Start with Abruzzo, crib of ancient civilizations, which presents itself to you so to have you understand its essence, which makes it a unique territory. Modern and ancient fond together, making its surrounding a joy for every taste. Here you'll find ancient beechwood forests inhabited by wolves and bears, century-old pathways still used by colorfully-attired shepherds and their flocks, ominous castles which now guard nothing but desolate stretches of wilderness where the only sign of life might be a soaring royal eagle or a lone family of mountain goats. Though Italians traditionally think of Abruzzo as a remote, mountainous region, its eastern border is marked by vast sandy beaches stretching along the Adriatic north and south of Pescara. Venture west from here and you will indeed soon enter the hills, which rise quickly to become the infamous Abruzzo mountains, dotted with some of the least visited hill towns in Italy.

This is what our grandmothers called God's country, site of the vast and extremely well administered Abruzzo National Park, one of the most important in all of Europe. Nearby is the newly-designated Maiella National Park, along with several regional parks. Flora and fauna abound in these protected areas, where thick forests and flowering meadows give way to barren high plains and snow-capped granite peaks. Europe's southernmost glacier, the Calderone, extends from Corno Grande to Corno Piccolo, in the shadow of Gran Sasso, tallest peak on the Italian peninsula.

The region is rich in remains of the Roman civilization, which can be found at Minternum near L’Aquila, Alba Fucens, Iuvanum a Montenerodomo. Art saw its most creative period during the Middle Ages. Noteworthy cathedrals and abbeys, with a patent local imprint, were erected between the eleventh and the nineteenth century. The most important example is Santa Maria di Collemaggio, in L’Aquila. Sculpture attained a special development. An important and typical goldsmith's craft, which produced splendid objects, dates back to the sixteenth century. Precious Renaissance examples can be found in Sulmona and L’Aquila. Another of Abruzzo’s pearls is the province of Chieti. With its numerous towns and villages, among which we have Vasto, ancient town situated upon a hill, divided by the coastal area (Vasto Marina) and up town Vasto, doted of the most enchanting views of the coastline and nearby villages. Here you can discover many pieces of art and history, castles and old churches, and the many events that place throughout the year. Vasto features Punta Aderci, natural reserve instituted in 1998, a mosaic of colors, sounds and suggestions, where the elements that draw it are not only natural ones. The highest lighthouse of Italy, after Genova’s Lanterna, the Roman church of Penna Luce, the port with its ancient fishing stories, the suggestions of nearby islands (Tremiti Islands) and those of a further coast (Croatia), the natural ambiance of the reserve that protects the most integrate part of the Abruzzo coastline.

Abruzzo, a place you can call home.