Autumn in the hamlets of Abruzzo

I grew up among these villages, among the streets paved with porphyry, among the mountains with glabrous peaks, among the alleys that smell of laundry and damp moss, among the houses with the plaster aged by the sun and the shops that have survived half a century of history, with the furniture of the '60s and the counter full of cold cuts.

These places have changed little, and perhaps the more the years go by, the more fascinating they become. Time has stood still but leaves its mark on the buildings and the landscape; there are still few tourists, which makes everything more authentic. The villages are small handfuls of buildings lying on top of the hills or in the folds of the mountains. The ridges are covered with thick, centuries-old beech woods. The peaks are bare and serve as a backdrop to the plateaus covered by pastures.

The summer is hot, and people take refuge in the cool mountain villages. In winter, the snow envelops everything and the wild animals of the National Park wander through the streets in search of food. In autumn, when the air starts to get biting, the beech woods smell of mushrooms and the mountains begin to be dotted with golden trees, everything is the perfect frame to the walks in the woods, the visit of the villages in the parks hosting food festivals and to treat yourself to some gastronomic pampering based on truffles.

BOSCO DI SANT'ANTONIO

This regional reserve, in the heart of Abruzzo, beyond the valleys that rise from the coast and before the mountains that roughen the southern area, is a protected secular wooded area, mostly composed of beeches that cover vast clearings. The trees have been preserved over the centuries, and pruned to provide shady areas for the livestock, and thus form a thick cover that intertwines over spacious areas rich in moss and, in autumn, on an uninterrupted creaking carpet of leaves.

There are several paths through the woods, for walks from a few minutes to a few hours. Even just following the provincial road that leads from Cansano to Pescocostanzo allows to have a picturesque view of the woods, from the outside. However, you must enter these wooded fairytale caves to enjoy the spectacle of the autumn foliage in all its brightness.

PESCOCOSTANZO

After crossing the beautiful beech woods, narrow in the high valleys, one reaches a picturesque plateau. A single village appears, on a central hill, at a height of about 1300m, among the vast pastures and woods that struggle to climb the surrounding mountains.

One can enter only on foot into the streets of the village, where elegant mansions alternate with modest and austere dwellings. The center is very small and you can visit it with a quiet walk of half an hour, browsing through the craft shops that sell gastronomic products, the many churches that dot the old town and some raised views that offers a glimpse of the rooftops of the village, the new buildings for ski accommodation and the immense valley wrapped in autumn.

It is the ideal place to indulge in a few food-sins, and the autumn season offers fabulous products such as game, mushrooms and especially truffles. A local pasta alla chitarra seasoned with an abundant rain of truffles will warm even the coldest autumn day.

RESTAURANT: I tre frati

CIVITELLA ALFEDENA

Beyond Lake Barrea, as soon as one enters the area of the Abruzzo National Park, greeted by some deer wandering freely on the road, comes the tiny village of Civitella Alfedena, inhabited by just over 200 souls, and going just little beyond a couple of roads that climb between the stone houses full of atmosphere.

At the edge of the town you can go on excursions in the wildlife reserves, and a few kilometers away you reach the heart of the park and other small and characteristic villages, such as Opi, Alfedena and Scanno.

This content is NOT SPONSORED, but  based on my genuine personal experience. Spontaneous opinions, positive and negative, shareable or not, that I hope will help to live better travel experiences. My advice is a guide to lead you through world explorations, but the real journey, you build it!