Italy: Abruzzo

. A new edition of the most in-depth guide available to Abruzzo, from secret urban gems to remote rural idylls . Visitors to Italy are increasing at the rate of around 1 million per year. It is estimated that around 1.1 million visitors travel to Abruzzo each year and that this will increase further as regions such as Tuscany and Umbria become more expensive, coupled with the rise in the number of low-cost carriers serving Pescara International Airport . Despite the economic downturn of recent times, the regional government continues to invest in a 'beautification' project for its major urban centres and in the development of its regional highlights such as mountains, wildlife parks and rural towns. . Pescara is now one of the top favoured conference destinations in central Italy, and the city has seen big investment in business-friendly hotels. . International tourists are starting to catch on to Abruzzo as an alternative winter destination to the Alps.

Abruzzo Travel Guide - Holiday advice and tourist tips including Pescara highlights, resorts and local cuisine, beaches, ancient historical sites and monasteries. This guide also features ancient towns, Civitella del Tronto, Campo Imperatore, Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Rocca Calascio Fortress, Tagliacozzo, Pescocostanzo, Neolithic and Roman ruins.Bradt's Abruzzo remains the only full English-language guide to this beautiful and increasingly favoured part of Italy. This new edition has been thoroughly updated to cover all developments since the last edition, reflecting the region's growing popularity for holiday homes and as a busy conference destination at the heart of Italy, plus its appeal for wildlife and active tourism, including trekking, family holidays and horse-riding. Abruzzo offers the best of undiscovered Italy from pristine beaches to mountain glaciers, with some of Italy's most beautiful medieval villages clinging to the hillsides in between. This brand new edition of Bradt's Abruzzo provides all the practical and background information you'll need to explore this surprising region. What makes the Abruzzo region remarkable is that it is still about as unique and authentic an Italian experience as you can get in a country so devoured by international tourism. Abruzzo offers one of the most beautiful coastlines in the country, only a short distance from the tallest mountain ranges in Italy outside the Alps (it is the second most popular skiing centre in Italy outside the Alps) and one of the best places for hiking and flora/fauna spotting. What's more, despite the economic downturn of recent times, the regional government continues to invest in a 'beautification' project for its major urban centres and in the development of its regional highlights such as mountains, wildlife parks and rural towns. It's notable that in the 2017 national competition for 'I Borghi Più Belli d'Italia' (The Most Beautiful Towns in Italy) programme, Abruzzo was recognised as having 23 of the country's most beautiful towns, trailing second only behind Umbria and with at least a handful more than Tuscany. Intriguingly, Madonna's family hails from the town of Pacentro, to which the singer donated US$500,000 for restoration works after the 2009 earthquake in the region. Blue Flag beaches, mountain hiking and where to spot rare wildlife such as bears and wolves are all covered, as are untouched castles and frescoed...