Grand Tour Abruzzo & Molise - The 5 Senses 2026-27

Day-by-day itinerary

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1. 1Day 1Rome – Celano – Sulmona, “the city of Ovid”, 180 km

   Departure for Celano – guided visit of the historic centre and the Piccolomini Castle – onward to Sulmona, the ancient Sulmo in the Peligna Valley – guided visit of the town (the historic centre with Piazza del Carmine, the Fontana del Vecchio, the Annunziata complex, the Cathedral of San Panfilo, the thirteenth-century aqueduct and the famous confetti works) – free time for shopping – lunch at leisure – in the evening, check-in at the hotel in Sulmona – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, Sulmona by night: a walking tour with the tour leader – overnight stay.

2. 2Day 2In the heart of the Abruzzo parks – Pescocostanzo, “the village of…

   stone” – Pescasseroli – Civitella Alfedena – Scanno – Sulmona, 170 km. Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion into the heart of Abruzzo – a visit to Pescocostanzo, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, within the Maiella National Park (a walking tour of the historic centre); to Pescasseroli, at the heart of the Abruzzo National Park; to Civitella Alfedena (among the most charming and best-preserved of villages, with the classic look of a medieval Apennine settlement); and to Scanno (known as the photographers’ village for having inspired so many great photographers with its atmosphere and its old traditions) – lunch in a traditional restaurant – return to the hotel in Sulmona in the evening – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – the tour leader is at guests’ disposal – overnight stay.

3. 3Day 3Sulmona – L’Aquila and “the villages” – Castel del Monte, “the capital…

   of shepherds” – Santo Stefano di Sessanio, “a little jewel”, 190 km. Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion – a visit of L’Aquila (the historic centre, Piazza del Mercato, the cathedral, the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, the Fountain of the 99 Spouts, San Bernardino) and of the villages of Castel del Monte (a historic centre rich in palaces and churches of the early medieval period, genuinely evocative thanks to its countless fountains, gateways and characterful alleys) and Santo Stefano di Sessanio (a true jewel of Abruzzo, rich in history and tradition, built on white limestone rock and crowned by the splendid Medici Tower, its unmistakable emblem since the fourteenth century, with sumptuous palaces, the regal entrance gate to the town and the many elegant arches and mullioned windows that testify to the standing and prosperity this town once enjoyed) – lunch in a traditional restaurant – arrival in Pescara in the evening – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – the tour leader is at guests’ disposal – overnight stay.

4. 4Day 4Civitella del Tronto, “the fortress town” – Atri, “city of history and…

   art” – Città Sant’Angelo – Pescara, 230 km. Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Civitella del Tronto – guided visit of the fortress village (the remains of this mighty stronghold on the borders of what was then the Papal State) – lunch in a traditional restaurant – in the afternoon, a guided visit of Atri, a town rich in history and art (the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta with its horizontal crowning façade, Romanesque structure and fifteenth-century decoration, and a walking tour through the historic centre to admire the exterior of the Palazzo degli Acquaviva and reach the belvedere) – a small tasting of liquorice and of the traditional cake known as Pan Ducale – and of Città Sant’Angelo (a village where time seems to have stood still, suspended between mountains and sea, given elegance and breathtaking beauty by its imposing collegiate church, its patrician palaces, its historic town gates and its churches) – free time for shopping – in the evening, check-in at the hotel in Pescara – dinner in a traditional restaurant – after dinner, Pescara by night: a walking tour with the tour leader – overnight stay.

5. 5Day 5Chieti, “the Warrior of Capestrano”, and Pacentro, “back to the Middle…

   Ages” – Campobasso, 210 km. Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion – a visit of Chieti (the historic centre, the National Archaeological Museum of Abruzzo with the famous Warrior of Capestrano, and the Villa Comunale gardens) and of Pacentro (an enchanting medieval village with a captivating historic centre, the Caldora Castle, the mother church, the Church of San Marcello and its patrician palaces) – lunch in a traditional restaurant – tasting of local produce – arrival at the hotel in Campobasso in the evening – dinner at the hotel – overnight stay.

6. 6Day 6Lower Molise, “villages, wine tasting, sea” – Larino and Termoli, 190 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion – departure for Lower Molise along the Biferno valley – travelling across spectacular viaducts, we cross Lake Guardialfiera, formed by the building of the dam of the same name – a visit to Larino (the historic centre with the cathedral, the Church of San Francesco, the Ducal Palace and the Roman amphitheatre) – a visit to a winery with a traditional lunch and a DOC wine tasting (an immersive journey into the world of wine, part of it in the vineyard, where you can touch the vines with your own hands, and part in the cellar, with a visit to the winemaking areas and the ageing rooms, a tasting drawn straight from the barrel, and finally a table set with a tasting menu of local produce and dishes paired with DOC and IGT wines) – and a visit to Termoli (a walking tour of the old town, held within ancient walls and among the most beautiful in Italy, standing on a rocky promontory directly above the sea, with the cathedral at its heart, a national monument in Romanesque style, and the Swabian castle – seen from the outside) – return to the hotel in Campobasso in the evening – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, a walking tour with the tour leader – overnight stay.

7. 7Day 7Upper Molise, “the triumph of nature” – Pietrabbondante – Agnone…

   Pescopennataro – Capracotta, 190 km. Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion – a visit of Pietrabbondante (the Samnite archaeological complex) and Agnone (the Pontifical Marinelli bell foundry, the churches and the historic centre) – light lunch with a tasting of cheeses and dairy specialities, a visit to a historic cellar and to a tuff cave used for ageing cheese – Pescopennataro, “the village of firs and stone” – onward to Capracotta along a panoramic road through the Bosco degli Abeti Soprani, with a stop on the plateau of Prato Gentile at 1,600 metres above sea level, where it would be a shame not to pause and take in a splendid, unspoilt mountain landscape – Capracotta (the village) – return to the hotel in Campobasso in the evening – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – the tour leader is at guests’ disposal – overnight stay.

8. 8Day 8Truffle experience and Altilia, “a small Roman city in Molise”, 60 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, the truffle experience (an excursion into the woods in search of truffles in the company of expert dogs, and a visit to the artisan workshop where truffle specialities are made) – tasting lunch built around freshly gathered truffles paired with Molise DOC wines – in the afternoon, a guided visit of the archaeological area of Altilia and of Campobasso (the Murat quarter, the Romanesque churches of San Giorgio and San Bartolomeo, the Samnite Museum) – tasting of a traditional dessert with coffee at a pasticceria – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – the tour leader is at guests’ disposal – overnight stay.

   Experience here: Segreti di MarmoExperience here: I Tesori di Carta

9. 9Day 9Campobasso – Isernia, “the Palaeolithic Museum” – Venafro – Rome, 230 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – guided visit of Isernia (the Palaeolithic Museum, the Fontana Fraterna) and of Venafro (the Pandone Castle) – lunch at leisure – tasting of local produce – onward for the return journey – arrival in the evening. Please note: the scheduled visits may be rearranged between days according to museum opening times or operational requirements, but the programme remains unchanged.