Pescara

Introduction

Pescara is the capital of the province of Pescara in Abruzzo, on the Adriatic coast at the mouth of the River Aterno-Pescara. The city you see today took shape in 1927, when the old Pescara fortress south of the river was joined with Castellamare Adriatico to the north, and the surrounding area became the province of Pescara.

Before you go

Pescara rewards travellers who plan to explore on foot. Taxis are few, but the city is easy to walk around, with pedestrian areas closed to traffic and good sidewalks, so bring a comfortable pair of shoes. A bike also works very well for getting around.

Set your expectations for a predominantly modern-looking city: Second World War bombardments partially destroyed the historic centre. To see monuments of artistic and architectural value, head for Pescara Vecchia, where you'll find the Cathedral of Saint Cetteo, strongly desired by D'Annunzio, and the Bourbonic Bath, the ancient prison of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Getting there

Abruzzo Airport sits less than ten minutes from the city and is served mainly by Ryanair. From the airport terminal, coach 38 runs to Pescara Centrale railway station every fifteen minutes; tickets are sold at the automatic machine in the arrivals area and allow unlimited travel for 90 minutes. The same coach connects the railway station with the airport.

• By train: Pescara Centrale (Via Enzo Ferrari) is the main station. The train from Rome takes about four hours but follows a spectacular route through the mountains, passing towns such as Avezzano and Sulmona.
• By car: Driving from Rome Ciampino Airport takes about 1½ hours, through mountain scenery with plenty of tunnels and bridges and relatively little traffic.
• By boat: In summer, ferries link Pescara with Split and several islands in central Dalmatia, including Hvar. Jadrolinija runs car ferries and SNAV runs faster hydrofoils, all leaving from the ferry terminal.

Getting around

Pescara is compact and mostly flat, and much of the centre can be walked easily. The city sits either side of the Aterno-Pescara river, with the historic centre on the south shore and the modern commercial streets on the north. Pedestrian-friendly areas include the Lungomare Giacomo Matteotti, Corso Umberto I, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and Piazza Salotto, as well as the narrow streets of Pescara Vecchia and the Ponte del Mare, a pedestrian and cycling bridge with panoramic views. Note that the main shopping district around Corso Umberto I, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and Via Nicola Fabrizi sits inside a driving restriction zone.

For longer hops, or to reach the beachfront and outlying districts, the local bus network is the main form of public transport. Urban and suburban buses are operated by TUA and cover the city, its suburbs and surrounding towns. The principal hubs are Pescara Centrale for urban and suburban services, with Piazza Italia and Piazza Salotto acting as central transfer points. Buy your ticket before boarding — drivers do not sell tickets on urban routes; tickets are sold at tabaccherie, newsstands, some cafes and bars, and TUA ticket offices. Validate your ticket on board, as failing to validate can incur a fine, and a single urban ticket is valid for 90 minutes. Buses generally run from around early morning until midnight, with reduced service on Sundays and holidays. There are bike lanes traversing the city and some bike rental places, with bicycles rented from several shops along the Lungomare, mainly in the warmer months, and some hotels provide bikes; helmets are recommended. Licensed taxis are white with a roof sign and a meter, and are generally not hailed on the street, so use the designated stands — for example at the train station or Piazza Salotto — or call Radio Taxi Pescara. Uber is available in the form of Uber Black at higher cost, and FreeNow connects users with licensed taxis. From Abruzzo Airport, coach number 38 departs every 15 minutes from the terminal and runs to the centre, with tickets sold at the automatic machine in the terminal arrivals area.

Where to stay

Pescara’s accommodation is concentrated in the city centre, where you’ll find a cluster of small hotels and bed and breakfasts within easy reach of the commercial and tourist heart of town. A boutique bed and breakfast on via Ortona offers modern facilities with a homely, personal feel, while several other B&Bs and guesthouses sit along Corso Umberto I and via Firenze, giving you a choice of central bases. A handful of larger hotels, including places on Piazza I Maggio and Piazza del Sacro Cuore, round out the central options.

If you’d rather stay by the sea, the lungomare and viale della Riviera have hotels facing the waterfront, and a bed and breakfast on via Venezia puts you close to the beach. For a quieter setting, consider the hilltop hotel in the park at San Silvestro, or an agriturismo in Spoltore, a short drive from both the sea and the airport. A villa in Montesilvano Colle, about ten minutes’ drive from the centre, suits couples or larger groups and offers views over the Adriatic coast.

