Abruzzo is an Italian region east of Rome featuring an Adriatic coastline, the rugged Apennine mountains, and hilltop towns dating to the medieval and Renaissance periods. For the avid hiker, national parks and nature reserves cover much of its rugged interior. Following my hiking week in Tuscany (refer to my post from last month), I drove down to Abruzzo, a region I had never visited, with the intention of hiking: taking in as many national parks, coastal walks, and countryside strolls as I could.
Nothing, however, went according to plan. I immediately realized that the Airbnb and town itself I had picked for my base in western Abruzzo were both terrible choices. After a poor night’s sleep, I made a same-day booking and relocated to the historic center of Atessa, in the Val di Sangro (province of Chieti) in southeastern Abruzzo. While this decision cost me several hundred dollars, it absolutely saved my holiday. Then the twin scourges of a ferocious June heatwave and my recurring foot problems managed to derail much of my newly-made plans. Nonetheless, a sufficient number of good hikes (and photos!) still remained to cobble together this blog post, to give the reader at least an idea of the Province of Chieti within the larger region of Abruzzo.
Atessa
Situated on a ridge at about 420m elevation and perhaps 20km from the Adriatic as the crow flies, Atessa turned out to be a great choice as a base. Using Booking.com, I found an air-conditioned apartment on Piazza Garibaldi in the historic center, with balcony and views over the surrounding countryside. While a long drive from two of the three national parks in Abruzzo, Atessa is a lovely, walkable town with many restaurants, public spaces, and some interesting buildings. Moreover, the local people were very friendly, something one won’t experience in a larger city. With free covered parking nearby and a supermercato within two minutes’ walk, it proved an inspired choice.
Local Hikes
Although I spent many mornings simply walking around town, the countryside also beckoned. The wildly overgrown nearby trails were somewhat problematic, however. Even the official CAI trails could be difficult to manage.
A Coastal Walk
Of course being so near the Adriatic made it obligatory to do at least one coastal hike. So despite the heat, I made an early start to the Regional Natural Reserve Punta Aderci.
Majella National Park
I finally gave up waiting for cooler weather, so as my time was running out and my feet were fully recovered, I made back-to-back alpine starts to enjoy two hikes in Majella before the heat of the day. They were the twin highlights of my sojourn. A brief synopsis of the park may be found in Wiki.
So, would I return to Abruzzo? The short answer is, YES. However, I would come either earlier in the spring, say April, or in October. I would absolutely love to do some iconic hikes and peaks in both Grand Sasso and Abruzzo national parks, as well as other areas of Majella. Realistically, staying at three different bases for one week each, and incorporating some cultural days in towns and cities would be ideal. There are reasonably priced hotels and mountain resorts, whose high season is winter for skiing. (I seriously considered the three base option, but the higher cost and more constant traveling dissuaded me – this time).
I depart Hastings tomorrow morning for Penzance in far west Cornwall for two weeks hiking along the Southwest Coast Path, in my continuing (never-ending?) saga to complete that more than 1000km route.
The Vagabond Hiker
Leave a Reply