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

Northern Tuscany’s Apennine and rugged limestone Apuan ranges are a world away from the gently rolling hills and vineyards and the madd(en)ing crowds one usually associates with this region. Strangely, until this past month I had never been hiking in Tuscany, confining my brief visits to the tourist meccas of Florence, Siena, and Pisa.

Once again, I booked this one week hiking trip with KE Adventures. We stayed at the lovely Argiturismo Col di Lavacchio for the duration, traveling a few minutes each day to experience some of the best hikes in the area. Join me on this journey, with a surprise bonus at the end.

Col di Lavacchio

The British husband and wife proprietors of this working farm offer guided hiking weeks in the spring and fall, as well as great food and wine in a renovated farmhouse accommodation. As a base for hiking surrounded by nature, it would be difficult to beat. As I was recovering from yet another flare-up of my old nemesis, gout, I enjoyed my first full day here relaxing by the pool, swimming, and strolling some of the many paths at the Agriturismo, rather that participating in the group hike.

Pania di Corfino loop (11.5km and 650m elevation gain)

Monday’s hike in Parco Naturale dell’Orecchiella featured a loop to the summit of Pania di Corfino (Pania means peak in the local vernacular).

Monte Forato loop from Fornovolasco (12km, 875m elevation gain)

Tuesday’s loop hike from the charming riverside village of Fornovolasco took in an amazing natural arch on the way to the summit with its spectacular views.

Monte Maiore loop from Abetone (7km, 275m gain)

As I had kept the rental car from my sojourn near Lago di Garda, I chose to do an alternative hike after our rest/cultural day on Wednesday (which I will explain later in this post). It was only a leisurely morning walk, as can be seen from the stats above, followed by lunch and a stroll around the lovely town of Barga, not far from the Agriturismo.

Pania della Croce traverse from Piglionico (13 km and 950 m elevation gain)

This fantastic – but difficult – hike to the summit of the “Queen of the Alpi Apuane” provided a fitting culmination of the week. The Apuan Alps are known predominantly for their Carrara marble quarries which disfigure the landscape and pollute the streams. We began with a low-level traverse from the east to the west side of the mountain before the climbing proper began.

That’s it for the hiking portion of the week, but for me there was another attraction during my short time in Tuscany. . .

The 2026 Mille Miglia

The auto enthusiast in me could not resist a (likely) once in a lifetime opportunity to see some of the 400+ historic Mille Miglia (literally, “1000 miles”) cars from 1927 to 1957 in action. Our mid-week rest day coincided with Day 2 of the 5-day historic road rally, which fortuitously went from Padova to Montecatini Termi, with the afternoon hill climb over the Abetone Pass (roughly on the border between Emilia Romagna and Tuscany). A last minute decision to procure a hotel room with terrace overlooking the action in Abetone (about 90 minutes’ spirited drive from our Agriturismo) proved to be brilliant.

As this blog is posted, my three-week stay in Abruzzo is nearly over. Tomorrow I fly to Madagascar for an Explore Worldwide group trip to that amazing island delayed since 2020 when Covid shut down the world. Unfortunately, it is not the trekking trip I had originally booked, but rather more of a walking nature safari. Nevertheless, I certainly hope to capture some interesting photos for another blog later this summer.

The Vagabond Hiker