Help with Abruzzo in February

The train part is easy—it is 3.5 hours from Rome to Pescara Centrale by regional train. For some reason, Trenitalia is only showing the direct trains as running in the afternoon; morning trains take a longer route with changes. But that may be just something going on the dates that I checked.

Forum member Nelly is very familiar with Abruzzo and hopefully will be along soon to help more. But did the guide you already contacted not know of any others?

Here are two possibilities on the website Tours by Locals:

https://www.toursbylocals.com/Abruzzo-Tour-Guides?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&device=c&network=x&matchtype=&campaignid=19657916520&devicemodel=&adgroupid=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgK2qBhCHARIsAGACuzlcO0IFJ9kYOmwNU-f_l6tEyd99Wkj7b4kNpGDGeBVRrtFdzIEoXS4aAmmoEALw_wcB

It appears they are married to one another, and neither is a guide licensed to take you in museums. But Fabrizio is licensed as tour operator and driver, which is probably what you need.

Thanks for your reply. The woman in your link is the guide who I reached out to and was unavailable. I did ask if she knew anyone else and she said no.

Hi there, do you know at least if your mother's town of origin was on the coast or in the mountains? With such a short amount of time, it would be nice to narrow your focus to a smaller area. Pescara is a province in Abruzzo, and also the name of the province's capital city, but it's a bit challenging to get around outside the city without a car. But the good news is that if you're pretty sure she came from Pescara province, you've eliminated 75% of the Abruzzo region from your search 😜.

Anna Swann is a local expert whom I know personally and really respect. She runs several tours in the region, mostly food tours, but also plans special "days out" for us expats to explore little off the beaten track towns in Abruzzo. I never miss one of her days out. She offers a good range of tour planning services and knows more about the region than anyone else I know . Start here, and maybe you'll find some ideas: https://www.abruzzissimo.com/plan-your-trip-to-abruzzo/. I'm sure you could book a call with her to share what hints you have about your mother's origin and she might have some good guesses. Or, she might at least propose a tour of some interesting places to give you a feel for Abruzzo, whether it brings you to your mother's town or not.

In any case, "si mangia bene" - one eats well - in Abruzzo, and February weather is usually mild. I'd be happy to throw my two cents in on pretty places to visit, but Anna has a better chance of helping with your quest as she knows many more places than I do. Have a great trip and if I can offer any specific ideas, please ask.

I’d like to address my question to Nelly regarding touring in Abruzzo.

I plan to take Rick’s Italy My Way Tour in September or October 2024, which ends in Rome. Then taking the train from Rome to Abruzzo. My grandmother came from Pratola Peligna and my grandfather is from Nereto. (I have Italian citizenship through my grandfather.)

I would really like to see both of these places where my grandparents lived before heading to the US in the early 1900’s. I would appreciate any info you might know of regarding guides, or tours or getting around in general.

Thank you!

@Debbie, I don't want to hijack dcreeder02's thread too much, but since it's a similar "looking for ancestors" question, I'll drop my two cents in here and maybe it will help both of you. Feel free to start a new thread or PM me for more info.

As you probably know, Abruzzo is a bit off the beaten track and isn't flush with guided tours or public transit. I would offer that driving is very easy here, once you're outside Rome. The roads are well-paved and well-signed and there are far fewer of the dreaded ZTL areas than in more densely populated areas. Traffic is light, outside of beach towns in the summer. So for ease of exploration, I would suggest at least thinking about car rentals.

As far as guides, I would suggest the same contact I recommended above, Anna at Abruzzissimo. She is very knowledgeable and professional and does tours, which I don't.

However, Abruzzo is pretty easy to see on your own. Get the Bradt guide, Italy: Abruzzo, and pick out a half dozen places that appeal to you. If you're a Facebook user, join Anna's group Abruzzo Expat Community or Sam Dunham's group Living in Abruzzo (Sam is also a delightful expat with lots of knowledge about Abruzzo. I've met both of them in person.) You might even want to subscribe to Anna's Abruzzissimo online magazine, which offers deep profiles of various Abruzzese towns each month. Ask me any questions that you think of. I've been here three years and have barely scratched the surface of all there is to see and do in Abruzzo, despite being out every week exploring.

Specifically, around Pratola Peligna I recommend Alba Fucens (fabulously maintained Roman arena), Sulmona (gorgeous town founded by Romans, has some surviving aqueduct and a great twice-weekly outdoor market), and trips into the national parks in any direction. I don't love Pratola Peligna itself, it's a big semi-industrial town on the valley floor, bisected by the highway, but with a family connection I'm sure you'll find some points of interest. I always head for the hills myself.

Nereto is in Teramo province, which is the province I've explored the least. We recently took a great day trip to Civitella del Tronto to see the castle, and I've spent one day in Teramo city for an Italian exam. I've driven up and down the coast on my way to elsewhere but haven't stopped at any of the beach towns. That's about it. Everyone says Atri is a beautiful town but it's still on my to-do list. Again, you're going to have a hard time with public transit in Teramo province, I really do think a car would serve you better.

Hope this is useful for both of you.

EDIT: if you really can't face driving, you will be better off with buses than with trains. There are limited operational train lines other than N-S along the Adriatic and the one line E-W from Rome. Look up TUA - Trasporto Unico Abruzzo - for coach buses between towns. Two issues: schedules are aligned with work and school schedules, so midday buses are light. And they run more hub and spoke from the major towns rather than spiderweb between towns, so you may end up doing a lot of backtracking to get from one small town to another. Pratola Peligna is a bus hub so it could possibly work out, but IMO you'll spend more time waiting for buses than seeing what you came to see. Nereto will not be a hub.

Hi.
Nelly, I really appreciate your responses & have sent an email to Anna. I will definitely reach out to you if I have other questions. Thanks.

Thank you Nelly for all of the great information. I appreciate your time very much and this info will certainly help guide my travels.

Best,
Debbie

I've driven in Abruzzo and it was easy, not any harder than driving in the US