Abruzzo and Le Marche remain largely unexplored. Each offer spectacular scenery and hilltop towns and villages, as well as ski resorts and miles of beautiful coastline.  Abruzzo produces some of Italy's finest wines and the cuisine in both regions is some of the best to be found in the whole of Italy.

Despite being a relatively new holiday destination our villas with pools in Abruzzo are of the standard and quality that our clients have come to expect from an Ilios Travel holiday.

Italian villas in Abruzzo offer an immensely varied and stunningly beautiful landscape, dominated by majestic mountains, with the Gran Sasso, the highest peak in the Apennines, giving way to deep wide valleys, olive groves and vineyards below.

Our Abruzzo villas are situated between the snow-capped mountains and the Adriatic coast, and are within driving distance of Rome. Birthplace of Ovid (the famous Roman poet) and Gabriele D’Annunzio.

Only a two hour drive from our Abruzzo villas is the city of L'Aquila which until the end of the second world war was completely encircled by city walls. Its' basilica, castle and fountain with 99 spouts beckon. Spread your wings and try the caves at Ripe, the 16 ski runs at Campo Felice, the archeological treasure trove around the lake of Capestrano and Ovid’s birthplace Sulmona for its wonderful civic museum. Of course you may fancy hunting for dragon eggs in Atessa or having a look around pop singer Madonna’s birthplace in Pacentro.

Abruzzo, like most regions, has many festivals. Pretoro has the Miracle of the Wolf of San Domenico and at Cocullo the well-known procession of the snake-charmers attracts thousand of people. Religious tradition is often combined with paganism as memories of stories are handed down from the past during the Farchie, a great fire commemoration at Fara Filiorum Petri. Take your camera to the exuberant multicoloured flag procession of the Banderesi at Bunchiniano.

Abruzzo is rich in handicrafts with many towns specialising in a single skill: the wood carvings at Pretoro, the wrought iron of Guardiagrele, the ceramics at Rapino, the blankets and carpets at Taranta Peligna, the Tombolo lace and the golden filagree in Pescocostanzo and Scanno. The majolicas of Castelli are unmissable; Castelli has been the crucial centre for Italian ceramic art for more than 3 centuries. You can watch the artisans at work producing outstanding pieces of art. You cannot visit the area without a souvenir from Castelli.

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