Abruzzo · Chieti
Fossacesia
A hill town above the Costa dei Trabocchi whose Benedictine abbey, San Giovanni in Venere, stands on the site of a Roman temple and looks straight down the coast.
- Best time
- May–Sep
- By car
- 44 min from Pescara
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 6,280
Known for
SAN GIOVANNI IN VENERE
One of the principal Romanesque abbeys of Abruzzo, and the reason the town is on most itineraries.
OLIVE OIL
The slopes between the abbey and the sea are planted almost entirely with olives.
THE VIA VERDE
The northern trailhead of the coastal cycle path that runs south along the Costa dei Trabocchi.
When to visit
Best · May–Sep
- J11°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M22°
- J27°
- J30°
- A30°
- S25°
- O21°
- N16°
- D13°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 29° and coldest in February at 12°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Donato, 7 August
Why come
Most people arrive at Fossacesia for the abbey and stay for the coast underneath it. San Giovanni in Venere was rebuilt in the twelfth century on ground that had held a temple to Venus, which is where the name comes from, and it sits on a shoulder of hill with the Adriatic laid out below and olive groves on every side. Down at sea level, Fossacesia Marina is the northern end of the Via Verde, the cycle path laid along the route of the old coastal railway, and the trabocchi themselves stand out over the water on their wooden legs.
The Sunday letter
Fossacesia is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Fossacesia comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Fossacesia in our articles
The best hidden coastal towns within 90 minutes of Pescara7 towns, Fossacesia among them.
The 8 best wine towns you can reach by train within 90 minutes of Pescara8 towns, Fossacesia among them.
The best wine towns in Abruzzo9 towns, Fossacesia among them.
The best beach towns in Abruzzo10 towns, Fossacesia among them.
How to get there
From Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 2h 20m by car.
Bari / Brindisi (BRI) is about 2h 45m away.
By car from the centre of Pescara 44 minutes, Ancona 2h 17m or Rome 2h 40m.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming by train into Pescara Centrale? Fossacesia is about 46 minutes away by road.
What to see
Abbazia di San Giovanni in Venere
The Benedictine abbey above the coast, rebuilt in the twelfth century on the site of a Roman temple. The carved portal and the crypt are the reasons to climb up.
Via Verde della Costa dei Trabocchi
The coastal cycle path on the old railway line. Fossacesia Marina is its northern trailhead.
The trabocchi
The timber fishing platforms built out over the water along this stretch of coast. Several are still worked and a few serve dinner.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Fossacesia fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
Living here
- Population 6,280
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 2 h 20 min drive
- Regional capital L'Aquila, 1 h 57 min drive
Common questions
- What is Fossacesia known for?
- Fossacesia is a hill town above the Costa dei Trabocchi whose Benedictine abbey, San Giovanni in Venere, stands on the site of a Roman temple and looks straight down the coast.
- Where is Fossacesia?
- Fossacesia is a comune in the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo, at 142 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Fossacesia?
- Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 2h 20m by car.
- Can you get to Fossacesia without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Pescara to Fossacesia?
- About 44 minutes by car.
- When is the best time to visit Fossacesia?
- Best in May–Sep. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Fossacesia?
- The town keeps its patron saint's day: Donato, 7 August.
- Which other towns are like Fossacesia?
- Otranto, Gabicce Mare and Campi Salentina.
- How many people live in Fossacesia?
- 6,280 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 142 m
- Population: 6,280
- Surface area: 30.14 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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