Abruzzo, let yourself be captivated by the wilderness of a land ready to be discovered

There are no reliefs of this kind in the heart of Italy. The Gran Sasso d'Italia is the massif that contains the highest peak in the entire Apennines, the Corno Grande (2,912 metres above sea level), and the one and only glacier in southern Europe, the Calderone Glacier. Its shapes and rocks have absolutely nothing to envy the Alps and the Dolomites. Here the mountain shows itself with all its attractions (from hiking to climbing, from downhill skiing to ski mountaineering) and in all seasons.

Preserved and safeguarded by the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, among the largest protected areas in Europe, it is a series of breathtaking landscapes of exceptional natural and cultural value. To the west, the 'Roof of the Apennines' rises over the pasturelands of the Campo Imperatore plateau, the largest in Italy, the 'Little Tibet'. A unique and extraordinary scenario in which you will feel like you have been thrown into a real cinematographic set. Because of its characteristics, it has been chosen as the natural stage for numerous national and international film productions. 

Second only to the Gran Sasso in the ranking of the highest peaks in the Apennines, the Maiella is not merely an evocative force, but also has the potential to affect the local imagination, for a different and special spectacularity. In confirmation of the not only geographical, material, but also symbolic weight of this mountain, it is traditionally considered 'the mother mountain', a mother whose special legacy of nature and culture is safeguarded and protected by the Maiella National Park. Among the most peculiar elements of this area, which envelop it in an atmosphere of sacredness, are the hermitages. Places of retreat and prayer, some of which are difficult to access, mostly dug into the belly of the white stone of the mountain, in total symbiosis with the surrounding nature.

Abruzzo, a land of remarkable nature and unique landscapes that is home to nature parks of national and international significance, starting with the oldest and most famous, the Abruzzo National Park, which has been considered a very special area since the 1800s, a hidden corner of Italy where extremely rare animals continued to seek refuge. Officially acknowledged by various acts in the years between 1921 and 1923, it became the Abruzzo Lazio e Molise National Park in 2001, already indicating in its official name the great extension and territorial diversity that have made it one of the most interesting parks in Europe. But its value does not stop at its role as a treasure chest of excellent wildlife such as the Marsican bear, the Abruzzo chamois, the Apennine wolf and the golden eagle; nor can it be reduced to its repertoire of uniquely beautiful landscapes. This park has something more, a highly symbolic meaning that sums up and best represents wild Italy with its highest charms and most singular surprises.

Defined by Guardian Travel as the most beautiful river in Italy and among the cleanest in Europe, the Tirino will amaze you with the countless shades of its crystal-clear waters ranging from azure to emerald. A true paradise surrounded by tall reeds and weeping willows, where many different varieties of vegetation and fauna find their ideal habitat, enriching its banks and seabed. Paddling along it in a canoe is the experience that will allow you to savour all the wonderful nuances of this stretch of water in the heart of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park.

When a land finds a poet like Gabriele d'Annunzio, it already has unquestionable privileges. What is certain is that the imagery of the Abruzzo marinas has its own specific personality, less brazen than many other Italian beaches, in some places still 'virgin' as the Vate himself said. The sea has definitely got something to offer on all the 130 kilometres of beaches. On the Teramo and Pescara coasts, one finds all the viable forms and facilities of modern seaside tourism. In the stretch from Ortona to Vasto, the sand makes way for inlets, pebbly coves, small bays and promontories overlooking the sea: you are in the magical Costa dei Trabocchi, which is named after those arcane wooden fishing machines suspended over the sea, so harmonious in their interplay of wires and ropes, celebrated by D'Annunzio in “Trionfo della Morte”.