Abruzzo Italy - Your Travel Guide to Southern Italy

Abruzzo was once famous for its witches and snake charmers, but now more known for its wild beauty, winter ski resorts, unspoilt coastlines and wildlife nature reserves.

This is an unspoilt area of Southern Italy that borders with Le Marche, Lazio, and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Mountainous and hilly Abruzzo is one of the least populated regions in Italy. However, it is home to one of the most stunning mountain ranges; the Gran Sasso that is spectacular when covered with snow and easily seen from the new highway that was recently built that opened up better communications to this area.

Investors who are looking to buy property in this region are often lured by low prices and seemingly incredible bargains. This is not an area you want to buy property in, and there is a reason for these cheap

prices. - Abruzzo is a very active seismic zone and prone to earthquakes. L'Aquila is one of the 4 provinces that make up this area, and one cannot forget the devastating earthquake to the town of L'Aquila not so long ago.

However, travelers come here to experience a wild and remote Italy, untraveled, off the beaten track - a hidden part of Italy away from the hordes of foreign tourists.  And for those who take the time to explore this corner of Southern Italy they will be rewarded with sights of mountains and hillys thickly covered with forests of chestnuts, beech and oak, pines and birch. The coast along the Mediterranean side is dotted with vineyards and olive groves.

There are many national parks in this area which are home to a few remaining bears, wolves, chamois, deer, martens, and wildcats, as well as many birds of prey.

Abruzzo has taken advantage of their mountains and good snow falls and in the winter there are more than 20 ski resorts operating in Southern Italy offering a cheaper skiing holiday than found in the more visited northern ski fields in the Alps.

In the spring these same mountains are carpeted with beautiful wildflowers and in the summer and autumn they are used by hikers to explore the area on foot.

For those travelers wanting to be part of ancient history still played out today, then visit Abruzzo. For years cut off from many parts of Italy due to the lack of roads and communications, the local people remained, by and large, untouched by modernity.

On many of the hills in the L'Aquila province stand nearly 100 castles watching silently, sentinels to times past. Ancient traditions are still practised from the tradition of moving sheep from the mountains in the winter to lower, richer pastures of Agro Romana of Rome and the Tavoliere of Puglia. Ancient fishing contraptions called trabocchi are still used by the local fishermen of Venere. These are fishing platforms or huts on stilts from which huge nets are lowered in order to net fish from the surrounding sea.

Food and Wine in Abruzzo

Food here is rustic and simple, the red wine full-bodied and surprisingly good. One of my favourite Italian reds is Montepulciano Abruzzo - definitely worth a try and a lot cheaper than Brunello! For a good white wine from this region try the Trebbiano d' Abruzzo.

There are many traditional Italian dishes to try when visiting this region. If you like black pudding try the local equivalent; sanguinaccio which is a mixture of pig's blood and chocolate!

Being a coastal area you can get a good supply of fresh fish. Brodetto, a fish soup made here is often seen on the menus, along with scapece, fish placed in saffron vinegar, dusted with flour and then fried in oil.

Chickens, pigs, turkeys, goats and rabbits all find their way onto the menu.

Festivals in Abruzzo

For those of you who are interested in seeing a rather bizarre Italian festival, visit the mountain village of Cocullo, near Sulmona.  Every year they have a religious festival which includes the use of live snakes. The festival is called the Procession of Snake Charmers (Processione dei Serpari) and has its origins in an older Pagan era.

The festival takes place in the first Thursday in May. This is the feast day of St. Dominic where a statue of the saint is draped with live snakes and paraded around the town. Devottes the follow, also draped with live snakes, completing the procession.  Get there early. The festivities start at 10:00 a.m. and the procession starts at noon. There are other activities that take place after the procession into the early part of the afternoon.

Places to Visit

Sulmona is an interesting little town, famous for its wild garlic that has been used for years for it medicinal properties. Its other claim to fame is its confetti industry where it makes the sugared almonds always used to throw at the bride and groom at traditional Italian weddings. However, perhaps Sulmona is best known for being the birthplace of Ovid the Latin poet, considered to be one of the best poets of Classical Rome.

The main architectural attraction in Sulmona is the Palazzo dell' Annunziata on Corso Ovidio. Founded in 1320 the building consists of both Gothic and Renaissance styles and also houses the civic museum of interest.

In the main piazza; Piazza Garibaldi, a colourful market takes place on Wednesday and Sunday mornings which is a fun place to watch the locals and buy a couple of things yourself at good prices.

While you are in the piazza, don't miss the Fontana del Vecchio built during the Renaissance era as well as the medieval aqueduct that runs along the two sides of the piazza.

Sulmona is filled with ancient buildings and some of the best expamples can be seen along the medieval Vial dell' Ospedale and the Vico dei Sardi.

Scanno, also in the province of L'Aquila is a well-preserved hill-top town of narrow flights of stairs, and alley ways, odd shaped courtyards often containing churches and a town where you can still see women sitting in open windows lacemaking.

During August Scanno hosts a classical music festival and in January the Fiesta di Sant'Antonio Abate is celebrated by the women in the town getting together to cook a large lasagna outdoors. This takes place outside the Santa Maria della Valle and the food is given to anyone who shows up, and is on a first come, first serve basis.