sessanio) and panoramic views of Gran Sasso (Campo Imperatore).

You can immerse yourself in the local culture, taste the diverse cuisine that changes from the beach to the mountains, discover the best local foods and the source of Italian pasta (Fara San Martino), confetti (Sulmona) and ceramics (Castelli). This is a list of what we consider the 12 best places to visit.

A Sunday passeggiata (leisurely stroll) at the marina or an evening walk and an aperitif before lunch or dinner are some of the must dos, while religious celebrations (like the ones for Easter) are truly unforgettable experiences. 

There are also food festivals that let you enjoy the area’s specialties and a lot of seasonal activities, like olive harvest, grape harvest, truffle hunting, mushroom foraging, and passata (tomato sauce) making.

A journey through the flavors

Abruzzese cuisine has many tastes because of the variety of the territory and the cultures that coexist in it. 

It is rated in Italy’s Top 3 regional cuisines, home to the oldest Italian cookery school, one of Italy’s most famous pasta, De Cecco, and land of great wines.

If you are in the hinterland or the mountains (like in Sulmona, for example), you will find simple and tasty dishes, born from the evolution of the old agro-pastoral cuisine: arrosticini, cubes of lamb meat on wooden skewers and cooked on fornacellas, a special narrow grill, soups, cheeses and aromatic herbs.

Along the coastline, you will taste sea-based food, like Brodetto alla Vastese, one of the most famous Italian fish soups, which was mentioned in the “1,000 foods to eat before you die” book written by the American chef and cookbook writer Mimi Sheraton. This is the list of our favorite local food.

Abruzzo Italy holds a strong wine tradition too (see a dedicated article here), easily comparable to the one of much more famous places such as Tuscany or other wine regions in the country. Its landscape, dominated by rolling foothills, is perfectly suited for vineyards: these vine-striped hills extend from the mountains towards the Adriatic Sea and create the best scenarios…and best grapes.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (DOC) has been defined as the ambassador of the region abroad, especially in the US and in Germany, where it is the most famous wine of central and southern Italy and perceived as a product of excellence.

There are also many wineries where you can have a memorable wine tasting experience. We selected some of them and designed a dedicated tour.