It takes the fine and fresh air of the mountain cliffs, it takes the smell of fresh snow, it takes the colour of woods in spring time, it takes the taste of river waters, it takes the songs of the birds…. It takes a little, just a little more to realise that you are a few meters away from the sky ...
Three National Parks, one regional park and over 30 reservations and natural havens (“oases”) directly managed by town councils and by the State Forestry Service , all this makes Abruzzo the region of parks , with about 30% of its territory that is protected.

Paths (walks): woods with mixed vegetation , beeches, oaks, hornbeams, manna ashes, pines, black pines, laburnums, Edelweiss of the Appennines.

Excursions:
Mount Amaro ( 2795 m, second highest peak of the Appennines)
Mount Acquaviva ( 2737 m)
Peak Murelle ( 2499 m Bivouac Fusco with 9 berths)
Mount Cavallo ( 2171 m)
Mount Focalone ( 2676 m)
Valley “della Femmina morta” ( 2400 m.)
Orfento natural reservation (Caramanico).
Valle del Foro (Foro valley) natural reservation (Pretoro)
Lama Bianca Natural reservation (S.Eufemia a Majella, accessible to the disabled)
Natural reservation “of the wolf” (Pretoro)

Hermitages:
Hermitage of S. Spirito ( Roccamorice)
Hermitage of S. Onofrio ( Serramonacesca)
Hermitage of S. Giovanni (Caramanico terme)
Hermitage of S. Antonio (Caramanico terme)
Hermitage of S. Angelo (Lettomanoppello)

Caves:
Grotta del Cavallone ( 1475 m . Valley of Taranta)
Grotta dei Piccioni (Bolognano)
Grotta Scura (Bolognano)
Grotta Nera (Pennapiedimonte)

Easy paths (walks)
Asinara (Pretoro)
Foro river valley (via crocifisso – crocifisso st. ,former stone quarry)
Bocca di Valle (Guardiagrele) S. Giovanni falls
Grotta del Colle (Rapino)
Madonna della Mazza (Pretoro)
Balzolo (Pennapiedimonte)

Fauna:
Wolf,Bear,Chamois,“White back” woodpecker,Goshawk,Owl,Swift
Otter,Hawk ,Golden eagle, Rock partridge,Lanner falcon
Alpine chaffinch ,Roe deer,Deer Plover

Apollo(big butterfly protected as per Washington agreement)

Information points:
Forestry Service Pretoro 0871/ 898183
Forestry Service Lettomanoppello 085/8570279
Forestry Service Palombaro 0871/895145
Tours to grotta del Cavallone 0872/910495
Centro Visite (Touring Center) Coop Majella Lama dei Peligni 0872/916067
Centro visite (Touring Center) Caramanico 085/922084
Pretoro City Hall 0871/8988131
Both individual and group excursions and tours can be done contacting guides.

Amusement parks:
Indiana Park- Guardiagrele
Adventure and amusement paths among the trees. Easy, medium and high difficulty routes.

The coast:
Seaside half an hour drive away.
Vasto, San Vito, Ortona , Francavilla al Mare, Pescara ,Silvi Marina, Giulianova.
These coasts are famous for several “European blue flags” , the symbol of non-polluted sea.
Long beaches of very fine sand , the typical “trabocchi” , the cliffs and the rocks of Punta d’ Erce(Vasto), only wild sea at “ I ripari di Giobbe” Ortona.
Pescara with its music night life on the coast provides the youngest a notable and interesting meeting point. Water parks ; museums (D’annunzio’s house Pescara), Museum of the People of Abruzzo( Pescara ), Museum Basilio Cascella (Pescara), Museum of Civitella (Chieti);

Interesting events of this period:
Saint Domenico’s feast (“serpari” and the play of the miracle of the wolf) 1st Sunday of May Pretoro(Ch)
Saint Urbano’s feast (parade with mediaeval costumes- feast of the “banderese”) month of May Bucchianico (ch)
Saint Anthony’s feast (“maggi” , homages to S. Anthony of Padua) June 13 Serramonacesca (Pe)
Saint Lorenzo’s nights (typical itinerant feast – gastronomy and craftmanship exhibition) August 9-10-11 Pretoro(Ch)
Saint Rocco’s feast (a profoundly worshipped saint drawing thousands of pilgrims ) August 16 Roccamontepiano(Ch)

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