Abruzzo, Italy

Abruzzo: L'Aquila, Teramo, Chieti, Pescara

The regional capital is L'Aquila. The region is divided into four provinces: L'Aquila (the largest), Teramo, Chieti (the most populous) and Pescara, Abruzzo's main economic centre. The four provinces are further divided into 305 municipalities. Abruzzo has a population of around 1.3 million. It is the perfect place for the traveler who is seeking new sensations-something different from the usual vacation.

Strategically positioned as a hinge between northern and southern Italy, Abruzzo has maintained traces of all the historical epochs of the Italian and Roman civilization, including those of prehistoric and protohistoric settlements. Great cathedrals, abbeys, castles, and churches of every century are found in various cities, towns, and small villages, all of which are rich with expressive artistic testimonies of the Abruzzese culture.

Abruzzo and regions around

Abruzzo is a region of Italy bordering Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Until 1963 it was part of the Abruzzi e Molise region (with Molise). The term Abruzzi is an obsolete plural denomination from a time when the Bourbons administered the territory as "Closer Abruzzo" (Abruzzo Citeriore) and "Further Abruzzo" (Abruzzo Ulteriore).

The most demanding of tourists will find here a surprising variety of responses to every kind of desire: ample beaches of soft sand, cliffs which jut out perpendicularly over the sea, extraordinarily green lakes among the mountains, archeological areas, natural reserves, regional and national parks, and cities full of life. And all this at a stone's throw away both from the seashore and from snow-covered peaks, where it is possible to ski until May. Since Abruzzo is still young land in that it was exposed from the sea in geologically recent times, there is an endless chain of extraordinarily fascinating places for the adventurous traveler to discover.

At the same time, being a land that is difficult to subdue, Abruzzo has seen an optimal conservation of traditions, rituals, customs, gastronomical specialties and linguistic particularities which are still alive today. Nature and humankind have always lived side by side in perfect harmony here-this is the secret of the beauty of the sites and the enchantment of the landscapes. Abruzzo also provides for modern tourism: hotel and resort accommodations for the avant-garde, fully equipped camping, and comfortable apartments and residences, which the superb restaurants, tourist farms, tourist harbors, the modern airport, and a variety of kinds of entertainment complement worthily.

In short, Abruzzo is not a simple choice for a vacation, but it is something new: a land to live, conquer, and love...more about Abruzzo