Region

Abruzzo

Wild central Italy — the Apennine spine (Gran Sasso, Maiella), medieval hill villages (Santo Stefano, Scanno), and an Adriatic coast. Cheaper and emptier than Tuscany, with serious mountains an hour from Rome.

Worth a Detour

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The verdict

Abruzzo is the best-kept secret in central Italy: real mountains (Gran Sasso), real hill towns (Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Scanno), and an Adriatic coast, all cheaper and emptier than Umbria or Tuscany. It's the region to come to once you've done the famous central-Italy circuit and want the same landscape without the crowds. The national parks are the reason to go; the food is the bonus.

Why go

Gran Sasso and Maiella, medieval villages, and a wild, empty Apennine landscape an hour from Rome.

Skip if

You want major art cities or a polished resort coast; Abruzzo is rougher.

Where to go in Abruzzo

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Town · Abruzzo

Scanno

One of the most atmospheric villages in Abruzzo — a maze old town above a heart-shaped lake, with a tradition that's still alive. Worth a night for the lake and the alleys.

Town · Abruzzo

Santo Stefano di Sessanio

A perfect stone village in the high Gran Sasso, restored by the albergo diffuso movement. Worth a night for the quiet and the mountain — the Abruzzo of the shepherds.

Town · Abruzzo

Sulmona

The most elegant town in Abruzzo — a grand aqueduct, a linear old town, and the confetti industry that's been here for centuries. Worth a night as a base for the Maiella.

Things to do in Abruzzo

Food

3 entries

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Nature & Outdoors

2 entries

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