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Pescara is the classic Italian seaside resort – sober, clean, dominated by families and offering some of the finest seafood restaurants in Italy. Flying in, the visitor gets a good view of the miles of soft, sandy beaches that merge into the Adriatic, offering safe bathing made even more civilised by the numerous lifeguards who patrol the beach and hire out deckchairs and umbrellas for a nominal fee. Don’t expect to find Rose and Crown pubs catering for incomers: this is Italy, not Spain, and no concessions are made for foreign visitors. Which, of course, makes Pescara all the more enjoyable.
The city is shaped by the sea and the narrow inlet of the river Pescara, which divides the town into northern and southern sections. Unlike many Italian towns, Pescara has few historical sites – that’s because it’s essentially a modern creation. In 1927 the Fascist government merged two small fishing villages, though it wasn’t until the post-war years that the resort took off. The town has a modest number of churches and museums, and a decent array of shops which, along with the beaches, make for a pleasant summer break.
From Pescara’s startlingly modern railway station you get an inviting view of the town’s main squares, the piazza Rinascita and piazza Prima Maggio, which lie on either side of the boutique-lined Corso Umberto. Beyond these twin social hubs it’s a short stroll to Pescara’s raison d’être – viale della Riviera, the long seafront promenade.
Corso Umberto marks Pescara’s west bank; the main sights lie on the east, around piazza Garibaldi. One of Pescara’s handful of museums, the People’s Museum (via delle Caserme 22, 085 451 0026, closed Tue and Thur afternoon, all day Sun) is dedicated to the people of Abruzzo. Just across from the bridge named after the writer Gabriele D’Annunzio, Pescara’s most famous son, are displays dedicated to subjects as diverse as agriculture, archaeology and religious festivals. Just around the corner, the Casa Natale di Gabriele D’Annunzio (Corso Manthoné 111, 085 60391) has letters and documents relating to the controversial poet. Born in Pescara in 1863, D’Annunzio became a passionate follower of Mussolini, and helped to shape the dictator’s philosophy, while composing paeans to the beauty of Abruzzo. Mussolini, in turn, used D’Annunzio to lend his regime the human touch – and pumped considerable amounts of government money into his friend’s birthplace, creating the town you see today.
Nearby, facing the Adriatic, Pescara’s newest museum is the Museo D’Arte Moderna (Piazza 1 Maggio 10, 085 428 3759), featuring works by contemporary Italian and international artists.
Those who wish to venture beyond the beach should head for the Porto Turistico, on the south side of town beyond the Porto Canale, where there are boats for hire.
If you don’t have time to visit Abruzzo’s lovely national parks, Pescara itself has a vast expanse of lovely unspoilt greenery. Set just in from the sea on the east bank, where the smell of pine and sea mix to heady effect, La Pineta d’Avalos park, with its open-air theatre, is the ideal green retreat.
• Tourist information: via Paolucci 3 (085 421 9981, www.regione.abruzzo.it/turismo).
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