This Lesser-known Area of Italy Has Gorgeous Ocean Views, 3 Nationwide Parks, and Rolling Vineyards — and It is Simply Exterior Rome

Some 30 miles away from Rome in central Italy is a area that gives vacationers a world of alternative: Abruzzo. It is full of dazzling medieval cities, rolling vineyards, pictorial stretches of sand on the Adriatic Coast, and alpine peaks set amongst three protected nationwide parks. It is house to 75 % of all European animal species, flora, and fauna. Actually, it is so lush that it is typically known as the “inexperienced lung of Europe.”

Abruzzo has 4 provinces: Chieti, Teramo, L’Aquila, and Pescara. I known as Chieti — a hilltop city dotted with historic streets and a shoreline full of sunbathers and fishing huts — house.

Having visited Tuscany’s famed vineyards years in the past, I used to be excited to see what this much less frequented a part of central Italy needed to provide, from its celebrated Montepulciano wines to its charming cities flanked by mountains and the ocean.

It is easy to succeed in Abruzzo from worldwide airports like Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO) or Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ). Some connections are additionally provided by Abruzzo Airport (PSR). The Adriatic shoreline is linked by high-speed railway providers; the journey from Bologna Centrale to Pescara Central in Abruzzo takes somewhat over three hours.

I made my approach to Chieti after spending a couple of days in bustling Rome, and the very first thing to catch my eye was the shortage of crowds.

The place I Stayed

I checked into Castello di Semivicoli, an 11-room, Seventeenth-century citadel surrounded by vineyards and mountain peaks that body the glowing Adriatic Sea. However actually, I used to be right here for the wine — the idyllic location and views had been simply the bonus.

The three-generation Masciarelli identify is well-known within the area because the driving power for placing Abruzzo wines (like Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Trebbiano) on the map, helmed by Gianni Masciarelli. (In 2004, Masciarelli and his spouse Marina Cvetic bought Castello di Semivicoli, conserving its historic particulars intact, together with an olive press, vintage furnishings, and Murano glass chandeliers.)

I spent my afternoons poolside, sipping the primary Masciarelli varietal (the black fruit-driven Villa Gemma) and Cerasuolo, a zippy cherry ahead rosé. Visitors at Masciarelli can even take cooking classes, a personal winery tour, and go to former skilled soccer participant turned winemaker Luigi Valori’s natural winery in northern Abruzzo.

What I Ate

The pastoral and coastal location of Abruzzo makes for a various delicacies of seafood, legumes, and meats starting from mutton to pork. Thinly salted mutton skewers, known as arrosticini, are one of many area’s hottest.

Don’t miss a go to to a sagre (native truthful), for an opportunity to strive ventricina (scorching spicy salami), artichokes, and freshly baked bread.

Abruzzo has produced handmade spaghetti alla chitarra for greater than 200 years. It is typically served with a tomato sauce made with miniature meatballs, known as sugo di pallottine.

A preferred seafood dish is brodetto alla pescarese, which is a stew made from slow-cooked tomatoes, pepperoncini, garlic, and small fish starting from mullet to skate wings.

For candy tooth satiation, two well-known desserts of the area embody sugar-coated almonds (known as confetti), and a mushy chocolate nougat from L’Aquila, known as torrone nurzia.

What to Do

Out of doors lovers will discover a number of actions in Abruzzo. Within the medieval mountain hamlet of Castel del Monte sits Gran Sasso Nationwide Park, a biodiverse playground accessible for kids, aged folks, and guests with mobility limitations. Marked as a protected space since 1995, the park is full of olive groves, almond bushes, and areas devoted to mountain biking and horseback using. Campo Imperatore plateau, typically known as Abruzzo’s “Little Tibet” due to its comparable Himalayan views, can also be in Gran Sasso and accessible year-round.

Alongside the coast, a 26-mile again path known as Through Verde results in the Trabocchi coast, the place fisherman huts on water stilts line the ocean like wood octopus’ within the distance. A dinner of grilled seafood paired with Vini Valori wines at Trabocco Valle Grotte, suspended over the water throughout a multi-colored sundown, stays one of many best moments of my journey.

Additionally alongside the Trabocchi shoreline, Punta Aderci Nature Reserve is a protected enclave of dunes, seashores, and clifftops the place you’ll be able to bike alongside a path or seize a seat on its pebbly sand.

The Wines of Abruzzo

By no means one to draw back from a wine tasting or two, I eagerly leaned into studying extra about Abruzzo’s varietals. In any case, its proximity to the ocean and the Apennine Mountains creates a super Mediterranean local weather for rising wine, and there are roughly 250 wineries within the area that produce roughly 1.2 million bottles per 12 months.

I used to be off to an excellent begin in Chieti, as the world produces the vast majority of wines in Abruzzo, together with the coveted DOC label, which notes the very best stage of high quality assurance. Whereas Tuscany is well-known for its Vino Sangiovese grape used to make its Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, in Abruzzo, it’s all in regards to the full-bodied Montepulciano grape. (Montepulciani d’Abruzzo represents roughly 80 % of the area’s wine, adopted by Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Pecorino, and Cerasuolo–an Abruzzo rosé.)

At Masciarelli, guests can tour the barrel rooms after which have a curated tasting at Castello di Semivicoli, paired with typical Abbruzzese meals. The area’s dry and natural white wine, Trebbiano, is an effective complement to the aromatic seafood stews and fried meals of the area.

Fifth-generation Pasetti Vineyard and visitor house is elevated 1,800 ft above sea stage within the village of Pescosansonesco, contained in the Nationwide Park of Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga. It’s a super location to spend a day immersed in nature and several other varietals. Their Pecorino is full of aromas of grapefruit and pairs nicely with nearly any seafood dish.