Itinerary input: Abruzzo and Le Marche
May 29th, 2018, 05:08 PM
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Itinerary input: Abruzzo and Le Marche
Hi all - after much thought (and watching virtually the entire Giro D'Italia cycling race) I've come up with this plan for our trip in September. I'd love input from all of you who have been in these parts before:
5 nights San Vito Chietino (husband has family here so that is where we start after landing in Rome), then -
2 nights Sulmona and surrounds - want to see Pacentro, Scanno, some of the parks, etc, then north -
3 nights Grand Sasso - have an apt. thru air b&b in Calascio, then north again to -
4 nights Le Marche - Looking at the Sarnano area
3 nights Rome
We'll pick up and drop off our car in Pescara, taking the bus to Roma.
Does this look like a decent plan? I'd really like 5 nights in Le Marche, but would have to cut one night someplace and not sure where. Any must see sights or places to eat? We are casual people, but love food & wine, would like to find a bike to rent someplace, and I'm a photographer, so I'm always looking for faces and places for good images. I've read a lot of trip reports here, which is how I wound up with Le Marche over Tuscany. Anyway, flights are booked, so this is happening! Thanks everyone.
5 nights San Vito Chietino (husband has family here so that is where we start after landing in Rome), then -
2 nights Sulmona and surrounds - want to see Pacentro, Scanno, some of the parks, etc, then north -
3 nights Grand Sasso - have an apt. thru air b&b in Calascio, then north again to -
4 nights Le Marche - Looking at the Sarnano area
3 nights Rome
We'll pick up and drop off our car in Pescara, taking the bus to Roma.
Does this look like a decent plan? I'd really like 5 nights in Le Marche, but would have to cut one night someplace and not sure where. Any must see sights or places to eat? We are casual people, but love food & wine, would like to find a bike to rent someplace, and I'm a photographer, so I'm always looking for faces and places for good images. I've read a lot of trip reports here, which is how I wound up with Le Marche over Tuscany. Anyway, flights are booked, so this is happening! Thanks everyone.
May 29th, 2018, 06:39 PM
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Looks like I can't edit this - also wondering if there are other, better bases in Le Marche - and if there are other towns where we could potentially drop off our car and get a train back to Rome so that we don't have to back track to Pescara? Many thanks for any and all thoughts.
May 30th, 2018, 03:24 AM
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We visited Abruzzo a few years ago. The scenery is stunning and I am sure you can get some great photos. Here are some places to consider:
When visiting your relatives, you won't be far from the Abbey of San Giovanni in Venere, with a 13th century basilica built over a Roman temple (dedicated to Venus). It is perched on a cliff above the Adriatic.
While in Sulmona, we visited both Scanno and Pacentro. To get to Pacentro, we first visited the Abbey of San Clemente in Casauria, then took a route that went past Caramanico Terme (a picturesque spa town) and over the Passo Leonardo (great pix near a red roofed cabin - google it) and on down to Pacentro. Had a great lunch there.
Another day, we did Scanno, which is very pretty with its nearby lake. On the way home, we stopped at Castrovalvo, which is a tiny village situated way up high. We could hear bells on the goats on a nearby hill. Very hair raising switchbacks needed to get there. Then on down to Anversa degli Abruzzi, again a picturesque town.
In Sulmona, we had a wonderful lunch at La Locanda di Gino. The aqueduct and the many stores selling the almond candy flowers offer good photo ops. Nearby there is a an Abbey (San Spirito at Monte Marrone) which is of a fairly recent date. With your short time in Sulmona, I would choose other destinations. There is a short hike up to a Hermitage of Pope Celestine which was interesting and offered great views. But again, you only have so much time!
We later stayed in Penne, which is north of E80 in Pescara province. We did take a drive through the Gran Sasso and the scenery is stunning. I am sure you will have much to photograph here.
If you an find an agriturismo that serves dinner or lunch to non-overnight guests, I would try one of those. (We stayed at an agriturismo in Penne and so ate there.) For example, outside of Pacentro, there is an agriturismo Costa del Gallo.
When visiting your relatives, you won't be far from the Abbey of San Giovanni in Venere, with a 13th century basilica built over a Roman temple (dedicated to Venus). It is perched on a cliff above the Adriatic.
While in Sulmona, we visited both Scanno and Pacentro. To get to Pacentro, we first visited the Abbey of San Clemente in Casauria, then took a route that went past Caramanico Terme (a picturesque spa town) and over the Passo Leonardo (great pix near a red roofed cabin - google it) and on down to Pacentro. Had a great lunch there.
Another day, we did Scanno, which is very pretty with its nearby lake. On the way home, we stopped at Castrovalvo, which is a tiny village situated way up high. We could hear bells on the goats on a nearby hill. Very hair raising switchbacks needed to get there. Then on down to Anversa degli Abruzzi, again a picturesque town.
