Abruzzo is a wonderful destination with plenty to offer for those who truly want to discover it; less than 100 kilometers from Rome, the Sirente Velino Regional Natural Park is building something that few other places in Italy have managed to do: a model of slow tourism rooted in the territory and certified at the European level.
The Sirente Velino Park to Visit
140,000 hectares of protected nature, 22 villages, and a network of trails that exceeds 460 kilometers, of which 300 kilometers are cycling routes carved from the reclamation of white roads and existing mountain paths. In 2024 the Abruzzo Park obtained the designation of European Park of the Breathable Villages, the first entity in Europe to bear this title. It also joined the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism, a voluntary instrument that commits protected areas to a five-year plan shared with local operators. The result here is a network of over 23 certified tourism entities working in synergy with the park authority.
The Park is divided into three main facets, each worth a visit.
Marsican Area
The Marsican Area, on the southwestern slope, carries the weight of history: the Roman ruins of Alba Fucens and the Piccolomini Castle in Celano are landmarks that extend far beyond provincial borders. It is archaeology that does not need staging: the stone speaks for itself, set in a landscape that has retained its sense of proportion.
Rocche Plateau
Ascending, you reach the Rocche Plateau, home to the Apennine chamois, where you encounter the Lake of Sirente and where the high-altitude beech forests create that distinctive microclimate around which a medical tourism offering is being developed. The air in these woods is not just a poetic image: it has recognized properties, and in Europe the forest-related medical tourism segment is growing significantly.
Subequana Valley
The Subequana Valley, on the other hand, is perhaps the most surprising. Struck by the 2009 earthquake, it used reconstruction as an opportunity to rethink hospitality. The Stiffe Caves, the resurrected villages, a network of communities that did not abandon the places but reinvented them. It is tangible resilience, not rhetoric.
The entire territory is traversed by fauna that elsewhere you may have stopped hoping to encounter: the Marsican brown bear, the Apennine wolf, deer, and the golden eagle. Not as a managed tourist attraction, but as a real presence in a functioning ecosystem.
The Trails and Slow Tourism
Three historic trails await you, each with its own story to tell. The Way of Saint Francis, the Way of Saint Thomas, and the Celestine Grand Way, the latter laid out in four stages for about ninety kilometers, with sections designed also for those with reduced mobility.
For cyclists, the 300 kilometers of integrated cycling routes across the landscape allow you to traverse the area without ever losing contact with the surrounding environment.
The Park President Francesco D’Amore stated that he does not intend to chase after models from elsewhere: “The Sirente Velino Park does not need to imitate anyone. It guards biodiversity certified at the European level and a millennial cultural heritage. Our commitment is to make all of this a real competitive advantage.”
The 22 Connected Villages
The project involves the Abruzzo villages of Acciano, Aielli, Castel di Ieri, Castelvecchio Subequo, Celano, Cerchio, Collarmele, Fagnano Alto, Fontecchio, Gagliano Aterno, Goriano Sicoli, Magliano de’ Marsi, Massa d’Albe, Molina Aterno, Ocre, Ovindoli, Pescina, Rocca di Cambio, Rocca di Mezzo, San Demetrio ne Vestini, Secinaro and Tione degli Abruzzi, all within the Province of L’Aquila.
