About Abruzzo » Travel

Abruzzo Buses and Ferries Transport Update

Bodach — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:22:09 +0000

I’ve updated the About Abruzzo Transport page to include more bus and ferry details.

The main change relating to buses is the inclusion of a section on buses to and from Rome. Some of these are operated by private companies e.g. Prontobus (thanks CKC) and Rosato. I haven’t used either of these companies but friends of mine took the Rosato bus from Fiumicino to Pescara last year and it worked out well for them.

The other addition is a link to the SNAV ferry site which has details of the ferry timetabes from Pescara to Hvar (Stari Grad) and Split. Taking a ferry across the Adriatic sounds like an excellent idea to me.

If you’ve had any experience with any of the transport options listed please add a comment and let me know if you’d recommend them or not. Don’t forget any tips or tricks you may have discovered, or perhaps thoughts on what you’d do now that you didn’t do then.

Also if you know of other transport sites that cover the Abruzzo region please comment on this post with the details.

If travelling by car is your preferred option, in a previous post I describe the experience of driving from Fiumicino to Pescara province.

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Abruzzo Buses and Ferries Transport Update

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Rome to Abruzzo by Car

Bodach — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 07:22:19 +0000

I was recently back in Abruzzo for a few days. I think it was a lucky few days as the weather was great until the last day. This time we broke with tradition and decided to fly to Rome, Fiumicino (Da Vinci) and drive to Abruzzo. Now I’m sure there are experienced continental drivers reading this blog who won’t understand what I’m about to say, but I was apprehensive. The thought of driving in the greater Rome area, then across Italy filled me with a little anxiety. We did everything to reduce the chances of anything going wrong, and to minimise the chances of navigation based heated exchanges! We brought a touring map, Google Map printouts and Sat Nav with the latest updates. What could go wrong?!

To be fair, nothing much went wrong at all. We exited the airport, followed the signs for autostrada for Roma which brought us to the Roma ring road or GRA (Grande Raccordo Anulare).

Then we followed the signs for L’Aquila, which brought us on to junction 14 and an exit off the Roma GRA for the A24/E80 that took us east. This is a toll road. You grab your ticket going though the toll plaza, and when you exit the autostrada you pay based on the stretch of road you used. Roma to Pescara costs about €13.

View Larger Map

Now after about 70 km on the A24/E80 you need to decide which part of Abruzzo you are heading to, either the direction of L’Aquila/Teramo/Giulianova (A24) or Avezzano/Sulmona/Popoli/Chieti/Pescara (A25/E80).

We were heading to the more southerly part of Abruzzo so we took the Avezzano/Sulmona/Popoli/Chieti/Pescara (A25/E80) direction.

Overall we had three moments of driver/navigator semi-heated exchanges during the whole journey. The first was due to the Sat Nav not agreeing with the road signs. We followed the instructions of the Sat Nav – that was a mistake, easily rectified, but a mistake all the same. The second and third were due to hunger and not setting the Sat Nav to local time. We put off eating because we thought we’d arrive an hour earlier than we were going to. Big mistake! If you feel hungry, stop, even just to grab a coffee and a pastry. Trust me, it saves a lot of hassle!

If you have the time, consider stopping off at some of the towns you pass on route. We didn’t. We wanted to get to our destination as quickly as possible. But if where you’re aiming for brings you close to any of L’Aquila, Teramo, Sulmona, Popoli they are definitely worth a look.

For the return journey the weather had changed and there was a lot of rain. Since the route takes you quite high up, through and around the Apennines, we had to drive though cloud! Visibility wasn’t great at times but the road is good.

If you are driving back to get your return flight give yourself time to get around the Roma GRA and to Fiumicino or Ciampino airports. Traffic can snarl up in cities and the ring-road around Rome is no different. (This article from the english version of Corriere Della Sera gives you an idea of the extent of the Italian city traffic problem.) Ciampino airport is worth considering as an alternative to Fiumicino (Da Vinci) as it is closer to Abruzzo along the Roma GRA and could (remember I have not tried this yet) save 30 minutes driving time.

The overall route itself is breathtaking. You drive though some spectacular scenery. This time of year there is snow on the mountains to add to the stunning views.

