Uncover undiscovered Abruzzo, Italy, a hidden gem east of Rome, offering authentic food, history, and slow-living Italian charm.
Rome, Venice, and Tuscany may get all the fanfare, but for travelers looking for a unique Italian getaway, undiscovered Abruzzo is ready to give you a slice of the authentic la dolce vita.
I was met with blank stares when I told friends I was heading to Abruzzo for a few weeks. Though the region is only about two hours east of Rome, it’s flown under the radar for centuries. Read on to see why undiscovered Abruzzo, Italy, should be on your must-visit list of places to see in Italy.
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Get Your Bearings
Abruzzo is Italy’s greenest region, nestled between the daunting Apennines and the Adriatic Sea. Abruzzo isn’t for you if you’re looking for nightlife, chain stores and restaurants, or overly touristed sites. But if you’re drawn to a charming area with rolling hills, hilltop towns, and vineyard after vineyard like Tuscany, Abruzzo could become your happy place.
One of the first things I learned in Abruzzo is that distances are deceptive. When I read ’30 miles,’ I think it means 30 minutes of travel time, but that’s not the case here. Thanks to the mountainous terrain, poorly maintained narrow roads, and Italian drivers, you need to triple the time you think getting places will take. The surest route to vacation stress would be to stay in northern Teramo, where most of what you want to see is in Southern Chieti. Research what you most want to do and plan to stay in that area, and reframe things in other provinces as “road trips.”
Seaside Bliss
Located in Tollo, in the province of Chieti, Feudo Antico winery is the perfect home base for a coastal escape in Abruzzo. My husband and I spent a lot of time relaxing on nearby Bau Beach. While there are many beach clubs, Bau is a large, sandy public beach that, in September, we had nearly to ourselves.
Bau Beach turned into our own private sanctuary. Photo by Dena Roché
Besides its proximity to the coast, Feudo Antico is ideally located to explore local wine. In 2019, Tollo, a town of just 3,000 people, became a DOCG, Italy’s highest wine classification.
The winery is decidedly modern, but its roots are as ancient as you can get. In 2013, when preparing to replant a Pecorino vineyard, the remains of a Roman villa rustica were discovered. While this halted the plan to become a working winery, it launched Feudo Antico as a museum dedicated to Archaeoenology, a hotel, and a tasting room for wine lovers.
After checking into one of six rooms on the property, we were taken on a tour of the Roman ruins, which included cisterns and evidence of winemaking on the site centuries ago. At the tasting, don’t miss trying the Pecorino and Abruzzo’s famous rosé wine, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, made from the Montepulciano grape.
Feduo Antico Tasting Room, hotel, and museum. Photo by Dena Roché
New Level of Hospitality
We decide to dive deeper into Abruzzo’s wine scene with a visit to Torre Zambra, one of five wineries in the Famiglia De Cerchio portfolio. Fourth-generation wine grower, Federico De Cerchio, runs the family winery. De Cerchio is a bold entrepreneur creating a hospitality empire with a new wine bar and a soon-to-open hotel and restaurant at Torre Zambra.
One of the most historic wineries in Abruzzo. Photo by Dena Roché
Over dinner in the wine bar with De Cerchio, I could feel his passion for Abruzzo, specifically his tiny town of Villamagna, another remarkably small DOCG in the region.
The wine bar opened in March and has some of the most innovative bar food I’ve seen, including seafood crudos and tartar, a wide variety of creative pinse, and a Roman flatbread similar to pizza. The one with prawns direct from the Adriatic shouldn’t be missed. We paired wines like the Poggio Salaia Pecorino, Piana Marina Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, and various expressions of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo with the creative eats.
Torre Zambra’s version of the famous Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Photo: Dena Roché
In the Kitchen
Italy is all about food, so we figured the best way to learn about Abruzzo cuisine was to strap on an apron, don a toque, and learn from a local.
Rosy teaches my husband the secrets to making great pasta. Photo by Dena Roché
We headed to the home of Rosaria Mastrodicasa, owner of Cooking with Rosy. When Rosy opened the door, she, her husband, and son made us feel like friends, not clients.
Believe Rosy when she advises coming hungry! Before we got down to cooking chitarra pasta sugo alla iole, pallotte cadio uova, and almond biscotti, Rosy shared a host of typical Abruzzo appetizers she created using cheese from the local cheese monger, vegetables from her garden, and local lentils dripping with red garlic from a nearby town.
We shared stories and got tips and tricks as we cooked, but the best part of the experience was sitting down to Sunday dinner with the family to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
The fruits of our labor! Photo by Dena Roché
Inland Adventures
Wanting to see more of the region’s mountainous areas, we changed hotels and stayed at Castorani. The winery has a storied history going back to 1793. Today, it’s co-owned by Jarno Trulli, an Abruzzo native and former Formula 1 driver.
Old and new blend seamlessly at Castorani. Photo courtesy Podere Castorani
The modern rooms echo the modern, innovative features of the gravity flow winery. While the winemaking follows traditional methods, robots help with packaging, an on-site lab is used for analysis, and a humidity-controlled drying room developed by former F1 engineers is used to make the winery’s unique Amarone-style Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
After touring the winery, we sat down to an epic tasting, during which I believe we sampled nearly every wine in the portfolio. Some of our favorites were the Lupaia Trebbiano, Podere Castorani Reserve Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, and both the white and red Jarno Appassimento.
Once recovered from the tasting, it was time to get out in nature at Lago di Scanno, a beautiful turquoise lake in the shape of a heart, and on another day, a challenging trek to the Cascata di Cusano waterfall.
An epic tasting at Castorani. Photo by Dena Roché
Road Trip
Remember when I said to expect some road trips in Abruzzo? We had one on our first night when I looked at Google Maps and learned that Reale, the three-star Michelin restaurant I booked months ago, was an hour and a half away.
Gastronomy at the three-star Michelin Reale restaurant. Photo by Dena Roché
That being said, for foodies, Reale is a must. In addition to its three stars, it currently ranks 19th on the World’s Best list and is Italy’s most acclaimed restaurant.
Chef Niko Romito crafts intensely flavorful dishes with a strong focus on vegetables. Diners can opt for a multi-course tasting adventure or order off the à la carte menu. The minimalist décor of the eight-table dining room echoes the minimalist approach to the food. Many dishes sound deceptively simple but pack a huge flavor punch.
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When Visiting Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region that rewards the curious traveler. It might not dazzle you with Renaissance masterpieces or Roman monuments. Still, it offers something increasingly rare: an Italy where locals outnumber tourists, small towns become weighty wine destinations, and there is enough open space to simply be. Abruzzo is where you go when you’ve seen Italy’s greatest hits and are ready to glimpse its soul.
Undiscovered Abruzzo, Italy, offers travelers a rare chance to experience authentic la dolce vita—without the crowds. From medieval hill towns to Adriatic shores, it’s a region that rewards curiosity and invites slow exploration. Discover more Italian destinations on Wander With Wonder.
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