Family Vacation

My Italian Life: Exploring Abruzzo

Do you love family vacation? Or do you dread the packing and the bickering and the long car rides?

For me it is probably a little bit of both. I love taking time to be in nature, to connect as a couple and with our kids and as a family. But sometimes the bickering in a closed car on a long ride can be really tiring!

In the end it is soooo worth it! Because we have so many adventures together and we make memories that will stick with them and with us for a lifetime.

This time we headed to Abruzzo! It was so beautiful and so green. It was definitely a new part of Italy for me, unique and beautiful in it’s own way. Mountains, lakes, rivers, cute little cities, and spaghetti alla chitarra.

La Majella

We began our journey to the south of the Gran Sasso, near la Majella. We got an Airbnb house near Bussi sul Tirino. We took a kayaking adventure on the Tirino river…literally the most amazing river I have EVER seen!!! The water was turquoise and green at times, but it was transparent and so clean (and sooo cold).

We hiked, visited caves, castels and the city of San Valentino (soo cute!) and Parco Lavinio. Lavinio park was a beautiful park with lakes and rivers and bridges and pathways through the trees. The amazing thing is that the lakes and river were all a bright turquoise blue. There are sulfur springs that feed into the water and create the amazing colors. It was so beautiful (albeit a little stinky).

Gran Sasso

Our next stop was right below the Gran Sasso mountain in Abruzzo.

We chose a little city outside of the park (Montorio al Vomano) and it was another Airbnb perched on the hilltop looking straight out to the mountains.

We continued our hikes and adventures in search of waterfalls, ski lifts, mountains to climb, fairy forest and rivers. We found another adorable city (Pietracamela). Teeny-tiny, but oh so cute! We rode the lift up the mountain and then hiked even higher up. We hiked along the side of the mountain as well, in search of the Cascata del Rio Arno (waterfall).

We also visited Campotosto lake. And skipped giant flat rocks across the water, had a pic nic and layed down and cuddled and read together.

Quarantine went well for us as a family. We did a lot of crafts, we ate outside every lunch, we talked and watched movies and enjoyed ourselves in spite of being stuck in the house. But I really really missed our adventures. I love exploring Italy and all of it’s beauty. I love finding new cities, and forest and rivers to explore. And most of all I love to do it this with my imperfectly wonderful family.