Tuscany it isn’t – thank goodness

The region of Abruzzo is a little visited treasure. Go before everyone else does, says Tim Jepson

Some regions of Italy have remained impervious to the Grand Tourists of the past and the Instagrammers of today. Who visits Abruzzo, a region east of Rome and south of the Marche? Very few is the answer – but why so secret? Poverty, for one thing, the sheer wilderness of the mountains for another; the region, too high and too isolated for vines, olives and the medieval trade and rich history that fostered the cities – and art – of Tuscany, Umbria and Sicily.

And yet things are now changing. The mountains are the finest in Italy outside the Alps, the coast is gloriously wild in places, and many of the ancient villages are timeless and traditional in the best sense. And if visitor

infrastructure is still in its infancy – part of the region’s charm, of course – newer destination hotels are gradually opening and the food, as ever in Italy, is superlative.

The new Tuscany? The new Umbria? Not yet, but a place to visit now before everyone else? Definitely. Here are a few reasons why. The medieval village of Villa Santa Maria, main; skewers of lamb, below; wolves in the wild, right beautiful tracts of the region are accessible only on foot, following ancient transhumance trails or high mountain roads.

The park is among Italy’s best administered national parks. You’ll also find more here in the way of hotels, facilities, biking and hiking trails (notably in Pescasseroli and smaller Opi, plus pretty, medieval Scanno just outside the park borders).

In the Monti della Laga, travel the beautiful road between Acquasanta Terme and Teramo and consider using the village of Pietracamela as a base, staying and eating in the Antica Locanda (anticalocanda.eu; doubles from £36). From here you could easily head south and take one of the finest drives in Europe: the road that runs west to east under the Gran Sasso across the vast upland plains of the Campo Imperatore, known locally as “Little Tibet”. Visit Castel del Monte, one of the region’s loveliest villages, situated at well over 4,000ft. This is a good place to stay but drive a few miles on and you’ll find one of central Italy’s most interesting hotels, the Sexantio (telegraph.co.uk/tt-sextantio; doubles with B&B from £130) in tiny Santo Stefano. Alternatively, travel east to Farindola, a classic little Abruzzese village with superb views and great food. Be sure to devote time to Loreto Aprutino to the east, one of the region’s most appealing medieval villages.

Explore the third of Abruzzo’s massifs, the Maiella, and you’ll be venturing into one of western

Europe’s last great wilderness areas. Sulmona, birthplace of Ovid, just to the west is worth a visit, especially if you can be here on a Wednesday or Saturday morning, when Piazza Garibaldi hosts its market.

It’s also on a railway line – and there aren’t many of those in this mountain area: the ride here from Rieti via L’Aquila, and especially on to Castel di Sangro and beyond, is one of Italy’s most scenic. – are offered from windblown, remote shepherds’ shacks.

Arrosticini are a mainstay of many mountain villages, too – make a pilgrimage to Farindola and Lu Strego, a trattoria whose arosticini are often acclaimed the best in the Abruzzo.

Wine-wise, no one is going to Abruzzo to tour the region’s vineyards – the mountains aren’t conducive to growing vines – but wherever you go you’ll be able to drink Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, a more-than-decent red. Trebbiano is the standard white, while Cerasuolo is a lighter red also made from the Montepulciano grape. But there is quality – look for bottles from Pepe and Valentini.