The vast national parks of Abruzzo and Gran Sasso protect Italy’s most dramatic landscape. Abruzzo became independent from its smaller neighbour, Molise, in 1963. The region offers a wonderful unspoiled wilderness encompassing the highest peaks of the Apennines and it is the natural habitat of Italy’s unique Apennine bear.

What makes Abruzzo unique?

Many who visit Italy prefer the beauty of Toscana and Umbria in the north or the sandy beaches of Puglia in the south, but Abruzzo offers the opportunity to see an Italian lifestyle that has not changed for centuries. In Abruzzo Park you'll find ancient beech wood forests inhabited by wolves and bears, century-old pathways which are still used by shepherds, menacing castles which now protect nothing but remote stretches of wilderness and where the only sign of life might be a soaring royal eagle or a lone family of mountain goats.

Italians traditionally think of Abruzzo as a remote, mountainous region but it also has vast sandy beaches stretching along the Adriatic coast north and south of Pescara which mark its eastern border. However, shortly after leaving the coast you arrive at the hills, which rise quickly to become the famous Abruzzo Mountains that are dotted with some of the least visited hill towns in Italy. Included amongst them is Pacentro, which Madonna’s grandparents left to voyage to the USA. This same activity by many former residents, prompted by poverty and earthquakes, has resulted in large numbers of abandoned hill top villages.

The well-administered Abruzzo National Park is one of the most important nature reserves in Europe. Flora and fauna abound in these protected areas, where thick forests and flowering meadows give way to barren high plains and snow-capped granite peaks. Europe's southernmost glacier, the Calderone, extends from Corno Grande to Corno Piccolo, in the shadow of Gran Sasso, tallest peak on the Italian peninsula.

Don’t Miss...

1. Gran Sasso, where partisans imprisoned Mussolini before German Special Forces rescued him in dramatic style: Summer – Mountaineering, Trekking and Mounting Biking, in the Winter – Skiing.
2. Pescara – Make a base here and visit Chieti for magnificent views and the "Museo Archeologico di Antichità."
3. Sulmona – The most beautiful town in the region. “Peoplewatch” the Italians evening passeggiata while nibbling confetti (sugared almonds). If you like the town, Sulmona is a place you will want to stay in longer than you planned. Use it as a base for your hiking and sightseeing trips.