About Abruzzo

Category: Treasures of Abruzzo

portion of Guerriero di Capestrano

Treasures of Abruzzo

Chieti – Museo Archeologico Nazionale

The Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Abruzzo is housed in the 1830s neoclassical Villa Frigeri in Chieti, atop a small hill. Were I not so impatient to see a certain exhibit, I would linger in the gardens, cool off by the fountains, sigh over the views. Later, I tell myself. The museum is a gem Inside, the spaces are airy and uncluttered, the staff courteous and informed. They hover nearby, ready to answer questions. All the exhibits are meticulously labelled and explained in Italian, with a (mostly) good English translation. The Guerriero di Capestrano, the main object of our visit, is on the ground floor of the Museum but it...

Basilica 2

Treasures of Abruzzo

San Giovanni in Venere

After swimming, seafood and too much sun in San Vito, we are in need of repose and sustenance for the soul. We head for San Giovanni in Venere. On our short drive southwards down the Trabocchi Coast we catch glimpses of the bike path just below us, and beyond, the dazzling blue Adriatic. But just prior to the turnoff to the abbey before Fossacesia, the road dips and we pass wooded land where the forest has burned on both sides of the road. There is nothing left but charred tree stumps and blackened earth. An acrid smell still hangs in the air. Such sights are sadly not uncommon in...