I arrived in Abruzzo, Italy, with only two days to spare and a list of medieval villages too long to cover entirely. At the last minute I settled on Pacentro and Sulmona, two stops that connect well by public transport if you plan the buses and trains carefully.
Pacentro
Pacentro is a medieval village on the slopes of Monte Morrone, in the Parco Nazionale della Majella, in Abruzzo, Italy. It's famous for two things: three old towers visible from a distance, and the fact that Madonna's grandfather, Gaetano Ciccone, left from here for the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. I'd never really thought about the singer's origins, but this little medieval village is genuinely lovely and deserves more than a single biographical footnote.
Another American connection: former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has ancestral roots in Pacentro. His family emigrated to the United States in the early 20th century, the same wave that brought many families from this part of Abruzzo across the Atlantic.
My plane landed around 8 in the morning in Pescara and the whole schedule worked out well with the visit, so I had enough time for a bus, a train, another bus, and a walk through the village. Pacentro is reachable by public transport if you plan your time carefully, because the bus from Sulmona runs only a few times a day.
Castello Caldora
I got off the bus at the entrance to the village and continued on foot. First stop: Castello Caldora, also known as Castello Cantelmo-Caldora. The castle has medieval origins and was expanded and fortified over the centuries. It belonged to several noble families, including the Cantelmo and Caldora, major landowners in the region during the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1957, the castle was sold to the municipal government for the symbolic sum of 10,000 lire.
The castle is carefully restored and has a tall tower with a superb panoramic view over the valley and mountains. During my visit the weather alternated between light rain and sunshine, then clouds, then drops again and back again, but that's exactly what gave me some beautiful shots.
Useful info: entry costs 2.50 euros and is cash only. The castle is open between 10am and 5pm.
Belvedere Pacentro
From the castle, if you want to look at the village from a distance, you can continue along the road to an informal viewpoint. From there you can see all three towers and the houses clinging to the mountainside, with the valley behind. Worth the detour.
I Canali, the old public washhouse
I Canali, officially known as the Antico Lavatoio Pubblico, is an old communal washhouse where village women came to do their laundry. The water no longer flows, but the site is preserved and has explanatory panels that help you understand how village life revolved around it. It was a social hub, not just a utility.
Preta Tonna
Preta Tonna is a heavy, round stone tied to a local tradition: village men would lift it as a test of strength, part of an old custom connected to the Corsa degli Zingari, a barefoot race held every August in Pacentro and one of the oldest folk events in Abruzzo. The stone lifting was the original qualifying test. The race itself has no real equivalent anywhere else in the region, and given how little English-language coverage it gets, if you happen to be here in late August, it's worth timing your visit around it.
The historic centre of Pacentro
Pacentro is small and can be visited in two hours; if you don't stop for lunch there isn't much else to do. But it's quiet, and there were restoration works underway on many historic buildings. What language do you think the workers were speaking? Hint: their language is related to Italian. Yes, Romanian. There are many Romanians working in construction in Abruzzo, a region with a long history of emigration and a workforce that now comes from elsewhere.
If you want to eat on site, there are a few options in the village. Taverna dei Caldora, in the centre, serves traditional Abruzzese food including arrosticini, the region's characteristic lamb skewers. For a quick break, the central café in the main square is enough.
One activity I didn't try but worth knowing about: Pacentro has a zipline called Volo dell'Angelo that runs down the mountainside with views over the valley. It's bookable in advance and popular in summer.
Things to do in Pacentro, Italy
Pacentro is compact enough to cover in two hours. The main stops are Castello Caldora, the Belvedere viewpoint, I Canali washhouse, and the Preta Tonna stone. That covers the village. If you're here in August, add the Corsa degli Zingari barefoot race to the list. If you want an adrenaline break, book the Volo dell'Angelo zipline in advance.
How to get to Pacentro
Pacentro, Italy sits about 10 km from Sulmona, in the province of L'Aquila in central Abruzzo, roughly midway between Rome and Pescara in the Apennine mountains.
The public transport route from Pescara looks like this. I took the bus from Pescara airport to Pescara Centrale (1.40 euros, card payment accepted on the bus), then the train to Sulmona (7.90 euros), and from near Sulmona station a bus that goes to Pacentro.
