Eco Hotel a Abruzzo

Abruzzo is the Italy that most tourists never find — and that's exactly why you should go. Tucked between Rome and the Adriatic Sea, this rugged, mountainous region contains the highest peak in the Apennine chain (Corno Grande at 2,912 metres), three national parks, a UNESCO Global Geopark, and over 130 kilometres of sandy Adriatic coastline. A third of Abruzzo's territory is officially protected, making it the greenest region in Europe by percentage of parkland.

The geography is dramatic and varied. In the west, the Gran Sasso massif rises sharply from the Campo Imperatore plateau — a vast high-altitude grassland that Mussolini was imprisoned on and that locals call "Little Tibet" for its Central Asian feel. South of Gran Sasso lies the Majella National Park, designated a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2021, with ancient hermitages carved into its limestone cliffs and wolf populations roaming its beech forests. East, the land drops through vineyard-covered hills to the Adriatic, where the Trabocchi Coast preserves ancient wooden fishing platforms — trabocchi — that jut out over the sea on wooden stilts between Ortona and Vasto.

Culture & food

Abruzzese culture is shaped by its mountains. The region's cuisine is hearty and pastoral: arrosticini (tiny lamb skewers grilled over charcoal), maccheroni alla chitarra (square-cut pasta made with a wire-strung "guitar" frame), pallotte cace e ove (fried cheese-and-egg balls in tomato sauce), and scrippelle 'mbusse (crêpes in broth). Sulmona, birthplace of the Roman poet Ovid, is famous throughout Italy for confetti — sugar-coated almonds — and has produced them since the 15th century. The wines are excellent and affordable: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is one of Italy's most-planted red grapes, while Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo (a cherry-pink rosé) and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo (a crisp white) pair perfectly with the local seafood.

Mountains meet sea

Few Italian regions offer this combination: ski in the morning at Roccaraso (the largest ski resort in central and southern Italy), then drive 90 minutes to the coast for an afternoon swim in the Adriatic. The climate is equally split — Mediterranean warmth on the coast, alpine cold in the mountains, with a temperate middle zone perfect for wine growing. Summer temperatures reach 30°C on the beaches while Gran Sasso's summit stays cool enough for year-round snow patches.

Medieval villages

Abruzzo's medieval hill towns are among the most perfectly preserved in Italy. Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a walled hilltop village of honey-coloured stone at 1,250 metres, was restored by the Sextantio project into a "diffuse hotel" — rooms scattered through the village in renovated historic buildings. Scanno sits in a mountain valley beside the heart-shaped Lago di Scanno, its women once known for wearing elaborate traditional costumes. Civitella del Tronto holds the second-largest fortress in Europe, a Bourbon-era fortification stretching 500 metres along a rocky ridge. L'Aquila, the regional capital, has been painstakingly rebuilding since the devastating 2009 earthquake, with the restored Basilica di Santa Maria di Collemaggio (a masterpiece of pink-and-white stone) now standing as a symbol of resilience.

Getting here

Abruzzo has its own airport at Pescara (PSR), with seasonal flights from several European cities. Rome Fiumicino (FCO) is about 2 hours by car or bus — the A24/A25 motorways cut straight through the mountains. Regular trains connect Pescara to Rome (3 hours), Bologna, and along the Adriatic coast. A car is recommended for exploring the mountain villages and national parks.