Abruzzo's Four Provinces: What's Actually Different

Overview

Abruzzo has four provinces: L'Aquila, Teramo, Pescara, and Chieti. This is not just administrative trivia. Each province has its own capital, its own character, and its own version of daily life. The differences are shaped by geography, infrastructure, climate, and how much the outside world has noticed the place.

The region sits on the Italian peninsula's central spine, stretching from the highest peaks of the Apennines in the west to the Adriatic Sea in the east. Gran Sasso, at 2,912 metres, is the tallest peak in the Apennines. The coast is 150 kilometres of sandy and pebbly beaches. Between those two extremes, there are rolling hills, olive groves, and river valleys. Where you position yourself on that west-to-east line determines almost everything about your living experience: your winter, your commute, your access to services, your neighbours, and your property price.

Abruzzo's total population is around 1.27 million and falling (ISTAT, 2024). The region is ageing faster than the national average, and the interior is losing people to the coast and to other parts of Italy. Some mountain villages are actively paying people to move in. Understanding which province is growing and which is emptying matters if you are buying property or planning a life here.

Three motorways connect the region: the A24 runs from Rome through L'Aquila to Teramo, the A25 branches off it to reach Pescara, and the A14 runs along the Adriatic coast. Rome is under two hours from the western border. The only commercial airport is in Pescara. These facts shape everything that follows.

L'Aquila Province

The Reality

L'Aquila is the mountainous heart of Abruzzo and the only province with no coastline. It contains both the Gran Sasso and Majella National Parks, the highest peaks in the Apennines, and some of the most dramatic landscapes in Italy. It is also the largest province by area, the least densely populated, and the one with the most complicated recent history.

The 2009 earthquake killed 309 people and displaced over 60,000 from L'Aquila city alone. Sixteen years later, reconstruction is ongoing. As of early 2025, roughly 78% of funding has been allocated and 88% of construction projects are underway or complete. Large parts of the historic centre have been beautifully restored, but other areas remain scaffolded or abandoned. L'Aquila has been named Italy's Capital of Culture for 2026, a recognition of both its heritage and its recovery. But the reality on the ground is still uneven. Some streets feel fully alive again. Others do not.

Outside the city, the province is a patchwork of mountain villages, ski stations, and high plateaux. Sulmona (around 25,000 people) is the second significant town, famous for its confetti (sugared almonds) and its position in the fertile Peligna valley. Avezzano, on the western edge near the former Fucino lake, has around 41,000 residents and functions as a service centre for the Marsica area. The ski resorts of Roccaraso, Campo Felice, and Campo Imperatore draw winter visitors, but this is seasonal infrastructure that largely shuts down between April and November.

The A24 motorway connects L'Aquila to Rome in about 90 minutes, passing through the Gran Sasso tunnel, the longest road tunnel entirely on Italian territory. This makes Rome more accessible than you might expect from a mountain city, but the province's internal roads are another matter. Many are narrow, winding, and slow in winter. Reaching Pescara airport takes 60 to 90 minutes from L'Aquila city, and considerably longer from the southern or western parts of the province.

Best For

• Mountain lovers and serious outdoor enthusiasts who want hiking, skiing, and national park access on their doorstep
• Those seeking the lowest property prices in Abruzzo, particularly in remote villages where habitable houses can still be found for under €50,000
• People who genuinely want quiet and space, not as a romantic idea but as a daily reality, including in winter
• Anyone with a connection to Rome who wants a mountain base within commuting distance of the capital

Consider Carefully

• Winters are serious. Snow, sub-zero temperatures, and roads that can close. If you have not experienced a mountain winter in central Italy, visit between December and February before committing
• Services thin out quickly outside the main towns. Healthcare, shopping, and social life may require 30 to 60 minute drives
• The earthquake legacy is real. In and around L'Aquila city, you need to understand what you are looking at: which buildings are restored, which are still in process, and what seismic compliance means for any property you consider buying
• Isolation is not the same as peace. Small mountain villages can feel very empty in winter, especially for someone who does not speak Italian and does not yet have local connections

For a deeper look at the practical differences between mountain and coastal living, see our guide to inland versus coastal Abruzzo.

