Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Abruzzo: Sulmona, the Gran Sasso and the Hill Villages
7 days from Rome to Pescara: three nights in Sulmona for Scanno and the national park, two in the restored village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio for Rocca Calascio and Campo Imperatore, and a last night on the Adriatic at Vasto.
7 days · Rome to Pescara · up to 12 guests
Rocca Calascio above the Navelli plain, a short drive from Santo Stefano di Sessanio Photo: Paoladc91, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roccacalascio.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 7 days, 6 nights
- Start and end
- Rome to Pescara
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 3 h on day 3No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Moderate
Walking of 2 to 3 hours most days on cobbles, steps and mountain paths. The villages sit between about 400 m (Sulmona) and 1,250 m (Santo Stefano di Sessanio), and Campo Imperatore lies at about 1,500 to 2,100 m, so the air is thinner and the weather changes fast. The longer walks are optional: about 8 km on the national park wildlife walk, about 4 km on the old path from Santo Stefano to Rocca Calascio and a climb of about an hour above Campo Imperatore. Each has a shorter version or a seat in the van, and no day has more than about 2.75 hours of driving.
- Meals included
- 6 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 715 (estimated price)
- Season
- May to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Sulmona's sugared-almond confetti, tasted where they are still made, and Ovid's town at an unhurried pace
- The Sagittario gorge, then Scanno above its lake, where older women still wear the traditional dress
- An early walk with a park guide in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, looking for chamois and signs of wolf and bear
- Two nights in Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a stone village restored as an albergo diffuso
- Rocca Calascio, a ruined castle at about 1,460 m, in the late afternoon light
- Campo Imperatore, the high plateau under the Corno Grande, with lamb arrosticini cooked on a grill for lunch
- A fish lunch on a trabocco, one of the wooden fishing platforms of the Adriatic, and a last evening on Vasto's sea balcony
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 715 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 3 h, on day 3.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Rome to Sulmona across the Apennines
Rome Fiumicino Airport or Roma Termini station to Sulmona
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Sulmona
- Drive about 2.5 h
Your driver meets you at Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) or at Roma Termini station, and your See Sight Tours guide rides with the group from the first pick-up. We confirm the latest arrival time and the pick-up times with your final itinerary. The drive east takes about two and a half hours on the A24 and A25 motorways, climbing out of the Roman countryside into the Apennines. We stop for coffee and a snack where the road crosses the Fucino plain, the flat bed of a large lake that was drained in the 19th century, then drop through the mountains into the Valle Peligna. Sulmona, our base for three nights, sits in that green valley under the Majella and Morrone ranges. After check-in there is time to rest.
Evening
In the early evening your guide walks you down Corso Ovidio, named for the Roman poet born here in 43 BC, to Piazza Garibaldi and the arches of the medieval aqueduct, and we sit down together for a welcome dinner of local dishes.
Included
- Pick-up at Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) or Roma Termini station
- A coffee stop on the way across the Apennines
- Evening walk in Sulmona: Corso Ovidio, Piazza Garibaldi and the aqueduct
- Welcome dinner in Sulmona
Free time: Late afternoon free in Sulmona before the evening walk
Activity: Most of the day is travel; the evening walk is about an hour on flat paving.
Sulmona's confetti, then Scanno and the Sagittario gorge
Sulmona to the Sagittario gorge and Scanno, and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Sulmona
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
The morning is in Sulmona on foot with a local guide. We start at the Santissima Annunziata, a hospital and church complex whose facade mixes Gothic and Renaissance work, then walk the old centre to Piazza Garibaldi, where the 13th-century aqueduct runs along one side. Sulmona is known across Italy for confetti, sugared almonds given at weddings and christenings, and still made here by family firms. We visit a confetti maker and its small museum to see the old copper pans and the flowers and bouquets the makers shape from the sweets, and taste a few.
