Pescasseroli

The heart of the Park

Text and photo by Luisa Calderaro

A little town set inside the heart of the Abruzzo, and Molise National Park, one of the first protected areas in : we are in , in Aquila province, in the Valley, surrounded by mountains of pure beauty, where colors and perfumes alternate.

The charm of the nature weaves with the charm of the historical roots of this place, land of shepherds, but also land of philosophers and relevant thinkers: here the historical Benedetto Croce was born.

How to arrive From take the Roma-L’Aquila and turn towards the junction of , continue until you reach then, take the 83 state highway and then the 19 provincial highway that takes you in town.

For those that would like to travel in an eco sustainable way, from Roma Tiburtina you can take the bus from the Arpa Company to Abruzzo. In the Avezzano station you should change bus and in total the trip is four hours long.

It’s possible to reach the Park also in train, taking the Roma-Avezzano-Pescara line until Avezzano: from here you should continue by Arpa bus until Pescasserolli.

Between mountains, nature-paths and historical itineraries

The Marsican Brown Bear is the symbol of the Abruzzo National Park and lives in this land that became a protected sanctuary for him. In Pescasseroli you can find the tourist center that includes a naturalistic museum, an Apennine and a faunistic park. This last one is home of some animals of the local fauna, as the marsican bear that where found wounded or with problems that wouldn’t allow them to live in the wild scene.

In the main country square there’s the info point EcoTur, that organizes trips, trekking, horse rides, bicycle rides and ski trips for winter.

Specially from Pescasseroli there are a lot of different itineraries like those for the Monte Tranquillo, the Monte Marsicano, the Monte Amaro or those for the ruins of the Castel Mancino.

And for the nature-history trip lovers, a must is the tratturo Pescasseroli- Candela trip, the old path used by centuries by the Abruzzo shepherds that guided the herd in transhumance until the Tavoliere delle Puglie. There are in phase of accomplishment the Bike Sharing for inhabiting and visitors of the protected area and the Energy Park, a project that regards, instead, several participations for the supply of energy from recycled sources (photovoltaic and wind power) for the tourist center of Pescasseroli and for the Casone Antonucci di Civitella .

Nature and Sport: in July everyone to Ecolonga

Pescasseroli offers also a unique sports date for those that want to compete into the green of the Abruzzo’s Park. It is the Ecolonga, a track competition 13,3km long that unties along the sinuous paths, the abrupt ascents of 1500m high, the descents between stones and other difficulties to cut the line of the goal in the public country square. A date that every year brings on July hundreds of trackers, this year the XXV edition of Ecolonga will be held Saturday July 14th.

Having Fun at the historical center

Walking by the streets of Pescasseroli, you get amazed by the small stone houses, by the stores that sell local products, by the fountains and by the old historical buildings. You cannot miss the Palazzo Sipari, where Benedetto Croce was born and where Erminio Sipari, founder of the Abruzzo’s National Park, used to live; the San Pietro e Paolo church that hosts the statue of the Madonna Nera all’Incoronata; the Carmelo baroque church; the Santa Maria degli Angeli and the Santa Lucia Church located at the entrance of the town. There are also the ruins of the Castel Mancino and the San Rocco fountain also known as the bear fountain.

Where to stay

The options are several: hotels, tourist’s farms, bed and breakfast and camping areas. We suggest the Azienda Agrituristica Centro Ippico Vallecupa, where you can take riding lessons and collective riding trips. Also, you can go mountain biking and trekking for two days in May, June, July and September while in October trips to meet the trattuto Pescasseroli-Candela. The cuisine in Vallecupa allows you to taste typical local food.

From the B&B we suggest Myosotis, a house surrounded by a big garden with private rooms and independent access. Animals are allowed thanks to the outside doghouses that welcome big and small sized dogs.

Typical Food to taste

In Pescasseroli you find the pecorino (fresh or mature) and the sheep ricotta plus the well-known lamb and pork meat, the barbecue.

The starters are maccheroni alla chitarra, ravioli alla ricotta, codetti and scrippelle, caratelli with orapi, wild spinaci that sprout at high quota.

Wines are excellent like for example the red wine Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and the white wine Trebbiano d’Abruzzo.

The old Abruzzo flavors can be tasted at the restaurant that is also a delightful hotel, Alle Vecchie Arcate, where ingredients to prepare the dishes come from the surroundings and are treated in a plain and natural way.

Positive: Pescasseroli offers an opportunity to meet a part of the Abruzzo’s Park with trips, naturalistic-historical itineraries, walks in the historical center of the town or exploring places near the zone as for example; , Opi, Villetta , and others. Also, the trip to the Camosciara Integral Reservoir is a must and is only a few km distant.

Negative: Prices are very high for the accommodation and tourists come in crowd in the summer period. That’s why the suggested months of the year to visit the place are June, July or September. In these months you can assist to a few traditional celebrations like the Infiorata (first days of June), the San Pietro and San Paolo celebration (June 29th) and the Madonna Incoronata celebration (at September). For the sport lovers the ideal time is in the coldest months of the year.

Plus: The Ecolonga: a track competition that bounds the athlete with the nature. www.comune.pescasseroli.aq.it/ www.pescasseroli.net/ www.parcoabruzzo.it/