Secret Abruzzo: 10 Places That Aren't Sulmona or the Classic Gran Sasso

Abruzzo is the greenest region in Europe (three national parks, reserves, and protected areas covering 30% of its territory). Yet tourism concentrates on the Gran Sasso, Roccaraso, and Sulmona. Here are ten lesser-trodden places worth a weekend or a slow week.

1. Santo Stefano di Sessanio and Rocca Calascio

Santo Stefano di Sessanio, on the plain of Campo Imperatore, is the medieval village that invented the "albergo diffuso" (a hotel with rooms scattered across restored village houses). Above it stands Rocca Calascio (1,460 m), an eleventh-century fortress that ranks among the highest in Europe. Views sweep across the Gran Sasso.

2. Scanno and the Gole del Sagittario

Scanno, a mountain village where elderly women still wear traditional costume, mirrors itself in the heart-shaped Lago di Scanno (famous from aerial photographs). The Gole del Sagittario form a nature reserve of turquoise water.

3. The Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park

The PNALM is Italy's second-oldest national park, established in 1923, just after Gran Paradiso (1922). Marsican brown bears (an endemic population of 50 to 60), Abruzzo chamois, wolves. Trails such as the Val Fondillo and the Camosciara. Base yourself in Pescasseroli or Civitella Alfedena.

4. The Grotte di Stiffe

Near L'Aquila, the Grotte di Stiffe offer a 700-meter walk along an underground river. Waterfalls, lakes, and vaulted chambers. Less famous than the Grotte di Frasassi, and just as striking.

5. The Village of Pettorano sul Gizio

Pettorano sul Gizio, between Sulmona and Roccaraso, is an intact walled medieval village framed by the Monte Genzana Nature Reserve. Mountain refuges, trails, a historic ice house. Just over 1,200 inhabitants, trees everywhere, silence.

6. The Costa dei Trabocchi

From Ortona to Vasto, the Costa dei Trabocchi is the stretch of coast where the "trabocchi" — wooden fishing platforms on stilts, some now converted into restaurants — still survive. The Via Verde della Costa dei Trabocchi is a 42-kilometer panoramic cycling path. One of the most literary landscapes in Italy (D'Annunzio).

7. Sulmona Without the Tourists

Sulmona is the city of confetti (sugared almonds) and of Ovid. But few visit the Hermitage of Sant'Onofrio al Morrone — where Pope Celestine V retreated — or the abbey of Santo Spirito al Morrone. Or the hills above Pettorano.

8. Civitella del Tronto and Its Fortress

Civitella del Tronto, in the Marche-facing Abruzzo, holds the largest Bourbon fortress in Italy (25,000 square meters), which stood as the last bulwark of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies against the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Views over the Adriatic and the Monti della Laga.

9. The Ancient Beech Forests of Monte Amaro

Monte Amaro (Maiella, 2,793 m) is the second peak of the Apennines. The ancient beech forests on its southeastern flank are UNESCO-listed. Trails such as Fara San Martino-Palena are demanding but spectacular.

10. Roccaraso and Pescasseroli Beyond the Mass-Tourism Season

Roccaraso in winter is packed with Roman skiers. But from June to September it becomes an almost empty hiking paradise. Trails, pastures, the Piano delle Cinquemiglia. Easily combined with Pescasseroli (the gateway to the PNALM).

When should I go?

April to June for green and wildflowers, September to October for foliage and the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo harvest. Summer: the highlands are fine, the Trabocchi coast excellent. Winter: snow in the parks and skiing.

How can I combine it all?

A weekend: Santo Stefano + Rocca Calascio + L'Aquila. A week: PNALM + Sulmona + the Costa dei Trabocchi. If you love trekking: Monte Amaro plus the Abruzzo Sibillini.