If driving is not your preferred option then you might want to try a bus service that a reader of this blog passed on to me (thanks CKC). They are called Prontobus. I have not used them myself but the service may work for you. There is also the ARPA bus service from Roma Tiburtina. And also a service that friends of mine used last year called Rosato.

Buon viaggio!

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Rome to Abruzzo by Car

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Road Trip!

Bodach — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:27:24 +0000

The last episode of Boston Legal has aired. I’m going to miss that show. I loved the interplay between the characters, especially Denny Crane (William Shatner) and Alan Shore (James Spader). Road trips appeared in a few episodes and for that reason, and to mark the demise of a brilliant series, I’m suggesting an Abruzzo road trip.

If you have been reading this blog you’ll already have all the information you need. My suggestion:

Explore the Campo Imperatore in the morning (great views from Hotel Campo Imperatore)
Head to Rocca Calascio and walk around the ruins, stopping to have a picnic
Visit Santo Stefano di Sessanio and maybe have some refreshment

Those of you who have already read about these places will realise that in winter they’ll get snow. They are so high up I suspect they can’t avoid it. In fact Campo Imperatore has plenty of ski routes.

So far I have only been there in spring and summer when the days were long and the sun was shining, so it was easy to get around.

It is a great day out though. And well worth planning for. Don’t worry if the day slips away and you can’t do everything, you can always come back.

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Road Trip!

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La Costa Dei Trabocchi

Bodach — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:51:57 +0000

Trabocchi (singular trabocco) are stilt constructed fishing platforms that can be seen along the Chieti section of the Abruzzo coast. Using trabocchi, fishermen can access areas where the sea is deeper and the fish more plentiful, without using a boat.

The first time I saw a trabocco I was amazed. Spider webs and leggy insects came to mind. You wonder how these structures survive in the precarious positions they are placed. From reading about them I understand they have to be constantly maintained in order to stay structurally sound.

If you fancy seeing them, start at Francavilla al Mare, and head south east on the SS16, hugging the coast. This will bring you from Francavilla al Mare, to Ortona, San Vito Chietino, Torino di Sangro, Vasto and San Salvo. This stretch of coast is sometimes called “La Costa dei Trabocchi” (The trabocchi coast).

I have heard that there are restaurants attached to one or two of these trabocchi, but I have not found them yet. Maybe somebody out there can point the way to one.

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La Costa Dei Trabocchi

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Francavilla al Mare, Chieti

Bodach — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:36:22 +0000

The first time I visited Abruzzo I stayed in Francavilla al Mare in the Chieti province. It is a small seaside town, which acts as a good base for exploring the rest of Abruzzo. It is about 8km from Pescara and about 8km from Pescara airport. It is served by buses linking it to Pescara and also has a train station. Here are some photos I took while I was there.

Francavilla, has a great beach, plenty of restaurants and a good bus service to Pescara. You are close to the state highway SS16 (Strada Statale Adriatica) and the A14 (Autostrada Adriatica). If you want to explore the coasts North and South of Pescara the SS16 is perfect. The A14 will take as far north as Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna, and as far south as Taranto, in Puglia.

Although I enjoyed my stay there, I soon discovered that I preferred the feel of towns closer to the mountains. More on that later.

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Francavilla al Mare, Chieti

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Maps and Transport

Bodach — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:26:49 +0000

I’ve added two pages to the About Abruzzo site.

Maps and Transport, you may find them useful.

Post from: About AbruzzoMaps and Transport

Related posts:Abruzzo Buses and Ferries Transport Update I’ve updated the About Abruzzo Transport page to include more... Rome to Abruzzo by Car I was recently back in Abruzzo for a few days.... Maps � Italy ...

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Maps and Transport

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Getting there!

Bodach — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:33:51 +0000

I have visited Abruzzo on several occasions, travelling different routes each time. Typically I aim for Pescara and the Pescara province. I have visited the four provinces of Abruzzo; L’Aquila, Teramo, Chieti and Pescara, but I tend to base myself in the Pescara province. Not having to travel too far after reaching the city of Pescara is probably the main reason.

How have I travelled there? Either fly to Rome and then on to Pescara by bus, fly to Bologna and on to Pescara by train, or fly directly to Pescara from Stansted or Frankfurt-Hahn. There are many ways, these just happen to be the ones that worked for me.

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Getting there!

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