The Sulmona–Pacentro bus runs only a few times a day. Between the train and the next bus departure I had an hour and a half to wait; I used the time to eat something at the station café.
Tickets can be bought in person at the station café (5 euros for two tickets) or through the TUA Abruzzo app, available on Google Play and App Store. I had a registration error in the app, assumed I could buy the ticket on the bus, and when the bus arrived I found out that wasn't possible and briefly panicked that I'd miss it after all that waiting. The driver waited while I bought the tickets in person.
The bus reaches Pacentro in about 20 minutes, and the view along the way is beautiful; as you approach you can spot it perched on the hillside with the mountains behind it.
On the return there were departures at 14:22 and 14:55, after which there was a long gap with the next bus not until around 19:00. I caught the 14:22. For the updated timetable check the TUA Abruzzo website, tuabruzzo.it.
If you're coming from Rome rather than Pescara, Sulmona is reachable by direct train from Roma Tiburtina in about 2.5 to 3 hours. There are also bus connections operated by regional carriers, though the train is more reliable.
Sulmona
Sulmona is the city where Publius Ovidius Naso was born, in 43 BC. He was born among mountains and died in Tomis, Constanța, on the shore of the Black Sea, exiled by Emperor Augustus in 8 AD for a reason he never fully explains in the Tristia. An interesting fate.
Everything in Sulmona is about Ovid: his statue in Piazza XX Settembre, the Corso Ovidio that cuts through the city, shops, guides, books. Beyond that, the city is picturesque and has a 13th-century medieval aqueduct, Gothic and well preserved, standing in Piazza Garibaldi. From there you can see the mountains, which still had patches of snow on their peaks when I visited.
Sulmona is also the capital of confetti di Sulmona, the sugar-coated almond sweets used at weddings and celebrations throughout Italy. The most famous producer is Confetti Mario Pelino, open since 1783, with its own museum you can visit.
If you want to eat in town, there are a few classic options. Hostaria dell'Arco, in the centre, serves traditional Abruzzese food including arrosticini and paste alla chitarra. For a break with a view of the aqueduct there are several cafés in Piazza Garibaldi. The wine to try is Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, a robust local red that goes with almost anything the region has to offer. One more local specialty worth picking up: Sulmona red garlic (aglio rosso di Sulmona), a variety with a protected designation of origin, sold in braids at the market and in most food shops in town.
If the name Sulmona rings a bell beyond Ovid, it might be from Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy, where this part of Abruzzo got a rare moment of international attention. The confetti and the pasta alla chitarra were both involved.
Sulmona also has two events worth planning around. At Easter, the city hosts the Madonna che scappa in piazza, one of Italy's most dramatic religious processions: a statue of the Madonna moves across Piazza Garibaldi toward the Risen Christ, accompanied by fireworks and a crowd that fills the entire square. In summer, the same piazza becomes the stage for the Giostra Cavalleresca, a medieval jousting tournament with costumes, processions, and competing city districts.
One more unexpected connection: Valle Peligna, the valley where Sulmona sits, is a region known for apricot cultivation. In Romania there is an apricot variety called cais de Sulmona, well known among fruit growers, derived from genetic material brought from this area. Confetti and apricots, two things the city can call its own.
Things to do in Sulmona, Italy
The city covers easily in one to two hours. Walk Corso Ovidio, stop at Piazza Garibaldi for the aqueduct view, visit Confetti Mario Pelino if the museum is open, and eat somewhere that serves paste alla chitarra. If your timing overlaps with Easter or the summer jousting tournament, plan ahead because the piazza fills up.
How to visit Sulmona and Pacentro
Train from Pescara to Sulmona, then the Sulmona–Pacentro bus. Sulmona station is not central, it's on the edge of town, so on the return from Pacentro I walked over a kilometre to reach it.
Accommodation in Abruzzo, Italy
I stayed in Giulianova, near Pescara, at Ostello e Camere Private Prima Luce Foresteria. It's a hostel inside an active monastery; the rooms are the ones where monks used to live, and there are probably far fewer of them now. From Sulmona I took a direct train there, 12.70 euros.
