Abruzzo: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Abruzzo is predominantly mountainous; two-thirds of the region lies above 750 metres. At the same time, one-third of the area is protected: by three national parks, one regional park and more than thirty nature reserves. This brings distinctive high-altitude landscapes together with a remarkable density of protected areas.

Nature

Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park has an extensive network of paths that runs throughout the entire park. In Abruzzo National Park, visitors can go hiking, horse riding, cycling, birdwatching, alpine skiing and cross-country skiing. The protected species include wolves, Apennine chamois and Marsican brown bears.

Maiella National Park also has an extensive network of paths. Its landscape is home to small villages and hermitages built into the rock faces. Another notable high-altitude location is Lago di Campotosto: it lies at 1,313 metres and is the largest artificial body of water in Abruzzo. The region’s natural landscape therefore brings together protected mountain areas, high-altitude waters and historic traces shaped by human activity.

Activities

Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park has numerous hiking trails of varying difficulty and length. There are also several climbing routes on rock, snow or ice. The range of paths and routes therefore extends from hikes with differing requirements to more alpine forms of climbing, without reducing the individual offerings to a single standard of difficulty.

An unusual water-based activity takes place on the Tirino River: night-time canoe excursions are also organised there. Together with the paths mentioned in Abruzzo National Park, cycling tours and birdwatching, this creates a diverse range of possible activities combining mountain, nature and water experiences.

Coast and Water

The Via Verde della Costa dei Trabocchi is a cycle and walking path running entirely along the sea on a former railway line. Its route is complemented by the Bike to Coast route, which runs along the Adriatic Green Road through 19 municipalities in Abruzzo.

Guided tours are organised at Trabocco Turchino, a public facility. In the Punta Aderci Regional Nature Reserve, sandy beaches meet natural cliffs. The coast therefore appears not as a uniform stretch of beach, but as a landscape of paths, sea, architectural evidence and different forms of shoreline.

Culture

The Porta Santa is located on the left side façade of the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio and is opened on the occasion of the Perdonanza Celestiniana. In L’Aquila, the Perdonanza Celestiniana is celebrated every year with religious rites; depending on the historical period, these also include cultural events. The festival is therefore connected both with a specific building and with the city’s annual religious life.

Rocca Calascio is a fortress located at an altitude of 1,460 metres and is one of the highest fortified structures in Italy. A visit to Rocca Calascio Castle is incorporated into the routes in Gran Sasso-Laga National Park. Rocca Calascio and the surrounding area are relatively well preserved today and can be visited. Its altitude, fortifications, state of preservation and integration into the national park routes together form a cohesive cultural destination.

Cuisine

Individual products are also closely connected with the landscapes of the Abruzzo region. Canestrato di Castel del Monte is made from the milk of animals that graze on the pastures on the southern slopes of Gran Sasso. L’Aquila saffron is recognised as a product with a protected designation of origin (PDO).

In the area of Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, there is a “Butchers’ Zone” with snack outlets offering cured meats, cheese, fresh meat and regional products. The culinary highlights therefore range from a cheese with a precisely named origin and a protected saffron product to snack outlets offering a variety of regional products.

Subregions

The region’s direct subregions are Chieti, L’Aquila, Pescara, Teramo.

To the main travel overview: Italy.

More destinations

More places under the same destination:

South Tyrol, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Marche.