Abruzzo

I've had some friends visit Abruzzo and they enjoyed it. But it was on their eighth or so trip to Italy. It's not that Abruzzo is boring; it's just that it pales in comparison to the rest of Italy, and the RS books are more oriented to the first or second time traveler. FWIW, my Frommer's Italy book ignores Abruzzo as well. There are plenty of tourism resources on the internet, though. Happy travels.

As you may know, during the earthquake a few years ago, small villages near L'Aquila suffered a lot of damage. When I visited the region many years ago, I enjoyed it, but would much rather spend time in other areas.

Here is a blog published by locals that I've been reading for about a year. Lots of interesting info http://www.lifeinabruzzo.com/about-life-in-abruzzo/

I have found a small amount of info in the Lonely Planet book on the Abruzzo region (they actually cover every region of Italy). I will be going back to the area for the second time in a few weeks (due to my husband's business travels). It is a very nice region, amazing beaches, and mountain views. I actually have not made it to a tuscan 'hill town' yet, but I imagine the hill towns of Abruzzo would be similar to the others. They also have great wines in the region. There is very little tourism info to be found on the internet, as far as I can see...this region is definitely off the beaten path (ie: don't expect much English spoken). I spent some time in the largest city Pescara and did find a few people who spoke English (a couple waiters and someone at the tourist office, but not the people selling bus tickets unfortunately). Pescara is very modern and didn't seem to have an 'old/historic' section, but it had big city amenities and had a beautiful beach. While my husband was working, I relied on the bus system, but I would highly recommend a car if you plan to visit the area as the buses to some of the small towns are very few (made it to the town of Sulmona just before siesta and had to leave just as shops were opening back up). High season seems to be only July and August (ie: beach season), it was dead quiet when I was there last April.