Abruzzo National Park Overview

Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio, e Molise contains the highest peaks in the Apennines, which provide spectacular views of lush woodlands and crystal-clear lakes as frigid as they are pristine. The park’s 44,000 hectares bristle with wildlife. Grazing horses, white abruzzese sheep-dog packs, herds of chamois (hoofed, goat-like animals with horns), and aloof marsicano brown bears are the current proprietors of abandoned castles and pre-Roman ruins. This immaculate refuge is interrupted by only five towns: Barrea, Civitella Alfedena, Opi, Pescasseroli, and Villetta Barrea. Enter the park from Castel di Sangro in the south, or from Avezzano in the northeast. Pescasseroli, the park’s administrative center and largest town, provides the best base for exploration. The other four towns are tiny and a bit uneventful—especially Barrea and Civitella Alfedena—but this does not detract from their beauty. Though the wild creatures and landscapes are diverse, the park’s human inhabitants are unified in their unfailing warmth and generosity.

• Practical Information

Trains run from Avezzano to Pescara (2-3hr., 7 per day 6:13am-8:10pm, €6.90), Rome (2hr., 13 per day 4am-8:50pm, €6), and Sulmona (1hr., 10 per day 6:13am-8:10pm, €3.90). An ARPA bus ...more

• Accommodations

Abruzzo National Park’s largest and most popular town, tranquil Pescasseroli (PES-ca-SE-ro-lee; pop. 2212) is a convenient base for exploring the rest of the park. Solo travelers may have a hard ...more

• Restaurants

Though small, the town of Pescasseroli packs a culinary punch. Be sure to sample assorted sweets in the town’s many excellent pastry shops. Rural Pescasseroli’s restaurants close early, ...more

• Sights and Activities

The ascent from Avezzano to Pescasseroli is breathtaking; this trail, which marks the beginning of the park, passes by fields of poppies, fertile valleys, and rocky outcrops. The indispensable trail ...more