Teramo Province

The Reality

Teramo is Abruzzo's northern province, bordering the Marche region. It offers the full Abruzzo experience compressed into a relatively small area: Adriatic beaches along the coast, rolling agricultural hills in the middle, and the Gran Sasso mountains to the west. You can drive from sea to ski in under an hour.

The coastal strip runs from Martinsicuro in the north to Silvi in the south. Towns like Giulianova, Roseto degli Abruzzi, Alba Adriatica, and Pineto are modest beach resorts, busy in July and August, quiet the rest of the year. They are not glamorous, but they have the infrastructure that comes with year-round habitation: shops, pharmacies, doctors, schools, and a functioning train line along the coast.

Inland, the province is surprisingly industrial in parts. The Val Vibrata area near the Marche border has one of the highest concentrations of small and medium manufacturing businesses in Italy, particularly textiles and footwear. This matters because it means inland Teramo has a working economy that does not depend entirely on tourism or agriculture. Towns have jobs, people, and services.

The hill towns offer traditional character without the tourist infrastructure of more famous Italian regions. Civitella del Tronto has an impressive Bourbon-era fortress and a well-preserved centre. Castelli, in the foothills of Gran Sasso, is one of Italy's historic centres for maiolica ceramics and has been producing hand-painted pottery since the Renaissance. Campli and Atri have genuine historic depth with Roman-era remains. These are not tourist attractions in the Tuscan sense. They are working towns with a past.

Teramo city sits inland, about 30 minutes from the coast. It has a Roman theatre, a medieval cathedral, and a small university that keeps the centre alive. It is a functional provincial capital rather than a destination.

Best For

• People who want coast and mountains both accessible without choosing one or the other as their daily reality
• Those who prefer a lower-profile area without an established expat scene, where you are more likely to integrate with Italian life
• Buyers looking for reasonable prices in areas with genuine local economies, not just seasonal tourism
• Anyone who values the A24 motorway connection to Rome, which terminates in Teramo province

Consider Carefully

• The expat community is smaller and less organised than in Chieti province. This means fewer English-speaking services but also a more authentic experience
• Pescara airport is 30 to 60 minutes away depending on where you are, which is manageable but not next door
• Coastal towns can feel very different in August versus February. Visit in both seasons before buying on the coast
• Fewer English-speaking estate agents and professionals. You will need Italian or a good interpreter sooner here than in the more established foreign-buyer areas

Pescara Province

The Reality

Pescara is the smallest province by area but the most urban and the best connected. Pescara city is Abruzzo's largest, its commercial centre, and the only place in the region where you could realistically live without a car if you stayed within the city centre. Montesilvano, just to the north, has over 50,000 residents and effectively functions as a continuation of the Pescara urban area.

The airport is the province's defining asset for anyone who needs to travel. Abruzzo Airport now serves around 27 destinations in 12 countries, with Ryanair operating as the main carrier. There are direct flights to London Stansted, Brussels, Bucharest, Barcelona, Krakow, Frankfurt, Malta, and multiple Italian domestic routes. The airport has seen rapid growth since the Abruzzo region scrapped the municipal tax, with passenger numbers exceeding 1.3 million. For context, five years ago, the options were far more limited. This trajectory matters if you are planning a life that involves regular travel back to the UK or northern Europe.

The city itself is modern. Most of Pescara was rebuilt after heavy bombing in the Second World War, so there is no medieval centro storico. What you get instead is a functioning Italian city with a long seafront promenade, good restaurants, reliable public services, a hospital, shopping, cinemas, and the noise and traffic that come with all of that. Gabriele D'Annunzio was born here and the city maintains a museum in his birthplace, but Pescara's identity is more practical than historic.

Inland Pescara province rises into hills quickly. Penne, about 30 minutes south, has a nature reserve and a quieter character. The Majella foothills begin in the southern part of the province. But the province is compact enough that even the rural areas are never far from urban services.