Food & drink

Pescara eats casually, and much of it is pizza. Budget options cluster in three pockets: between the train station and Piazza della Rinascita, where you'll find Trattoria Nina for down-home cooking alongside pizzerias like Maruzzella and Spizzo; around the Cattedrale di San Cetteo, with Tavernetta le Stagioni, Mixer and several pizzerie; and around the Porto turistico Marina, where seafood places such as Filippo Cucina di Mare and Trattoria Ponte Del Mare sit near the water. For something more substantial, the mid-range choices include La Figlia di Attilio, Ristorante Da Attilio and Ristorante Franco on the lungomare, Trieste Pizza, and Ristorante Grotta del Marinaio; Ristorante Ferraioli is the splurge end of the scale.

Drinking follows the seasons. In summer the coast is the centre of the action, with clubs and discos found simply by walking the crowded seafront. In winter the nightlife shifts inland to Corso Manthonè, the street of old Pescara that has become the city's night-time hub. Beyond it there are discos in the hinterland too: La Fabbrica near the university, Cantina Accademia, a dance-and-dinner club on the same street, and Megà and Wake Up! facing each other across the river. Late at night, places around the stadium stay open until morning for pizza, croissants and flat unleavened bread.

What to see and do

Pescara's shoreline is lined with "stabilimenti balneari" and ombrelloni, each with its own name and colour scheme, where you can stop for a meal, a pizza or a coffee. Watch the flags before you swim: a red flag means no swimming, while a white flag means you can enjoy the Adriatic. Free beaches are limited but easy enough to find — there are around six along the coast from Pescara Centre and the stadium, some only a short walk apart, and more at Montesilvano to the north and Francavilla to the south. Mondays are market days near the stadium, where a classic open-air market sells just about everything; walk through and enjoy it.

In the old city area you can see the Cattedrale di San Cetteo, and the Nave di Cascella, a monument and fountain in the shape of a ship by sculptor Pietro Cascella. In the evenings the beach cafés and the old town of Pescara Porto turn into vibrant night spots. The nearby small, characteristic towns, open markets and local festivals make good day trips, and the Maiella mountain range — "La Bella Addormentata d'Abruzzo" — is about 50 minutes away by car, with a park system whose natural beauty is likened to the national parks of the western United States; within Abruzzo's parks lie ancient hill towns that rival those of Tuscany and Umbria.

When to go

Pescara has a humid subtropical climate, so the season you choose shapes your trip more than any single sight. Summer is hot but mostly stable and sunny, and a sea breeze usually keeps the heat from climbing too high — unless a southwesterly Libeccio blows. Humidity is high, so mornings and evenings often bring mist or haze. Early summer tends to be drier, while August turns as wet as a winter month, so if you want reliable sunshine, aim for the earlier part of the season.

• Summer: Hot, mostly stable and sunny; the sea breeze moderates the heat except during a Libeccio. Expect hazy, humid mornings and evenings, and note that August is notably wetter than early summer.
• Winter: Cool, with many nights dipping below freezing and occasional dramatic swings — southwesterly Foehn winds can push temperatures up, while northeasterly winds bring light precipitation and, every few years, abundant snow from Siberia. Mist and haze are common.
• Late autumn: The year's wettest stretch, with rain concentrated in this period. Plan around rain rather than heat.

Three days in Pescara

Day one: Start in Pescara Vecchia, the old quarter on the north bank of the River Aterno, where the streets keep the memory of the old fishing town of Castellamare Adriatico. Visit the Cathedral of Saint Cetteo, dedicated to the patron saint, and look for traces of the writer Gabriele Annunzio, whose name runs through the city. Cross the river and take a first walk along the seafront, the Lungomare Giacomo Matteotti, facing the Adriatic.

Day two: Give the day to the streets at the heart of the city. Wander Corso Umberto and Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, then settle into Piazza Salotto, the square where the city gathers. If you want the water, the beach along the Adriatic is right there, and the Bourbonic Bath recalls the era of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Day three: Use the morning for anything you missed in Pescara Vecchia, then plan your onward move. Pescara Centrale and Abruzzo Airport, served by Ryanair, connect the city by rail and air, with routes toward Rome, Avezzano and Sulmona, and driving is an option via Rome Ciampino Airport. In summer, ferries such as Jadrolinija and SNAV link the coast toward Split, Dalmatia and Hvar.