Pescara and environs

A regular poster on this forum, Nelly, now lives in Abruzzo. Sorry I don't know how to post a link, but search for "we-re-really-doing-it-moving-to-italy-in-the-spring" on this forum and you can send her a private message with your questions.

I am not familiar with that region of Italy, but if you haven't already done so, I'd suggest checking lodging options on booking.com. You can contact hotels directly when the time comes to make reservations if you like, but I've found the reviews on booking.com to be generally reliable. You cannot leave a review unless you've actually stayed at the hotel (or other type of lodging).

Hotel Galf in Santa Rosa di Martinsicuro.

A relative owns it but I think he is leasing it to someone to run. I’ve stayed here in the 80s and again three years ago but in the family condo next door. Basic rooms some with two rooms. Not huge but not small either. Look at the photos and then use the hotel name to search for the English information. It is on the beach.
https://www.hotelgalf.it/

Thank you all. Hotel Galf looks lovely but is a bit further north than we would prefer since many wineries are south and west of Pescara. I have searched airbnb and vrbo. and booking.com. Found a perfect place in Ortona but only books 3 months out. Not sure we can hold off that long to book!
I am hoping to find a place close in so we can finish our day and have the evening meal close to where we stay so we’re not driving too much in the dark.
Appreciate the suggestions.

Hello, sjs. Are you set on staying on the coast? Many of the Borghi più belli are in the mountains (including mine), and you’d be hard pressed to spend more than $100/night in most of them. For example, here’s a nice-looking B&B in Tocco da Casauria, a town which is surrounded by vineyards on all sides (including Zaccagnini, which I’m sure isn’t and shouldn’t be on your list). A recommended winery in Tocco is Filomusi Guelfi, a winery with a very long history and outstanding craftsmanship. A more modern winery in the area is Terzini, which won an award two years ago for the best rose in Italy. And they deliver it to my door whenever I want some more!

But there is so much choice: Abbateggio, Caramanico Terme, Guardiagrele are on the borghi list and inside the National Park, all very nearby. Ortona, San Vito, Vastò are all on the seafront and will be much more expensive. I’m not an expert yet, but I have read the mountain wines are considered more complex than the wines from the hotter, lower areas.

Just some thoughts. I stayed in a few nice apartments in the Pescara province when we were house hunting, but I don’t have a lot of bench depth to offer you in housing options. Happy to offer my two cents if you have more questions though.

(Putting in a back-door plug for other readers, not the OP. If you're not familiar with the "Most Beautiful Small Villages of Italy" program, here is a link to the website that describes them. You'll see that Abruzzo has many of these villages. It's a great idea and a lot of fun to plan trips around smaller sites, given the inherent opportunities to social distance in a town of 2000 souls. France has a similar program.

Nelly-thank you. You saved me from having to figure out how to reach out to you through the tag from Janet. Even though the weather might be pleasant enough in October to stay by the water, we are not set on it. I have 15 of the borghi marked on my map which includes all you mentioned and approximately 20 wineries-hard to find info on the ones that are local and not well known-more of our interest. Know we will find plenty once there. Because it is 9 nights of a 9 week excursion with small bags, we want a washing machine in our room-limits our selection process-and access to parking-preferably free, but not necessarily right on site. Staying in a smaller place actually appeals to us but since we aren’t too keen on driving unfamiliar roads in the dark, we would like to have access to dinner options close by. I looked at the B and B you mentioned. Very nice, but the town doesn’t appear to offer much in the way of local dining options. An Irish Pub isn’t high on our list! Liked the Agriturismo close by, but limitations there too. I have not checked the Sulmona region. Any thoughts there? Have looked in Atri, Citta Sant’Angelo, Guardiagrele and Lanciano and indeed others. I will continue my research, but sure do appreciate any and all input you may have. As an aside, my husband is a ski instructor and I know once there, he will want to see some of the ski areas too!

Oh, sjs, you’re all over this. The towns you’ve listed are cream of the crop. I thought you were looking to stay in a borgo, but you’re very right, it can be limiting. Sulmona would be my top choice for a lively place. It’s got a fantastic farmers’ market Wednesdays and Saturdays and lots of great restaurants. We stayed at a really nice hotel that was a converted convent, Grancia dei Celestini, that is right in the pedestrian zone but with parking just outside the gate. I saw a washing machine outside our room but I don’t know if it was for guest use.

Lanciano and Città Sant’Angelo are also really nice towns, as is Chieti. So is Guardiagrele but it’s not very big. I haven’t made it to Atri yet. I wanted to love Penne but the centro storico seemed to be mostly empty, shops and restaurants out of business. Lots going on in the suburbs but that’s not the same feel.

We’ve been to some good restaurants but of course didn’t eat out for the first year…we have some catching up to do.

Of the borghi, don’t miss Scanno, Pacentro, and of course my beloved Caramanico Terme. There's lots to see!

Just ask if I can help more, but it seems you’ve really got your arms around this.

Thank you once again. Have spent my morning looking at Sulmona and environs. Several excellent choices and booked a place in Badia-Bagnaturo through booking.com so I can cancel if necessary. A 10 minute drive from many satisfactory eating establishments is workable and Sulmona itself has a history my husband can engage in. Plus the ski areas! Even with tons of research, there are many wonderful surprises awaiting us. I’m keeping your name handy though just in case. I so appreciate your thoughtful and informative responses. Nine days will not allow us to see and do all we would like while in Abruzzo, but we will love all that we do.

Hi - I'm so glad Nelly chimed in. You might enjoy a post on MichelleDamiani.com: "Stupidly speechless in Abruzzo" about Sulmona.

Janet, thanks for the shout out. It’s been fun for me to see more threads this year about Abruzzo or other lesser known areas. Rick’s message about finding your own back doors seems to be resonating more with many travellers. I’ll do my best to collect some ideas to share from here!

Wishing OP a fabulous trip and I hope we get to hear some stories!