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00 Pianella
Stemma di Pianella

Abruzzo · Pescara

Pianella

A Cittaslow hill town between the Tavo and Pescara rivers, anchor of the Aprutino oil triangle and home of the dritta olive.

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
28 min from Pescara
Population
8,472

Known for

  • DRITTA OLIVE

    Home of the dritta cultivar, native to the Vestine area, with fruity clear-flavored oil and a medium-early harvest.

  • SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE

    Basilica founded in 963 by Pandolfo of Capua over a temple of Vesta, the oldest documented building in the commune.

  • CITTASLOW

    Cittaslow member and part of the Golden Triangle of Abruzzo olive oil with Loreto Aprutino and Moscufo.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J12°
  • F14°
  • M15°
  • A18°
  • M23°
  • J28°
  • J31°
  • A31°
  • S26°
  • O22°
  • N16°
  • D13°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

Why come

Pianella sits between the Tavo and Pescara rivers, fifteen kilometers inland from Pescara. The first documented mention dates to 963, when Pandolfo, Prince of Capua, ordered the construction of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore on the foundations of an old temple of Vesta. Saracens, Normans, the Aquaviva, and the Orsini all passed through; in 1522 the village became a fief of Margherita d'Austria Farnese, and Ferdinand IV later granted it the title of Royal City.

The local agricultural identity is older than all of that. Pianella shares with Loreto Aprutino and Moscufo the so-called Golden Triangle of Abruzzo olive oil, producing the DOP Aprutino Pescarese, and it is the home of the dritta cultivar, a medium-early olive native to the Vestine area that gives a fruity, clear-flavored oil. The Cittaslow membership and the Città dell'Olio listing both run on that long agricultural history.

The Sunday letter

Pianella 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 Pianella comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Pianella in our articles

How to get there

From Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 2h 8m by car.

Rome (FCO) is about 3 hours away.

By car from the centre of Pescara 28 minutes or Ancona 2 hours.

Coming by train into Pescara Centrale? Pianella is about 28 minutes away by road.

Pianella, photo 1
Pianella, photo 2

What to see

  • Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

    Pre-Romanesque-Romanesque basilica founded in 963 by Pandolfo, Prince of Capua, built over an old temple of Vesta on the village hill.

  • Centro storico

    Medieval hill nucleus with traces of the Aquaviva and Orsini periods, surrounded by the surviving fragments of Farnese-era walls.

  • Oliveti di varietà dritta

    Hillside groves of the native dritta cultivar, basis of the DOP Aprutino Pescarese extra virgin olive oil produced by local frantoi.

  • Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate

    Old parish church in the centro storico, with a Romanesque core and a later baroque interior.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Pianella 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.

Plan your trip

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

Living here

  • Population 8,472
  • Commuter belti
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 2 h 8 min drive
  • Regional capital L'Aquila, 1 h 42 min drive

Common questions

What is Pianella known for?
Pianella is a Cittaslow hill town at 236 meters between the Tavo and Pescara rivers, anchor of the Aprutino oil triangle and home of the dritta olive.
Where is Pianella?
Pianella is a comune in the province of Pescara, in Abruzzo.
What is the nearest airport to Pianella?
Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 2h 8m by car.
How long is the drive from Pescara to Pianella?
About 28 minutes by car.
When is the best time to visit Pianella?
Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and March the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Pianella?
Yes. Festa della Birra. August is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Pianella?
Manoppello, Campli and Guardiagrele.
How many people live in Pianella?
8,472 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 236 m
  • Population: 8,472
  • Surface area: 47.05 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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