Tourism in Abruzzo
Tourism in Abruzzo has become one of the most prosperous sectors in the economy of Abruzzo, and in recent years has seen a remarkable growth attracting numerous tourists from Italy and Europe. According to statistics from the Italian institute of statistics (ISTAT), in 2007 arrivals totaled 1,371,155 Italians and 189,651 foreigners. A total of 7,374,646 arrivals were tourists, a figure that puts the region seventeenth among the Italian regions for numbers of tourists per year. According to market analysis and sector studies on tourism in the Abruzzo National Society TurisMonitor 2012, after an increase that was estimated at between 4 and 5% of international tourist arrivals in the Abruzzo region in 2012 was estimated to increase that international arrivals will be around 3/4% by the end of 2012 with staff working in tourism will increase settling at about 25,000 people. Always position first-arrivals from Germany.[1] A moderate support to tourism is also given to the Abruzzo Airport with many low cost and charter flights connecting the entire region with the rest of Europe.[2] Abruzzo tourism can basically be divided into three different types: mountain tourism[3] hiking natural which includes numerous ski resorts, nature reserves and protected areas, beach tourism and coastal with the number of resort, hotel, camping and beaches,[4] and finally the art-historical tourism religious and cultural concentrated mostly in mountain villages and historic towns such as l'Aquila, Vasto, Chieti, Teramo, Sulmona and many others.[5]
Tourism in Abruzzo | |
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Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L'Aquila | |
Time zone | UTC+1 (Central European Time) |
Website | Official Abruzzo Tourist webpage |
In January 2016 the online newspaper HuffingtonPost.com has included Abruzzo in its "The World's 12 Best Place to Live or Retire in 2016",[6] writing:
"It's hard to think of a lovelier corner of Italy than the Abruzzo. The beaches are golden, and the sea rolls out like a giant bolt of turquoise silk. There are mountains, too, meaning that, living here, you'd have both skiing and beach-combing on your doorstep, depending on the season. This region is one of Italy's secret treasures"
Mountain and ecotourism tourism
The region currently has 17 active ski resort.[7] They are located in the town of Scanno, Ovindoli, Pescasseroli, Tagliacozzo, Roccaraso, Campo Imperatore, Campo Felice, Rivisondoli, Pescocostanzo and Prati di Tivo where winter tourism is highly developed and then you can play sports such as alpine skiing, snowboarding, ski mountaineering, ski touring, cross-country skiing and dog sledding.[8][9][10] Other trails and facilities are in San Giacomo (Valle Castellana), Passolanciano-Majelletta, Prato Selva, Marsia, Campo Rotondo, Campo di Giove, Passo San Leonardo, Passo Godi, Pizzoferrato and Gamberale. Abruzzo is called Europe's greenest region[11] and boasts the presence of three national parks (Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, Maiella National Park, and regional park (Sirente Velino) and 38 protected areas between oasis, regional reserves and state reserves. The parks allow tourists hiking and nature activities, leisure activities and holidays such as excursions to the park, horse riding, hiking, cycling, canoeing, rafting, windsurfing, hiking, birdwatching, boating on Lake of Bomba, activities paragliding and hang-gliding and finally tourism resort on Lake of Scanno and Campotosto, in addition to the natural parks of Abruzzo boasts numerous protected areas.[12]
Coastal and Beach tourism
The coast in Abruzzo extends for 129 kilometers, is nationally known as a tourist bathing resorts Montesilvano, Pineto, Roseto degli Abruzzi, Giulianova, Alba Adriatica, Tortoreto, Francavilla al Mare, Ortona, Vasto, Martinsicuro, Silvi Marina, and finally the Trabocchi Coast is not only famous for the sea but also for the ancient fishing machines Abruzzo still visible and can be visited by tourists along the coast, many of these centers, tourist resorts have the privilege and prestige of being appointed Blue Flag beach for water quality and services. With regard to this type of tourism are many activities that you can do: sailing, windsurfing and kite surfing, canoeing, fishing, boating (including jet skiing and water skiing), fishing and underwater photography, scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, golf, mountain biking, cycling, motorcycle racing, motocross and off-road, kayaking.[13]
Art-historical and religious tourism
As for the art-historical and religious tourism cultural, historical and cultural importance are the city of Chieti with Roman ruins, churches, museums (Museo archeologico nazionale d'Abruzzo with inside the Warrior of Capestrano), Teramo (Teramo Cathedral), Vasto (Palazzo D'Avalos, Castello Caldonesco), Lanciano (Miracle of Lanciano), Manoppello (Manoppello Image), Ortona (Basilica-Cathedral of St. Thomas the Apostle with the remains of the saint disciple of Jesus), Atri (Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta), Giulianova (Cathedral of San Flaviano), Sulmona (Sulmona Cathedral), l'Aquila (including the famous Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio - with the remains of Pope Celestine V - severely damaged by the earthquake of 2009), (Museo Nazionale d'Abruzzo), Santa Maria del Suffragio, Forte Spagnolo, Fontana delle 99 cannelle), St. Gabriel's shrine with average of 2 million visitors per year is one of the 15 most visited sanctuaries in the world[14] and others small villages with many monuments, museums, castles and churches of national importance; even though a city Pescara modern, has basilicas, shrines, churches and important museums (Basilica della Madonna dei sette dolori, Madonna del Fuoco, Pescara Cathedral, e Museo casa natale Gabriele D'Annunzio).