Afternoon
Lunch is together in town. In the early afternoon we drive about 40 minutes south into the Sagittario gorge, where the road squeezes between limestone walls beside the river, and take a short walk in the WWF reserve below Anversa degli Abruzzi. We continue past Villalago to the lake of Scanno and up to Scanno itself, a village of steep stone lanes where a few older women still wear the dark traditional dress. Time to wander and buy local filigree jewellery, then back to Sulmona by about 7 pm.
Included
- Sulmona with a local guide: the Santissima Annunziata, the old centre and Piazza Garibaldi
- A confetti maker, its museum and a tasting
- Lunch in Sulmona
- A short walk in the Sagittario gorge reserve
- The lake of Scanno and Scanno village with your guide
Easier option: Skip the gorge walk and wait at a cafe in Villalago or Scanno; the van brings you on.
More active option: Walk the Sentiero del Cuore above the lake of Scanno, about an hour's climb each way, to the viewpoint where the lake looks like a heart.
Free time: Free time in Scanno; evening free in Sulmona
Activity: About 2 hours on foot in Sulmona, then about an hour in the gorge on a dirt path and steep lanes in Scanno.
Chamois and wolf country in the national park
Sulmona to Civitella Alfedena in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Sulmona
- Drive about 3 h
We leave at 7:30 am, one of the few early starts on the trip, because the animals are most active in the first hours of the day and the trailheads fill on summer weekends. The drive south takes about an hour and a quarter over the mountains to Civitella Alfedena, a stone village inside the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, which was founded in 1922 and is home to the Apennine wolf, the Marsican brown bear and the Abruzzo chamois. With a park-authorised guide we walk up into the beech woods and meadows of the Val di Rose or the Camosciara, depending on access rules and conditions, watching the slopes for chamois and reading the signs of wolf and bear on the path. We say plainly that wolves and bears are shy and rarely seen; the chamois are the likeliest sighting.
Afternoon
We come down for a late lunch together in the park, then visit the wolf museum in Civitella Alfedena, which explains how the wolf came back from near extinction in Italy. We are back in Sulmona by about 4:30 pm, with the rest of the day free.
Included
- Guided wildlife walk with a park-authorised guide in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park
- Lunch in the park
- The wolf museum in Civitella Alfedena
Easier option: Walk the flat Val Fondillo track along the river near Opi with your guide instead of the climb, and meet the walkers for lunch.
More active option: The full climb towards the chamois grounds: about 8 km and 600 m of ascent on a mountain path, with your park guide.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Sulmona
Activity: The active walk is about 4 hours on a steep mountain path; bring boots, water and a warm layer. Wildlife sightings are never certain.
Bominaco and Navelli to Santo Stefano di Sessanio
Sulmona to Bominaco and Navelli, then Santo Stefano di Sessanio and Rocca Calascio
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Santo Stefano di Sessanio
- Drive about 1.5 h
We leave Sulmona at about 9 am and drive north on the old state road through the Aterno valley. The first stop is Bominaco, where a custodian opens the small Oratory of San Pellegrino, its walls and vault covered in 13th-century frescoes, including a farming calendar of the months. A few minutes on, Navelli sits on a hillside above a plain where saffron has been grown for centuries; we walk up its lanes and stop for coffee.
Morning
By late morning we reach Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a stone village at about 1,250 m inside the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, once a wool town of the Medici. Many of its houses were empty for decades until they were restored as an albergo diffuso, a hotel spread through the village, and you sleep here two nights.
Afternoon
Lunch and the early afternoon are free. In the late afternoon we go up to Rocca Calascio, a ruined castle at about 1,460 m with the octagonal church of Santa Maria della Pietà below it, as the light turns gold over the valley.
Evening
Dinner together in Santo Stefano, with the village's small lentils on the menu.
Included
- The Oratory of San Pellegrino in Bominaco
- Navelli village
- Santo Stefano di Sessanio with your guide
- Rocca Calascio and Santa Maria della Pietà in the late afternoon
- Dinner in Santo Stefano di Sessanio
Easier option: Ride the van up to the car park below Rocca Calascio and walk the last 15 minutes, or wait in the hamlet at the foot of the castle.
