Pescara is the capital city of the Pescara Province, located in the Abruzzo region in Italy. Situated on the Adriatic Coast at the mouth of the Aterno-Pescara River, Pescara is an often ignored tourist destination in Italy. Pescara is a beautifully developed seaside resort that is a must-visit when you are in Italy. In fact, Abruzzo, the biggest city of this province, has one of the biggest marinas on the Adriatic Sea. The main commercial street is Corso Umberto I. Corso Umberto I starts from Piazza della Repubblica and ends in Piazza Primo Maggio. Corso Umberto, I, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, and Via Nicola Fabrizi are home to the main shopping district with many of the best fashion shops. The historic city center is located on the south side. BagnoBorbonico is the old prison of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which incorporated inside the remains of the Norman and Byzantine city walls. BagnoBorbonico houses the Museum of the Abruzzi people.
With 16 kilometers worth of seafront, the city of Pescara is best explored in a rental car. It is a good idea to rent a car once you reach Pescara so that you don’t have any trouble navigating from one place to another. There are many car hire companies in Pescara, including:
- Maggiore Pescara
- Carflexi
- Hertz Pescara
- Europcar
- Avis
- DiscoverCars
You can compare car hire plans and offers online or even request your hotel to do a car rental comparison and select the best cheap car hire plan for you. You can check prices at the airport here: https://www.autoitaly.co.uk/en-abruzzo-airport/#/searchcars. On-site there are car hire companies like Avis, Surprise, Enterprise, Keddy by Europcar, Flizzr, Green Motion, InterRent, Dollar, Sixt, Payless, Budget, Alamo, Firefly, Goldcar, National, Europcar, Hertz, Thrifty, etc. There are also companies that operate from the airport. Most tourists in Pescara prefer using rental cars as it reduces the worry of having to navigate through the local transport system.
Now that you have a car hire in place, here are some of the top things to do in Pescara.
Take a walk across Ponte del Mare
The walk across Ponte del Mare is a beautiful experience, especially if you go around sunset. Surrounded by stunning beaches and the sea on one side, and the mountains in the distance, the view from Ponte del Mare is absolutely magnificent. With clear skies and separate lanes for cyclists and pedestrians, this is a must-visit to take in the fabulous views. The Ponte del Mare is a cable-stayed cycle-pedestrian bridge located. With its 466 meters in length between the shoulders and the 172 meters of a span of the suspended deck, it is the largest Italian cycle-pedestrian bridge and one of the largest in Europe. The bridge connects the southern coast with the northern one of the Pescara River.
Explore the Port of Pescara
The Port of Pescara is a wonderful place to explore if you want to see how a port functions. You will see many fishing boats and commercial vessels lined up here with winches and nets. You can also find several modern-looking trabucchi fishing huts that are balanced on concrete breakwaters and make for a unique sight. Opposite the trabucchi is a magnificent RoutaPanoramica Ferris wheel with brightly colored gondolas that are perfect for families and children to enjoy.
Enjoy the beaches
Pescara has a coastline that stretches for over 20 kilometres. These wide, golden sandy beaches stretch both north and south of Pescara. In fact, you can easily park your rental car in the city center because this is the only Italian city where the beaches are located so close to the city center. The beaches are crowded during the summer months, and there are many shops and restaurants, all within easy walking distance from the beaches.
On the north side of the river is Piazza Italia with the City Hall and the Government Building, both where built during the Fascist era in the fascist rationalist style and designed by the architect Vincenzo Pilotti. In the southern part of the city, between the Nature Reserve PinetaDannunziana and the beach, there is an elegant Art Nouveau villas district. Every July there is an international jazz festival in the city. The Jazz festival was the first Italian summer festival dedicated to jazz music. It is one of the most important jazz festivals in Europe. Between June and July every year Pescara holds the Flaiano Prizes, one of Italy’s International Film Festivals.
If you visit the beaches during other seasons instead of summer, you will find it an absolute pleasure to take a stroll along the promenade of Vialedella Riviera. Here you will find some of the most creative and outlandish names on the many privately owned public facilities. You will find many references to the various planets, sirens, mermaids, constellations, and other mythological beings.
