Pescara is a city in the Abruzzo region at the mouth of the river Aterno-Pescara in the Adriatic Sea. It was founded as a port city, and throughout time Pescara has always been an important port for trade. It was the case in the Roman Empire, where the city provided a connection to the eastern provinces of the empire. After the year 1000, Pescara was a flourishing fishing town, hence its name. Pescara was relatively modest in size until the 1800s, and in 1927 the town was merged with Castellamare Adriatico, which lay north of Aterno-Pescara.

In the modern center of Pascara, you can make some wonderful walks in the wide streets and in open squares. This part lies north of the river with Corso Umberto I as the city’s main thoroughfare, and it connects the squares of Piazza della Repubblica at the city’s railway station with Piazza Primo Maggio at Pescara’s lovely sandy beaches. Several of the city’s popular shopping streets are in the area, and of course you should also take a walk along the Adriatic Sea.

Close to the northern bank of the river Aterno-Pescara you can see Piazza Italia, the administrative center of the city with the prefecture as the dominant building. From here you can cross the river and get to what used to be the old Pescara. In this area, you can e.g. see the city’s cathedral, which was built in neo-Romanesque style in the 1930s. The cathedral replaced an earlier church, the remains of which can be seen in the pavement opposite the cathedral. Close by, you can visit the Ethnographic Museum of Abruzzo and the birthplace of Gabriele d’Annunzio.

In Pescara you should also go to the city’s large marina and enjoy the atmosphere. From here you can walk across Aterno-Pescara on a footbridge to the north bank of the river, where, towards the sea, you can see the traditional trabuccos that have historically characterized the coasts of Abruzzo and other regions. A trabucco is a construction that has been used for fishing for millennia, and in the construction, there is a large fishing net that is lowered into the water.