More active option: Walk from Santo Stefano to Rocca Calascio on the old mule path, about 4 km and 1.5 hours with a steady climb, and meet the van there.
Free time: Lunch and early afternoon free in Santo Stefano di Sessanio
Activity: Santo Stefano is car-free inside: lanes are cobbled and stepped, and bags are carried to your room. The walk to the castle is steep and exposed to wind.
Campo Imperatore under the Gran Sasso
Santo Stefano di Sessanio to Castel del Monte and Campo Imperatore, and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Santo Stefano di Sessanio
- Drive about 2 h
Campo Imperatore is a high plateau about 20 km long, at roughly 1,500 to 1,900 m, under the Corno Grande, at 2,912 m the highest peak in the Apennines.
Afternoon
We leave at about 8:30 am, because cloud often builds on the peaks after midday, and drive through Castel del Monte, a village of shepherds' houses and covered passages, up onto the plateau. Herds of horses, cattle and sheep graze the open grassland, and in June the meadows are full of flowers. We drive the length of the plateau to the old hotel at about 2,130 m where Mussolini was held in 1943, and from there you choose: an easy stroll with views over the plateau, or a climb of about an hour on a mountain path towards the Duca degli Abruzzi refuge. In summer the alpine botanical garden beside the road is open. Lunch is at a plateau ristoro where lamb arrosticini, small skewers grilled over coals, are the local meal, with bread, cheese and wine. We are back in Santo Stefano by mid-afternoon, and the rest of the day is yours.
Included
- Castel del Monte village
- Campo Imperatore plateau with your guide
- Arrosticini lunch on the plateau
Optional experiences
- The alpine botanical garden at Campo Imperatore, when open in summer (paid locally)
Easier option: Stay on the plateau for a level stroll near the van, with the Gran Sasso views and a coffee.
More active option: Climb about an hour from the old hotel towards the Duca degli Abruzzi refuge at about 2,390 m, with views down both sides of the range.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Santo Stefano di Sessanio
Activity: Altitude around 2,000 m; walk slowly and bring a warm, windproof layer even in summer. The road onto the plateau is normally open from about May.
The Orta valley and a trabocco lunch on the coast
Santo Stefano di Sessanio to the Orta valley, then the Costa dei Trabocchi and Vasto
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Vasto
- Drive about 3 h
We pack up and leave the mountains at about 8:30 am, driving east past Popoli and along the Pescara river to Bolognano on the edge of the Majella. Here the Orta river has cut a deep, wooded gorge, and a short path in the Valle dell'Orta reserve leads to viewpoints over the green water below: a last walk in the mountains. Another hour brings us to the Adriatic and the Costa dei Trabocchi, south of Ortona, where wooden fishing platforms called trabocchi stand on stilts over the sea, joined to the shore by narrow walkways.
Afternoon
Lunch together is on one of them: the fish and seafood of the day, cooked simply, with the nets hanging overhead. Afterwards we stop at the abbey of San Giovanni in Venere above Fossacesia, a Romanesque church on a headland over the sea, then drive half an hour south to Vasto.
Evening
After some free time, your guide takes you along the Loggia Amblingh, the old town's balcony over the gulf, and we end the trip with a farewell dinner in Vasto.
Included
- A short walk in the Valle dell'Orta reserve
- Fish lunch on a trabocco on the Costa dei Trabocchi
- The abbey of San Giovanni in Venere
- Evening walk on Vasto's Loggia Amblingh
- Farewell dinner in Vasto
Optional experiences
- A ride on the Via Verde, the cycle path along the old coastal railway (bike hire paid locally, on request)
Easier option: Stay at the first viewpoint in the Orta valley rather than walking further along the gorge path.
Free time: Free time in Vasto before the evening walk
Activity: Trabocchi are reached by narrow wooden walkways and steps; tell us if that is a problem and we arrange a lunch on shore.