Best For

• People who need or want urban amenities: restaurants, nightlife, shopping, healthcare, and services without a 45-minute drive
• Frequent travellers who need airport access. London Stansted is a direct flight. Rome Fiumicino is roughly two and a half hours by car or reachable via connecting flights
• Anyone who wants to live without a car, or at least without daily dependence on one. This is only realistic in central Pescara and parts of Montesilvano
• Those who prioritise infrastructure, healthcare access, and connectivity over rural character

Consider Carefully

• Property prices are the highest in Abruzzo. You are paying for convenience and connectivity
• The city is not picture-postcard Italy. If your vision of relocation involves a stone farmhouse on a hilltop, Pescara is not where you will find it
• The coast gets crowded in summer, with Italian beach tourism in full effect from mid-June to early September
• Urban noise, traffic, and density. Pescara feels like a city, not a town. For some people this is the point. For others it defeats the purpose of moving to Abruzzo

Chieti Province

The Reality

Chieti is where most foreign buyers end up, and there are reasons for that beyond marketing. The province has the combination that most people are imagining when they think about moving to Abruzzo: rolling green hills, olive groves, vineyards, hilltop towns with views to the sea, and the Trabocchi coast with its distinctive traditional fishing platforms. The landscape is the Italy of the brochure, except that here it is still affordable.

The Trabocchi coast, running roughly from Ortona to Vasto along the southern Chieti coastline, has become Abruzzo's most recognised image. The trabocchi themselves are wooden fishing structures built out over the water, some now converted into restaurants. The stretch has been gaining attention, and with attention come rising prices and seasonal tourism pressure. It is not overrun in the way the Amalfi Coast or Cinque Terre are, but it is no longer a secret either.

Inland, the province stretches from gentle hills to the eastern flanks of the Majella mountains. Towns like Guardiagrele, Lanciano, and Vasto have established foreign communities, particularly British buyers who began arriving in significant numbers from the mid-2000s. This means the infrastructure for dealing with foreign purchasers exists here in a way it does not elsewhere in Abruzzo: English-speaking estate agents, lawyers familiar with international buyers, and established expat social networks. Whether this is an advantage or a drawback depends on what kind of experience you want.

The Val di Sangro industrial area, centred around Atessa, hosts major manufacturing including a large Stellantis (formerly Fiat) commercial vehicle plant. This industrial base means the province has employment beyond agriculture and tourism, which supports year-round communities and services in the surrounding area.

Chieti city itself sits on a hill overlooking the Pescara valley and has an ancient history, with Roman remains and the National Archaeological Museum of Abruzzo housing the Warrior of Capestrano, a remarkable 6th-century BC statue. The city has a split character: the old hilltop centre and the more modern Chieti Scalo in the valley below, which is effectively part of the Pescara commuter belt.

Best For

• People who want the classic Abruzzo experience of hills, coast, and views, with an established support network for foreign buyers
• Those who value having other English-speaking residents nearby, especially in the early stages of settling in
• Buyers looking for the lowest average property prices in the region, particularly in the inland hill towns away from the Trabocchi coast
• Anyone who wants a balance between rural character and reasonable access to Pescara's services and airport, typically 30 to 60 minutes away

Consider Carefully

• The Trabocchi coast is increasingly touristed and prices there are rising faster than in other parts of the province. If your budget is tight, look inland
• The established expat presence means you are not discovering anything. Some villages have enough foreign residents that the experience can feel less like integration and more like relocation to an English-speaking enclave
• Property prices vary dramatically within the province. A flat in Vasto marina is a completely different proposition from a farmhouse in the hills behind Guardiagrele. The provincial average tells you very little
• Being the most popular province for foreign buyers also means more competition for the best properties and, in some areas, prices that reflect foreign demand rather than local market reality

Quick Comparison

This table simplifies what is inherently complicated. Property price averages are from Agenzia delle Entrate OMI data (2024). Every province contains variation within it. A coastal town in Teramo is nothing like an inland village in Teramo. Use this as a starting orientation, not as a decision matrix.