Abruzzo, Italy

The romantic boot of Italy is known for its varied geography, with something for everyone’s taste—from plentiful seacoast, inland hills speckled with dreamy medieval towns and alpine peaks. If you love it all and just can’t decide which spot is for you, in Abruzzo you don’t have to. It encompasses all of this and more.

Abruzzo is in the centre of Italy, with its western border a mere 50 kilometres from Rome. Long considered part of southern Italy politically and culturally, it enjoys a central location that is bordered by the Adriatic Sea on the east, Le Marche on the north, Lazio on the west and Molise to the south. It is an expansive territory of closely held traditions, vast natural splendour, picturesque towns and miles of seashore.

Retire in Abruzzo

With castles, fortresses, historic art-adorned cities, perfectly charming stone towns on hilltops and more than a third of the region protected as parkland, there are plenty of things to enjoy in Abruzzo. A well-known wine country produces one of Italy’s famous vintages, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, along with other stellar varietals, and you won’t have to look far to find wineries to visit. Vine-striped hills extend from the mountain foothills towards the Adriatic Sea, with classic central Italy landscapes like you see on postcards.

There are three national parks that offer an abundance of outdoor sports and activities, so you can indulge in hiking, skiing, mountain biking, climbing or paragliding in the many mountain zones. If water sports are more your thing, Abruzzo boasts 129 kilometres of coastline, with sandy expanses and some lovely coves where the hills meet the sea. Golfers will delight in the region’s three clubs, while culture seekers will enjoy the art, theatre and events offered throughout the year. Abruzzo also has universities in Teramo, Chieti, Pescara and L’Aquila, which infuse the vibrant student presence and activities into the mix.

The primary appeal comes in the form of beautiful smaller cities and towns. Built on hills with monuments, palazzi (palaces) and cobbled streets, if you visited without knowing the region, you might think you were in Tuscany. Places like Penne—with its tidy lanes, bustling weekly market, beautiful stone-built buildings and upscale atmosphere—exude the aura that you come to expect in a hill town in the more famous region of Italy. Sweet Sulmona, with its Roman history and urban plan, was the birthplace of the Roman poet Ovid and has a remarkably elegant and upscale look and feel to it. It is also the sweetest place in Abruzzo with its confetti sweets; the fancy, sugar-coated almonds. Lovely towns dot the hilltops that skirt the border with Le Marche, offering the same landscapes but with lower prices. Seaside towns like Ortona and Vasto give views and year-round life in easy reach of the water, while Pescara is a modern city with a commercial port, rail connections and airport. What it lacks in charm it makes up for in verve and life, with clubs, action and shopping.

Lifestyle in Abruzzo

Whether you want a night at the theatre or a simple bocce ball game (bocce is a ball sport, similar to boules) you’ll find both here. An evening passeggiata (leisurely stroll) and a pre-dinner drink are cherished traditions, while centuries-old festivals, including medieval Palio (horse racing) events, and religious processions are still carried on. There are also food festivals that let you enjoy the area’s specialties at low prices, along with dancing and socialising. From grape harvests, chestnuts, sausage, fresh fish and the myriad pasta dishes, you’ll find a festival for it in Abruzzo.

While much of the region holds its rural roots close to heart, it doesn’t mean culture is overlooked. There are beautiful, velvet-draped opera theatres in Sulmona, Teramo and Chieti that offer full schedules of shows, concerts and operas. There are also plenty of churches adorned with excellent artwork, and museums scattered in nearly every sizable town.

Outdoors enthusiasts will be in heaven in Abruzzo. The region is home to Italy’s largest national park—the Gran Sasso, along with two other sizable national parks and a couple of nature preserves. There is no lack of mountain biking, hiking, horse riding, climbing, skiing and fishing. Those looking for nature’s curative remedies will delight in the mineral-rich hot springs and accompanying spas found here. And with so much coastline, there are plenty of beaches and coves to satisfy everyone’s taste. This is where you find the distinctive trabocchi, old-time wooden fishing platforms. Some are still in use and make picturesque backdrops for your day of sun and surf.

Many Italians consider Abruzzo a culinary high point; the region’s residents preserve distinct recipes from times gone by, making them just as their great-grandparents did. The cucina povera (peasant cooking) gave birth to delicious, innovative and healthy fare, and Abruzzo’s centres on both seafood and hill cuisine.

Cost of Living in Abruzzo

Abruzzo is a region for bargain hunters because it has managed to stay off the expat and trendy radar, despite its allures. You’ll find everything from rock-bottom-priced village homes to country villas, at prices that will appeal to all budgets. Of course, the lowest prices are in small villages, but even many of those have castles and monuments, everyday services and access to larger towns. A few examples:

A beautifully restored brick country house in a ridgetop village, just 30 minutes from the sea and 45 minutes from Pescara, with three bedrooms, two baths and more than two acres of land including olive trees, is priced at just $268,000. That’s less than half what a similar property would go for in more famous regions.

A renovated spacious townhouse, with four bedrooms and a panoramic roof terrace, in a picturesque town only a half-hour drive from the city of Pescara and its airport, is listed at $187,000.

A three-storey, three-bedroom townhouse in a hill town overlooking the sea, with views of both the water and the mountains, is listed for a mere $88,000.

Village homes in the hills are going for €25,000 ($40,000) to €40,000 ($65,000), making the region affordable for those on a tight budget, too.

Rental rates vary between $280 a month in a smaller town to a still-affordable $490 a month in upscale cities like Sulmona and Penne. The centre of Chieti, with its bustle and shopping, is even affordable with rentals for less than €436 ($690) a month.

With the low cost of living, this is an ideal region for those who want the slower pace and beauty of Italian life while sticking to a budget. Housing prices are still low overall and so are rentals. There are plenty of inexpensive festivals and annual events for affordable fun. Even the theatre shows aren’t pricey. With the area’s rural farms, you’ll find excellent seasonal produce, while local fishermen regularly bring in fresh catches, which you’ll find in markets around the region. The no-nonsense Abruzzese love their traditional trattorias (taverns), which serve good food at equally good prices. Pizza and beer for two will cost you about $28. Breakfast, consisting of a cappuccino and a cornetto (Italian croissant) is just $3.50. A day at the beach, with a colourful umbrella and lounge chairs, costs about $20.

Get a haircut and style for $35, or even less in some towns. A manicure will cost you about $17 and a pedicure just $31. A season ticket for a nine-show theatre series in Pescara is listed at only $155, while a popular musical in Sulmona’s sophisticated historic theatre costs $38. A bus ticket to Rome from Pescara, Teramo or Chieti costs between $13 and $20 one way, while a train ride to Venice starts at $52. Excellent wine is found everywhere for just a few dollars a bottle, or you can take your jugs to the wineries and fill them up with table wine for a mere $2.80 a litre. And if you’re in Ortona, you can enjoy free-flowing wine absolutely free at the wine fountain. What’s not to love about Abruzzo?

Below is a sample budget for a couple living in Abruzzo:

The Takeaway

If big cities or bustling tourist towns aren’t for you, then look at Abruzzo with its small-scale cities and stone hill towns. It’s not just beautiful; it is also affordable and friendly.

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