Abruzzo · L'Aquila
Pescasseroli
At 1,167 meters at the head of the Sangro valley, capital of Italy's oldest national park and birthplace of Benedetto Croce.
Known for
FIRST PARK
Capital of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, established 1922 as Italy's first national park, the work of Erminio Sipari.
BENEDETTO CROCE
The philosopher was born in Palazzo Sipari in February 1866, in the family home of his maternal grandfather Pietrantonio Sipari.
MARSICAN BEAR
The park protects roughly fifty surviving Marsican brown bears, a subspecies of the Apennines found nowhere else on Earth.
When to visit
Best · Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar
- J6°
- F8°
- M8°
- A11°
- M16°
- J21°
- J25°
- A24°
- S19°
- O15°
- N10°
- D7°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Pescasseroli sits at 1,167 meters at the head of the upper Sangro valley, the administrative heart of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. The park was provisionally established in 1922 and confirmed in 1923, making it the first national park in Italy and one of the earliest in the world. The philosopher Benedetto Croce was born here in February 1866 in the Palazzo Sipari, the family house his grandfather Pietrantonio expanded in 1839.
The park itself was largely the work of Erminio Sipari, Croce's cousin, an environmentalist and member of parliament. The park protects roughly fifty Marsican brown bears, a subspecies found nowhere else, along with Apennine wolves and Abruzzo chamois. The Centro Visita on the edge of town holds a naturalistic museum, an Apennine garden, and an enclosure for injured wildlife. In winter, Pescasseroli is the southernmost serious ski town in the central Apennines.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Pescasseroli’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
How to get there
From Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 2 hours by car.
Rome (FCO) is about 2h 40m away.
By car from the centre of Pescara 1h 37m or Naples 2h 11m.
What to see
Palazzo Sipari
Birthplace of Benedetto Croce in 1866, now a historic house museum, with the family balcony from which Croce wrote of his Pescasseroli.
Centro Visita del Parco
Park headquarters with naturalistic museum, Apennine garden, and enclosures for Marsican brown bears, Apennine wolves and roe deer.
Chiesa di San Paolo Apostolo
Parish church of Pescasseroli, with a 13th-century wooden Madonna and Child known as the Madonna Nera, locally venerated.
Monti Marsicani
Surrounding mountain range with trails from town to Monte Marsicano at 2,245 meters, prime habitat for the Marsican brown bear.
Pescasseroli ski area
Modest ski domain on Monte Ceraso and Monte Vitelle, the southernmost regular alpine ski operation in the central Apennines.
The slow-trip planner
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Living here
- Population 2,068
- Off the beaten pathi
- Pharmacy: none mapped
- Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
- Nearest airport Naples / Salerno, 2 h 6 min drive
- Regional capital L'Aquila, 1 h 24 min drive
Common questions
- What is Pescasseroli known for?
- At 1,167 meters at the head of the Sangro valley, capital of Italy's oldest national park and birthplace of Benedetto Croce.
- Where is Pescasseroli?
- Pescasseroli is a comune in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo, at 1167 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Pescasseroli?
- Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 2 hours by car.
- How long is the drive from Pescara to Pescasseroli?
- About 1h 37m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Pescasseroli?
- Best in Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar. July is the warmest month, averaging 25 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 19 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Pescasseroli?
- Scanno, Falcade and Moena.
- How many people live in Pescasseroli?
- 2,068 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 1167 m
- Population: 2,068
- Surface area: 91.17 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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🌲 Parco Nazionale
More Parco Nazionale towns in Abruzzo
Alfedena
Province: L'Aquila
At 914 meters at the head of the upper Sangro valley, the Samnite Aufidena, with a 15,000-tomb necropolis and a Roman conquest in 298 BC.
Barrea
Province: L'Aquila
A 1,066-meter spur above an artificial lake at the heart of the Abruzzo National Park, with a Samnite necropolis and an 11th-century di Sangro castle.
Calascio
Province: L'Aquila
A village of 125 people under the highest castle in the Apennines, cast as the monk's refuge in Ladyhawke.
Campli
Province: Teramo
A 393-meter town under the Monti della Laga, held by the Farnese for two centuries, with a Scala Santa carrying papal indulgence.
Campo di Giove
Province: L'Aquila
At 1,064 meters under the southwestern Maiella, the highest village in the park, named for a Roman temple to Jupiter.