Feeling at home in Abruzzo

Day 1 – Arrival at the hotel with welcome cocktail and dinner. Overnight stay.

Day 2 – Full day excursion Lanciano and Costa dei Trabocchi.

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for a visit to Lanciano, one of the most beautiful art towns in the region, which was already famous for its markets in Roman times and attracted traders from all over the Mediterranean. We will visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Ponte, perched on a bridge built by the Emperor Diocletian and the old quarter of Lanciano Vecchia, whose urban layout from the thirteenth century is still intact.
There you will find churches with splendid stone portals, medieval workshops and many brick buildings. Snack on a trabocco. In the afternoon visit to the Abbey of San Giovanni in Venere, a perfect synthesis of Western and Byzantine art. Enjoy the magnificent view of the stretch of coast that the Romans once called the “Gulf of Venus”. To finish the day, you will drive along the beautiful Costa del Trabocchi, UNESCO World Heritage Site. The coastal strip is characterised by rocky cliffs and small bays, above which the typical fishing shacks – which are now only used in a few places on the coast – seem to float. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight.

Day 3 – Transberiana d’Abruzzo Train (Sundays only) and Sulmona.

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Sulmona train station. At 9.00 am departure by historic train, on the Trans-Siberian railway of Italy. You will have the opportunity to cross breathtaking natural and scenic landscapes on the mountains of Abruzzo, the green region of Italy. (Daily programme according to the calendar of departures). In the afternoon, visit of the town of Sulmona, rich in outstanding works of art, birthplace of the poet Ovid and the place where, in pre-Roman times, „Confetti“; almonds candies coated with sugar, were invented. Visit to the complex of the Church and Palazzo of the Annunziata, the Cathedral of San Panfilo, the medieval aqueduct, Porta Napoli and Santa Maria della Tomba. Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight.

Day 4 – Full day excursion Unesco Geo-Park of the Maiella (hiking).

(Walking time 1 to 1 ½ hour. Ascent 150 m. Descent m)

Breakfast at the hotel and drive towards Roccamorice to visit the remains of hermitages and stonehuts. The picturesque hermitages of San Bartolomeo di Liegio, clinging to the rock and accessible only by a tangled network of paths, appear to the visitor as the highlight of this part of Abruzzo. This hermitage already existed before 1000 Anno Domini and was rebuilt in the 13th century on the initiative of Frà Pietro Angeleri, later Pope Coelestine V,  who lived here between 1274 and 1276.

The journey continues to Civitaretenga, where you will have lunch at a local family’s house ad you will taste homemade and ancient saffron recipes. Indeed, this is the land of the best saffron production and of one of the most beautiful and fascinating areas of the Regio, rich in historical and artistic sites and spectacular views.

Possibility to buy excellent saffron in stamps as well as in powder and other products.

Visit of the Abbey of Bominaco, the 11th/12th century Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria Assunta and the Oratory of S. Pellegrino, rebuilt by order of Abbot Teodino. These two establishments represent important examples of Benedictine art in Abruzzo. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight.

Day 5 – Full day excursion to Civitella del Tronto and Atri.

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive and visit of Civitella del Tronto. This town was constructed by Charles V in a unique position and overlooks one of the largest fortresses in Europe. The town runs around a hill at the foot of the fortress. The seventeenth-century urban layout is still well preserved. Wine tasting in the cellar of a farm that produces one of the best Abruzzo DOC wines with typical specialities such as salami, ham, etc. In the afternoon, continue along the Calanchi Nature Reserve to Atri, one of the most important towns of the Abruzzo Renaissance, with Palazzo Acquaviva, the Teatro Comunale, the Augustinian Church and a splendid viewpoint from which the view extends from the sea to the peaks of the Gran Sasso. Afterwards, at one of the” Bottega of the liquorice”, you will taste the black gold of Abruzzo!!!!! Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 6 – After breakfast, trip back home.

To view the PDF, click here.

Minimum 25 people!