In the interior mountains are ancient villages included, among other things on the list of most beautiful villages in Italy (Abbateggio, Anversa degli Abruzzi, Bugnara, Caramanico Terme, Castel del Monte, Castelli, Città Sant'Angelo, Civitella del Tronto whose fortress is the most visited monument in the whole Abruzzo region,[15] Guardiagrele, Introdacqua, Navelli, Opi, Pacentro, Penne, Pescocostanzo, Pettorano sul Gizio, Pietracamela, Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Rocca Calascio, Rocca San Giovanni, Scanno, Tagliacozzo, Villalago), castles (in Roccascalegna, Celano, Pacentro, Anversa degli Abruzzi, Avezzano, Balsorano, Villalago, Calascio, Valle Castellana, Monteodorisio, Carpineto Sinello, Crecchio, Civitaluparella, Ortona, Castiglione Messer Marino, Civitella Messer Raimondo, Vasto, Palmoli, Serramonacesca, Salle), hermitages (Sant'Onofrio al Morrone, San Giovanni, San Bartolomeo, etc..), sanctuaries Basilica santuario del Volto Santo di Manoppello, Monastero di Santa Maria in Valle Rotana Convents (Convento del Ritiro della Santissima Annunziata del Poggio, Convento della Madonna del Carmine, Convento di San Francesco (Lanciano), Convento Michetti, Ex Convento di San Donato), abbeys (San Clemente a Casauria, San Liberatore a Majella, San Giovanni in Venere, Abbazia Santa Maria in Montesanto, Abbazia di Santa Lucia, Abbazia di Santa Maria Arabona, Badia Morronese), and old churches (Santa Maria ad Cryptas a Fossa, San Tommaso di Caramanico and others).[16]
Gallery
- A view of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise
- Gran Sasso Mountain
- Majella Massif
- Velino Massif
- Campo Felice lake in spring.
- Campotosto Lake
- Vasto:Punta della Penna Beach
- Pescara
- Promenade in Tortoreto Lido
- L'Aquila 99 Spouts Fountain
- Church of SS Annunziata in Sulmona
- Shrine of Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows
References
- http://turismo-in.it/en/tourism-in-abruzzo/
- http://www.abruzzoairport.com/default.aspx?lang=en
- "Winter in Abruzzo, Skiing in Abruzzo, Winter activity in Abruzzo Italy".
- "Activities holiday in Abruzzo, Top activities in Abruzzo, Active holidays in Italy".
- "Art and Culture Abruzzo, Abruzzo traditions, Live culture in Abruzzo, Discover art in Italy".
- "The World's 12 Best Places To Live Or Retire In 2016". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
- "Skiing in Abruzzo - alpine skiing". Issuu.
- http://www.skiabruzzo.com/skiing-in-abruzzo
- http://www.skiabruzzo.com/where-to-stay
- http://www.skiabruzzo.com/ski-hire-equipment-rental-ski-schools
- "A Guide to the Parks of Abruzzo". Issuu.
- "Nature and environment". Issuu.
- "Guide to Nautical Tourism in Abruzzo". Issuu.
- "Shrine of Saint Gabriele dell'Addolorata Isola desl Gran Sasso". turismo.provincia.teramo.it.
- "Serenissimi e borbonici insieme per disfare l'Italia".
- "Art, Worship and Culture". Issuu.