We are wanting to go to Abruzzo a few days after Christmas. We plan on sulmona as our base. However we prefer public transport. We will arrive by train from Rome. We would love to take the historic train ride up the mountain to Christmas markets one day(although tickets are not on sale yet unless buying a hotel package). We love to hike, visit wineries, agritourismos. Any advice on the train tickets/markets. Wondering about a rec on a day tour to wineries or hikes?
Posted by
Surrey, UK
814 posts
This website has useful information
https://lifeinabruzzo.com/christmas-markets-in-abruzzo/
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Thank you for the link to the info on the Christmas markets. Any advice in using bus transport to other small villages in the area?
Posted by
OP
10 posts
I am especially interested in how to get around the area, or any recc for a day tour as we prefer not to drive on unfamiliar road with the possibility of snow. We were hoping for historic train tickets but currently are on a wait list.
Posted by
Abruzzo Mountains
1170 posts
Unfortunately, buses to and from the small mountain towns are scarce. They exist, but usually run mornings, after school and evenings. So you will waste a lot of time waiting around, or constrain your visits too tightly to match limited schedules. Check the TUA website for schedules. Sulmona does have a train station, but trains run either to Rome (taking hours) or along the river bottom to Pescara, stopping every 5 minutes. You won’t see any hill towns that way! Nor will you get to any agriturismi outside the villages.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that the roads are very well maintained and not heavily trafficked. Not scary at all, except of course it does limit your wine sampling. I suggest giving it a try.
Yeah, the historic trains sell out same day for the Christmas tours. I hope you get on one, as they are really fun. Pro tip, try to take a cushion as the wooden seats feel pretty darn hard halfway through the 8-hour tour.
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Thank you Nelly for your guidance. We have booked a hotel, now just praying that someone cancels the train and we can snag it. There are single tickets left on the days we are there. We are looking into the car for 1 or 2 days while there.
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Just a follow up on our trip to Abruzzo at Christmas (Dec 27-30). Thank you all for the recommendations. We had a fantastic time in Sulmona and if you have never been I would highly recommend it. We took the train from Rome and a shuttle from there to the city center (they run frequent). We walked from there to our hotel about 15 min. We loved the small town feel and the festive decorations. There were plenty of great food options. We did end up getting tickets on the historic train to Campo di Giove and Roccacarasso. If you want to go on this train at Christmas, I highly recommend watching the website for when the tickets are released and book right away. I was watching daily but then missed a few days and they were gone! Fortunately I was able to sign up for notifications of cancellations as was able to get two tickets.
We did hike one day (it was about an 1.5 hrs from Sulmona walking) to the trail head (we did not have a car, but we love to hike and walk so we made a day of it). The trail we took was in the Majella park to the hermitage of S'Onofrio Al Marrone from Badia which was a small section of the Sentiero Dello Spirito retracing the steps of the Hermit Saint who became Pope Celestino V. If you have time (and it is open) I do recommend you visit the Abbazia di Santo Spirito al Marrone. They had an art exhibit while we were there.
Our stay was short but inspired us to return and spend more time exploring the area with a car especially the National parks.
Posted by
101 posts
We have been to Abruzzo (including Sulmona), but in June and with a car. Highly recommended, especially to hike and visit further afield. But the town itself is beautiful, as you know.
How cold was it during your visit? Which hotel did you choose? We stayed at Stella CasaBono and really enjoyed it.
Posted by
OP
10 posts
The temperature when we were there was 30s-50s. We live in New England so we are used to these temps, it does not stop us from exploring or hiking we dress in layers. We stayed at B&B Marchese del Grillo and it was fantastic! Marta was the perfect host and so very helpful. We loved our room and the breakfast was awesome. They do have a rooftop deck with panoramic views of the mountains and Sulmona.
While temps are chilly this time of year we love that the outdoor cafes were open and lively and had heaters. Great for people watching after a day out adventuring
Posted by
Abruzzo Mountains
1170 posts
So glad to hear you had a great time. You picked some great outings! Hope you do come back someday, there are many more places to discover...