Punta Aderci, then Pescara
Vasto to the Punta Aderci reserve, then Abruzzo Airport (PSR) or Pescara Centrale station
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
A gentle last morning by the sea. After breakfast we drive ten minutes north of Vasto to the Punta Aderci nature reserve, where a path runs along low cliffs above sandy coves and the clear water around the Punta Penna headland and its lighthouse. Walk as far as you like for an hour or so, with time for a coffee and a swim in summer. In the late morning we drive north up the coast road and the A14 motorway to Pescara, about an hour, and drop you at Abruzzo Airport (PSR) or at Pescara Centrale station. Pescara airport has a limited number of flights, and buses and trains connect the city with Rome in about 3 to 4 hours, so plan a flight home from Rome for the next day. If you would rather end the trip back in Rome, ask us and we quote a drop at Fiumicino or Termini. If you want more time by the sea or in the mountains, we can add nights in Vasto or Sulmona.
Included
- A morning walk in the Punta Aderci reserve
- Drop-off at Abruzzo Airport (PSR) or Pescara Centrale station
Activity: Book a flight from Pescara after about 2:30 pm: we leave Punta Aderci in the late morning and the drive to the airport is about an hour and a quarter. For a flight home from Rome, plan it for the next day.
- Romestart
- Sulmona3 nights
- Santo Stefano di Sessanio2 nights
- Vasto1 night
- Pescaraend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: May and June bring green meadows and wildflowers on Campo Imperatore, with snow still on the Gran Sasso peaks. July and August are warm on the coast and pleasant in the mountains, but the park and the plateau are busiest at weekends. September and October are calm and clear, with autumn colour in the beech woods and the chamois easier to watch. Wolves and Marsican brown bears live in the park but are rarely seen; we never promise a sighting.
Want this plan in your inbox?
Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Repeat visitors to Italy who have done Rome, Florence and the Amalfi Coast and want somewhere quieter
- Walkers who like mountain paths, with a shorter option every day
- Travellers curious about wildlife, villages and shepherding traditions more than museums
- Food lovers who want to eat what each place is known for: confetti, lentils, arrosticini and fish from a trabocco
- Anyone who wants mountains and the sea in one short week
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: Santo Stefano di Sessanio is a car-free village of steps and cobbles
- Travellers who want a guaranteed sighting of wolves or bears
- Those who want big-city sights or a beach holiday: the coast is one night
- Anyone who needs a long-haul flight from the end point: Pescara has few direct routes, so plan a connection or a night in Rome
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
6 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Sulmona3 nights
- Santo Stefano di Sessanio2 nights
- Vasto1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 6 nights: 3 in Sulmona, 2 in Santo Stefano di Sessanio, 1 in Vasto
- Hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard in or near each historic centre, and a restored-village albergo diffuso in Santo Stefano, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
- Local tourist taxes
Transport
- Pick-up at Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) or Roma Termini station on day 1
- Drop-off at Abruzzo Airport (PSR) or Pescara Centrale station on day 7
- Our own air-conditioned minibus and driver for the group for the whole trip
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip
- A local guide in Sulmona and a park-authorised guide in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park
Activities
- Sulmona: evening walk on day 1, then a guided walk of the old centre with the Santissima Annunziata on day 2
- Sulmona: a confetti maker, its museum and a tasting
- The Sagittario gorge reserve, the lake of Scanno and Scanno village
- Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park: guided wildlife walk and the wolf museum in Civitella Alfedena
- Bominaco: the Oratory of San Pellegrino
- Navelli village
- Santo Stefano di Sessanio and Rocca Calascio
- Castel del Monte and the Campo Imperatore plateau
- The Valle dell'Orta reserve
- The abbey of San Giovanni in Venere
- Vasto: the Loggia Amblingh
- The Punta Aderci reserve
Meals
- Breakfast daily (6)
- 4 lunches: Sulmona, the national park, arrosticini on Campo Imperatore, and a fish lunch on a trabocco
