Surprising Abruzzo

22/8/2005 We arrive at Corvara; along the road a thunderstorm greets us...but by now we look like bikers, so we don't get wet. We leave the motorway at Torre de' Passeri, and the landscape turns desolate at once. We climb up steep little roads, but you only have to look away from the road to be struck by an indescribable panorama. We finally reach the farmhouse stay; the scene before us is not at all comfortable — the room is among the worst, damp, the door full of draughts and, alas, the bathroom has no toilet seat...after a few hours of dismay we decide to stay. 23/8/2005 Visit to Campo Imperatore, indescribable. We went down to Santo Stefano di Sessanio, visiting the village famous for its scattered hotel — an Italian-Swede bought parts of the village, restored them and rents out the rooms. Then we visited the Rocca Calascio, famous for featuring in some films.

24/8/2005 We went to the seaside at Pineto, near Pescara. At 2 o'clock the nosy clouds arrive, so we set off for Sulmona, first a stop at the source of the Pescara river, then straight to our destination. But dark clouds loomed, so we headed home with an intermediate stop at the surprising Abbey of San Clemente. 25/8/2005 Today we set off on a very long trip. We leave the farmhouse and immediately plunge into the curves of this region; the desolation of these areas stays with us only briefly. We begin with Sulmona, a town no different from ours at first, but it takes little to find traces of art in every corner. We set off again quickly, full of enthusiasm, swept up by an unexpected landscape. We enter the Sagittario gorge, outpost of the Abruzzo National Park, and stand enchanted by the view; the road narrows dangerously and the vegetation grows ever denser.

A few bends and we find on our right Lake San Domenico, stretching among the mountains in a striking vision. We get back in the saddle and reach Scanno, which opens up with the same lake amid a whirl of tourism. Luckily we reach the historic village, famous for being the most photographed in Italy; the alleys lead us to smell the scents and colours that mark this evocative corner of Italy. Leaving the town we race up and down the mountains to cross the whole park; the road seems never to end, every bend offering an even better scene. Every expanse is a gathering place for every kind of grazing, and the photos pile up. We set off sadly and a little tired towards the end, reach Pescina and, after a short rest, take the motorway again and fly swiftly towards L'Aperegina. 26/8 We Set Off for Tuscany...