Pescara

Are you wanting to stay on the coast? If so, I would pick the beaches south of Pescara over those to the north. It’s called the Trabocchi Coast because of all the old wooden fishing platforms (trabocco singular, trabocchi plural). It’s a unique part of Abruzzo’s heritage. Many have been converted to fresh fish restaurants, which is a don’t-miss experience - sitting out over the water, eating many courses of fish and seafood they have just caught. The Trabocchi Coast also has a completed section of paved bike trail that runs right along the water. Regular or e-bikes can be rented in many places along the way. (The trail is supposed to run the entire length of Abruzzo but isn’t done yet.) San Vito Chietino, Vasto, Casalbordino are cute towns. Lanciano too but it’s not right on the coast. The beaches are nice but suffer from the “must-rent-a-beach chair-in-a-club” disease common to most Italian beaches.

I recommend devoting a day to a mountain park and its “most beautiful small villages”. Maiella National Park is the closest to Pescara (~40 minutes) and has fantastic towns such as Guardiagrele, Roccamorice, Caramanico Terme, Tocco da Casauria. If you go to Caramanico Terme, don’t miss the very short (less than 1 km) but spectacular hike down through the Orfento Gorge (trail B6 on their trail map, register at Visitor’s Centre), as well as a trip to Roccocaramanico, a hilltop village that was down to its last inhabitant a decade or so ago and now is flourishing due to hiking and new B&Bs. And the best local restaurant is Locanda del Barone.

Further west towards Rome is the province of L’Aquila, which is more rugged/dryer with lots of hilltop towns as well as a huge high alpine meadow, Campo Imperatore. That may be farther than you want to go, unless you’re heading back to Rome after this part of your trip. Sulmona and Scanno are two don’t-miss towns here, Sulmona with a Roman acqueduct running through it and Scanno with an amazing lake and well-preserved culture.

There’s lots more but you only have three days. There are two English Abruzzo-only guidebooks published that I know of, one from Bradt and the other from Lonely Planet. Both have good details, the LP one is newer.

Oh my goodness thank you SO much for this great information! We will be staying in Pescara.

You’re welcome but I phrased my first sentence badly. You did say you were staying in Pescara. What I meant to say is will you want to stay only along the coast for sightseeing, or do you want to see the mountains too? I threw in ideas for both, but I hope you will get to the mountains!