juliewo

Will be driving from Rome to Pratola-Peligna and would like to make a stop or two along the way -- for lunch, a scenic view, an interesting town, etc. Any suggestions? Thank you!

Midnightsun

There are many gems in Abruzzo. The town of Sulmona (very close to Pratola-Peligna) has a great Wednesday market, and it's fun to explore even without the market. Rocca Calascio is an amazing castle ruin (and there are many others in Abruzzo). Pietracamela is a neat little town in the shadow of the Gran Sasso and just a short drive from the Prato di Tivo ski resort, quite pleasant year round. Those are just a few, but if you only have a day, they would be more than enough. The whole area is very scenic.

juliewo

Thank you, Midnightsun! This is really helpful.

bvlenci

If you take the autostrada from Rome, you'll pass through a very sparsely populated region, passing through very few towns. The route is quite scenic, but you can't pull over very often. The hill town of Carsoli is worth a visit; it was an ancient Roman colony, then a medieval fortified town. It has some medieval remains, including part of the medieval castle. There are also some Roman ruins.

If you want to take a longer route, on the SS4, you'll pass through the town of Rieti, which is larger than Carsoli, and worth visiting. It's a favorite summer getaway for Romans. It's on an ancient lakebed, which was very marshy in Roman times. The Romans drained it by diverting a river, cutting through the rocks at Marmore, and creating the Falls of Marmore (in Terni) which are also worth seeing, but probably too much of a detour. Rieti is surrounded by mountains and there is a ski resort on one of them. (Mussolini used to ski there.) There is a well-preserved medieval wall there.

juliewo

Thanks, bvlenci. This is exactly the sort of information I was hoping for!