Weekend in the Apennines

Rome to Sulmona and beyond

I took off on a solo adventure to explore the Apennines and the villages of the Abruzzo region of Italy. My main destination was the town of Sulmona which is about 3 hours by train from Rome. Sulmona lies in a high valley just west of the main spine of the Apennines which run North/South along the length of Italy.

I arrived on a Saturday evening around 6pm and met an interesting couple from New Zealand and shared the 2 km walk from the train station to town with them. As we arrived in town we encountered a celebration and festival representing the many noble houses of Sulmona. I found a comfortable hotel in the centro storico and explored the town for the evening. The Saturday evening streets were filled with strolling people of all ages. In my wanderings I discovered the Club Alpini di Sulmona. I had read of this club and knew that they might have information on the trails I would be hiking the next day. I stuck my head in and found something that looked more like an American Legion hall with several older gentleman conversing. I explained I was looking for the alpine club and they invited me in for some dolcetti (cookies and cake) I was then offered a local sparkling wine and l we spoke for a bit about the trails and history of the surrounding mountains. I learned quite a bit about the role they played in WWII when they were briefly the front lines between the Allied and Nazi forces. It was an extremely random and interesting experience.

The next day I got an early start and walked the 4km or so toward the base of the mountains and the start of a couple trails I had selected from a map. As I began my trek up the mountains I encountered a man going up the road in a small 4wd FIAT. He asked where I was headed and offered to take me to the end of the road. He had apparently left or lost his dog at the end of the road. The dog was there when we arrived so that worked out and the man pointed me toward the trail with a word of warning about the cloudy weather. He saved me a half mile and a few hundred feet of vertical. I climbed through clouds and fog from the valley and reached the summit after about 3.5 hours and 1300m in altitude. The green and rocky slopes were stunning during the breaks in fog and cloud cover. I could occasionaly catch glimpses of the church tower which was adjacent to my hotel in Sulmona.

I had lunch in what once was a refuge for skiers but now was more walls and collapsed roof in a high valley at 1664m. The trail down lead me around the summit and toward the medieval town of Pacentro where I planned to spend the night. The going was easy until the last hour of descent found me in a torrential downpour. I eventually made it to the town and found a much appreciated warm and dry room with a view of the local medieval towers.

Pacentro was a well cared for little hilltop town. The streets were filled with lively older folks who looked at me curiously with my large pack as I explored around in the morning. The buildings were bright with cozy little balconies overlooking the street or the valley below. From Pacentro I opted to take the walk back to Sulmona through the countryside rather than wait hours for a bus. I was able to arrive in Sulmona after an hour and a half of easy walking through the olive groves and hay fields. Before I left town I made sure to purchase some of the local confetti as recommended to me by a kindly septuagenarian I met on a bench in front of the main church. These sugared almonds were quite beautiful and tasty. They represent the main specialty of the local artisans and can be found in numerous shops in the historic center. They are arranged in numerous floral patterns and bouquets for sale.


The towns and people of Abruzzo were absolutely delightful. An easy weekend trip or long day trip from Rome, I would certainly recommend the area to anyone seeking a relaxing peek into rural Italy.






For a few hotels in Sulmona:
http://www.abruzzocitta.it/aziendecomuni/sulmona/hotel/hotel.html

I stayed at the "Hotel Italia" in piazza Tommaso in Sulmona and "La Furnacella" on Via della Montagna in Pacentro. I would recommend either as inexpensive and comfortable. The tourist office in Sulmona is easy to find and has all the information you could need for accomodation and things to do in the area including bus routes and schedules and a good topographical map from the local alpine club.