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Places to Visit The region of Abruzzo, where Pratola is located, is in central Italy, south of its more famous neighbours of Tuscany and Umbria. The region is truly one of Italy's undiscovered treasures. Whether you love mountains or the sea, the region has them both. Whether you prefer exploring old art cities or wandering through tiny mountain villages, you will find both. For those who love nature and hiking you are very close to Abruzzo National Park covering over 1,000 square kilometres. Other hiking trails close by are out of the neighbouring towns of Roccacasale and Badia. For those who love the sea you are less than an hour's drive to Pescara and the beautiful Adriatic coast with its long stretches of sand beach. Daytrips out of Pratola abound in all directions from hillside villages to large towns and cities. Around every bend in the road there is a new vista and spectacular scenery. We learned it was best to get an early start on our daytripping because shops and businesses definitely take a long lunch hour and everything closes down. So plan to do the same and find a local taverna or small café and enjoy the local cuisine. Some of our favourite towns to explore: Sulmona, a 10 minute drive away, is a thriving small city offering wonderful shopping and numerous restaurants and outdoor cafés. It also has a great market on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the beautiful Piazza Garibaldi. Look for the shops selling bouquets of flowers made from the famous "confetti" almond candy that is produced here. Scanno, in Abruzzo National Park, is a delightful mountain town famous for its handmade gold filigree jewellery and the women who still wear traditional costumes. Guardiagrele is a beautiful little town famous for its copper and wrought iron work that you find displayed in tiny shops around the old town wall. L'Aquila is the provincial capital and one of the most important art towns in Italy. Castelli is a tiny mountain town high up on the Gran Sasso that is famous for the production of Italy's renowned "majolicas" pottery. If you're heading for the sandy shores of the Adriatic, Pescara, the capital of the region, has lots to offer. Half an hour's drive south of it is Ortona, site of the Canadian Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. These are only a few of the places to explore and sights to discover. The rest we leave to you because that is half the fun of visiting Abruzzo and Pratola - being the adventurer and discoverer yourself!!
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