- 3 dinners: a welcome dinner in Sulmona, Santo Stefano di Sessanio and a farewell dinner in Vasto
- A confetti tasting in Sulmona
Not included
- International flights to and from Italy
- Travel from Pescara back to Rome after the trip
- Travel insurance
- Visa or travel authorisation fees, if any apply to you (such as ETIAS once it starts)
- Meals not listed (lunches on days 1, 4 and 7 and dinners on days 2, 3 and 5 are on you)
- Drinks, except with the included lunches on Campo Imperatore and the trabocco
- Tips
- Optional activities, such as the Campo Imperatore botanical garden and bike hire on the Via Verde
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 715 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Six nights in Sulmona, Santo Stefano di Sessanio and Vasto, breakfast daily, 4 lunches and 3 dinners including arrosticini on Campo Imperatore and a trabocco fish lunch, our own minibus and driver from Rome to Pescara, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, a park guide for the wildlife walk, local tourist taxes and every entry in the day plan.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That fits one minibus on mountain roads, one table on a trabocco and one albergo diffuso in a small village, and keeps a wildlife walk quiet enough to see animals. Many Italy tours run with 16 to 29 people.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the Rome pick-up to the Pescara drop-off. A local guide joins in Sulmona, and a park-authorised guide leads the wildlife walk in the national park, as the park requires on some trails. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.
How fit do I need to be for this Abruzzo trip?
Moderately fit. Most days have 2 to 3 hours of walking on cobbles, steps and paths, and the mountain days reach about 2,000 m, where you will feel the altitude a little. The harder walks, up to about 8 km with a 600 m climb in the park, are optional, and each day has an easier version.
I am travelling solo. What is the single supplement?
A room of your own is from CAD 715 more, about 17 percent of the trip price, shown up front with no surprise at checkout. If you would rather share, tell us when you book and we check whether another solo guest on your date would like to share a twin room for the whole trip.
When is the best time to visit Abruzzo?
May to October. May and June have wildflowers on Campo Imperatore and snow on the peaks; July and August are warm on the coast and fresher in the mountains; September and October are calm and clear, with autumn colour in the beech woods. The plateau road usually opens in May and can close with snow from November.
Will we see wolves or bears?
Probably not, and we do not promise it. Apennine wolves and Marsican brown bears live in the national park but are shy and seen only rarely, mostly at dawn and dusk. Chamois are the likeliest sighting on the morning walk, and your park guide shows you tracks, scat and the places the animals use.
What is an albergo diffuso?
It is a hotel spread through a village rather than in one building. In Santo Stefano di Sessanio the rooms are in restored stone houses along the lanes, with reception and breakfast in another old house. Rooms keep their thick walls and simple furnishings, there are steps everywhere, and bags are carried up for you.
How does booking work?
The small group starts from CAD 4,195 per person sharing, with taxes, and private trips from CAD 7,550. Send your preferred dates as an enquiry. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are indicative until your dates are confirmed.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private version is for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we quote the same hotels, drivers and local guides for you.
Do Canadians or Americans need a visa for Italy?
No visa is needed for a tourist stay of up to 90 days in the Schengen area with a Canadian or US passport valid for at least three months after you leave. Entry requirements, including any EU ETIAS or Entry/Exit System (EES) rules, depend on your nationality and travel dates; check the official EU ETIAS and EES information before you book.
Which airports should I fly into and out of?
Fly into Rome Fiumicino (FCO), where we pick you up, and out of Abruzzo Airport (PSR) in Pescara, which has a limited number of flights. If you would rather fly home from Rome, buses and trains reach it from Pescara in about 3 to 4 hours, or we can quote a drop back at Fiumicino.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
Book your Tour
Get in Touch
- Toll Free1-888-961-6584
- Local1-289-271-9767
© 2026 See Sight Tours. All rights reserved.