 Many foreign travelers prefer the "picture postcard" beauty of the
north, but to travel to Abruzzo and other southern regions is to witness an
age-old Italian lifestyle that has not changed for centuries. Here you'll
find ancient beechwood forests inhabited by wolves and bears, century-old
pathways still used by colorfully-attired shepherds and their flocks,
ominous castles which now guard nothing but desolate stretches of wilderness
where the only sign of life might be a soaring royal eagle or a lone family
of mountain goats.
Though Italians traditionally think of Abruzzo as a remote, mountainous
region, its eastern border is marked by vast sandy beaches stretching along
the Adriatic north and south of
Pescara. Venture west from here and you will
indeed soon enter the hills, which rise quickly to become the infamous
Abruzzo mountains, dotted with some of the least visited hill towns in
Italy.
This is what our grandmothers called God's country, site of the vast and
extremely well administered Abruzzo National Park, one of the most important
in all of Europe. Nearby is the newly-designated Maiella National Park,
along with several regional parks. 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.
Territory: The region is essentially hilly and mountainous and
stretches from the Apennines to the Adriatic Sea. It embraces the highest
and hugest massifs of Central Italy, with landscapes of rugged and intact
beauty, and peaks which often are higher than 2,000 meters. In this part of
the Adriatic, the long sandy expanses are replaced by steep and rocky
coasts. There are wide amphitheaters near
L’Aquila and Sulmona and in the
dried hydrographic basin of the Fucino. Geological karst formations with
grottoes and “Doline” are present. The National Park of Abruzzo, in the
western part of the region, harbors numerous animal species, such as the
Marsican Bear and the Gray Wolf.
Cities: L’Aquila is the regional capital. Pescara, Chieti and
Teramo are other important cities.
Art: The region is rich in remains of the Roman civilization,
which can be found at Minternum near L’Aquila, Alba Fucens, Iuvanum a
Montenerodomo. Art saw its most creative period during the Middle Ages.
Noteworthy cathedrals and abbeys, with a patent local imprint, were erected
between the eleventh and the nineteenth century. The most important example
is Santa Maria di Collemaggio, in L’Aquila. Sculpture attained a special
development. An important and typical goldsmith's craft, which produced
splendid objects, dates back to the sixteenth century. Precious Renaissance
examples can be found in Sulmona and L’Aquila.
Museums: In L’Aquila, one can visit the National Museum of
Abruzzi, with sections for paleontology, archaeology and medieval art
(painting, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, lace, sacred ornaments, glass
windows). Pescara has the Museum of the Folk Traditions of Abruzzo, which
holds a didactic archaeologic exhibition. The Pinacoteca Civica in Teramo
displays beautiful majolicas. Chieti’s National Museum of Antiquities houses
important relics of the ancient Italics, Greeks and Romans, including some
remarkable pieces such as the Warrior of Capestrano, of the fourth century
B.C.
To be visited: Sulmona, Roccaraso and Scanno: the Highland of the
Five Miles and the National Park.
Longest
Bridle Track In Italy On Gran Sasso - A 300km trail running through the
provinces of L'Aquila,
Pescara and Teramo, and eight of the 11 tourist-environment districts of
the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga national park, the highest in the
Appenines. That's the bridle track of the Gran Sasso.
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