Italy has lots of gorgeous places to visit, but most of the top familiar attractions are packed with tourists. We were looking for something not too far away from Rome but a bit off the beaten track, where there’s a chance that we’ll be the only foreign tourists. Abruzzo, east of Rome, offers many such escapes, with a few mountainous parks offering terrific hikes, comforting hot-springs, and gorgeous old towns with breath-taking Italian scenic views. We booked a 1000 years old B&B at Pacentro, near the Parco Nazionale della Majella. We only had a short time so we didn’t get a chance to do some of the famous hikes in the area, but the little we did do and the B&B experience at that old Italian villa was absolutely perfect.
Just look at this place, it looks like it’s taken out of some painting…
The more you see, the more surreal it becomes, and the clouds hiding the sun in the background gave it a special feel…
The sleepy town is filled with colors and style…
With lots of interesting structures, like this old church…
Lots of stylish narrow alleys…
How narrow? very narrow. A normal car wouldn’t be able to fit in, which is why everyone has really small cars…
Or these cute things…
There’s also an old castle to protect the town from intruders…
And around the little village there are various attractions, like this free and open house featuring what life at the village must have looked like back in the days…
Location:
What a terrific little place. The Italian mountains, old towns, scenic views. What more can you ask for?