In Sulmona, we had a wonderful lunch at La Locanda di Gino. The aqueduct and the many stores selling the almond candy flowers offer good photo ops. Nearby there is a an Abbey (San Spirito at Monte Marrone) which is of a fairly recent date. With your short time in Sulmona, I would choose other destinations. There is a short hike up to a Hermitage of Pope Celestine which was interesting and offered great views. But again, you only have so much time!
We later stayed in Penne, which is north of E80 in Pescara province. We did take a drive through the Gran Sasso and the scenery is stunning. I am sure you will have much to photograph here.
If you an find an agriturismo that serves dinner or lunch to non-overnight guests, I would try one of those. (We stayed at an agriturismo in Penne and so ate there.) For example, outside of Pacentro, there is an agriturismo Costa del Gallo.
May 30th, 2018, 06:35 AM
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Thank you so much, mama mia! I love that tip about the Abbey. We plan to drive south on a day trip and this looks like a worthwhile stop.
"With your short time in Sulmona, I would choose other destinations." I"m not sure what you mean - I think you mean that the Abbey near Sulmona would be a miss with the time constraints? Would you recommend more time in Sulmona area?
Want to add that I apologize to any Fodorite trying to follow my questions here. There will be many iterations of this trip itinerary before it's finalized, methinks. Trying to please my spouse as well as myself, and we often differ on activities and what to see. (In fact we often travel solo but really want to do this together.) I've traveled all over the globe but (gasp!) never to Italy so I'm at a loss as to how long or arduous the drives will be (I don't get car sick and am not afraid to drive in mountains, but we also don't want to spend all of our time driving).
I've also been doing some research on the 2016 quake damage. If anyone can provide input on traveling in the Marche (I've now just read that Amandola and Sarnano were affected, and I really wanted to explore here, especially Sarnano.) Of course I understand and respect that tourist dollars are needed there, but also don't want to arrange lodging there and discover that things are iffy. In fact one apartment thru air b&b was in Sarnano. Any insight would be appreciated and I mean this in the deepest respect.
Thanks again all!
"With your short time in Sulmona, I would choose other destinations." I"m not sure what you mean - I think you mean that the Abbey near Sulmona would be a miss with the time constraints? Would you recommend more time in Sulmona area?
Want to add that I apologize to any Fodorite trying to follow my questions here. There will be many iterations of this trip itinerary before it's finalized, methinks. Trying to please my spouse as well as myself, and we often differ on activities and what to see. (In fact we often travel solo but really want to do this together.) I've traveled all over the globe but (gasp!) never to Italy so I'm at a loss as to how long or arduous the drives will be (I don't get car sick and am not afraid to drive in mountains, but we also don't want to spend all of our time driving).
I've also been doing some research on the 2016 quake damage. If anyone can provide input on traveling in the Marche (I've now just read that Amandola and Sarnano were affected, and I really wanted to explore here, especially Sarnano.) Of course I understand and respect that tourist dollars are needed there, but also don't want to arrange lodging there and discover that things are iffy. In fact one apartment thru air b&b was in Sarnano. Any insight would be appreciated and I mean this in the deepest respect.
Thanks again all!
Last edited by Rocket79; May 30th, 2018 at 06:37 AM.
May 30th, 2018, 07:04 AM
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Sorry I wasn't clear about Sulmona. I found it a good base for touring and we stayed there for 5 nights, doing all of the activities I mentioned. So yes, Sulmona worth it.
I meant the Abbey of Santo Spirito in Marrone may not be worth a stop given your short time in Sulmona. Included it more as future reference or if you wanted something close by. It is of more recent construction and I think had also been damaged in the quake of 2009. They were doing some renovations and excavations and a woman there graciously gave us a tour. (I remember her English was not great--my Italian is so-so--but her version of "earthquake" sounded more like "heartbreak".)
I meant the Abbey of Santo Spirito in Marrone may not be worth a stop given your short time in Sulmona. Included it more as future reference or if you wanted something close by. It is of more recent construction and I think had also been damaged in the quake of 2009. They were doing some renovations and excavations and a woman there graciously gave us a tour. (I remember her English was not great--my Italian is so-so--but her version of "earthquake" sounded more like "heartbreak".)
May 30th, 2018, 01:34 PM
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No, that is what I thought you meant, but wanted to be sure. Thanks for all of your input! It really is so hard to decide where to go for the first trip, not knowing if and when we'll be back. I know I'm missing a lot of the "Big Hits" so to speak (Florence, Tuscany wine country, et al), but I'm not concerned about that. I did find an agritourismo near Capestrano that we'll try to visit for a meal, perhaps en route to Calascio. Looks great, called Terra di Solina.
Cheers!
Cheers!
