Abruzzo · Teramo
Roseto degli Abruzzi
An Adriatic beach town of 25,500 with ten kilometers of low-rise sand, a hilltop frazione, and Blue Flags every year since 1999.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Roseto degli Abruzzi is on our list
It holds Borghi Autentici, Bandiera Blu and Bandiera Lilla.
Subscribe and you get Roseto degli Abruzzi's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- May–Sep
- By car
- 37 min from Pescara
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 25,882
- J11°
- F13°
- M14°
- A16°
- M21°
- J26°
- J29°
- A29°
- S25°
- O21°
- N16°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 29° and coldest in February at 10°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Going to the sea? How to find the free beaches in Italy.
Why come
Roseto degli Abruzzi sits on the Adriatic between Giulianova and Pineto, with a flat lower town at sea level and the older nucleus of Montepagano on a hill 285 meters above. Ten kilometers of sand run continuously from the Tordino river south to the Vomano, divided into the historic lidos and the Cologna stretch. The town carried the name Rosburgo until 1927, when it was changed because the Austrian-sounding form had become unpopular after the First World War.
Rosburgo had been the name given in 1887 to the coastal quarter of Montepagano, known until then as Le Quote, after the roses grown widely around it. Roseto has held a Bandiera Blu Blue Flag every year since 1999 and is a Borgo Autentico d'Italia. The Riserva Naturale del Borsacchio, at the northern edge of town, protects the last dunes and Mediterranean scrub on this stretch of coast.
How to get there
From Ancona (AOI), about 1 h 31 min by car.
Rome Fiumicino (FCO) is about 2 h 32 min away.
By car from the center of Pescara 37 min or Ancona 1 h 27 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Rome?
Coming by train into Pescara Centrale? Roseto degli Abruzzi is about 35 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Ancona airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Lungomare and lidos
Ten kilometers of low-rise sand from the Tordino to the Vomano, with the Lido delle Rose, Cologna, and free-beach sections.
Montepagano
Original medieval village on a hill 285 meters above the coast, with walls, stone houses, and a panoramic terrace over the sea.
Riserva Naturale del Borsacchio
Coastal nature reserve at the north end of town, protecting dunes, Mediterranean scrub, and the nesting site of the Kentish plover.
Chiesa della Madonna della Pace
Neo-Gothic parish church of Santa Maria Assunta on Via Nazionale, begun in 1863 as Santa Filomena, the church the coastal town grew around.
Belvedere di Montepagano
Panoramic terrace from the upper village, with views over the Adriatic on clear days and the Gran Sasso to the west.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Vecchia MarinaTrattoria
A Michelin Bib Gourmand for Vecchia Marina, along with three Gambero Rosso prawns and a Slow Food snail.
D.one Ristorante DiffusoRistorante
D.one Ristorante Diffuso has one Michelin star and two Gambero Rosso forks (84/100).
ManettaRistorante
Manetta holds one Gambero Rosso fork (78/100).
1 more place the guides name in Roseto degli Abruzzi
Otra VezSpagnolo
Otra Vez carries two Gambero Rosso Mappamondi.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Roseto degli Abruzzi meets 1 of our 2 rules for a small town.
- 25,882 people, above our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: big enough that it can split into neighborhoods.
- Teramo, a city of 51,600, is 26 min by car. Closer than our 30 to 60 minutes: handy for everything, so check the town still keeps a life of its own.
- A station of its own. Trains are the overlooked way to get around Italy: no parking, straight into the center.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 25,882, up 1.8% since 2015
- Nearest city Teramo, 26 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest national health service hospital Giulianova, 9 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,950 to €3,000 per m² to buy, €6.50 to €10.30 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 89% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Pescara airport (PSR), 50 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital L'Aquila, 1 h 4 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
7% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Albania and Bangladesh, against 9% across Italy. 62 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany, France and the United Kingdom. There are 215 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 24% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Teramo province ranks 68th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Giulianova, 9 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Ancona, 108 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Pescara, 29 km away. The nearest IB school is Acorn International School, 150 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Canadian College Italy, 58 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €8,500. 7% pensioner tax: check before you count on it. The limit rose to 30,000 people in April 2026 and guidance is still to come. The regime is for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Abruzzo spends about €2,120 a month, €540 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €533 a year for water, on the Abruzzo average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone C, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 15 to March 31, up to 10 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. Under 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 1% in a high or medium one. 1% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
BLUE FLAG
Bandiera Blu every year since 1999, ten kilometers of low-rise Adriatic sand from the Tordino to the Vomano rivers.
LIDO DELLE ROSE
Town renamed in 1927 for the roses and oleanders along its streets, replacing the previous Austrian-sounding Rosburgo.
MONTEPAGANO
The original hilltop village at 285 meters, first recorded in 1137, whose people spread down to the coast in the nineteenth century.
PRETUZIANO DELLE COLLINE TERAMANE
The commune lies inside the Pretuziano delle Colline Teramane DOP production zone.
Common questions
- What is Roseto degli Abruzzi known for?
- Roseto degli Abruzzi is an Adriatic beach town of 25,500 with ten kilometers of low-rise sand, a hilltop frazione at 285 meters, and Blue Flags every year since 1999.
- Where is Roseto degli Abruzzi?
- Roseto degli Abruzzi is a comune in the province of Teramo, in Abruzzo, at 8 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Roseto degli Abruzzi?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Pescara (PSR), about 50 min by car.
- Can you get to Roseto degli Abruzzi 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 Roseto degli Abruzzi?
- About 37 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Roseto degli Abruzzi?
- Best in May–Sep. July is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 10 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Roseto degli Abruzzi?
- Ortona, Pineto and Gallipoli.
- How many people live in Roseto degli Abruzzi?
- 25,882 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Roseto degli Abruzzi a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Roseto degli Abruzzi is a small town that meets 1 of our 2 rules. The nearest city, Teramo, is 26 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Giulianova, 9 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 89% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 8 m
- Population: 25,882
- Surface area: 53.27 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.
The ranked lists
Lists Roseto degli Abruzzi appears in
- The best olive oil towns within 90 minutes of AnconaNear Anconawithin 90 minolive oil zone6 towns · smallest 2,202 residents · closest 75 min away
- The best towns you can reach by train that have a serious restaurant in AbruzzoAbruzzoby trainserious restaurant7 towns · smallest 4,957 residents
- The best coastal towns that eat well within 90 minutes of PescaraNear Pescaracoastalwithin 90 mineats well8 towns · smallest 2,302 residents · closest 26 min away
- The best towns with a serious restaurant that you can reach by train within 90 minutes of PescaraNear Pescaraby trainwithin 90 minserious restaurant8 towns · smallest 13,275 residents · closest 26 min away
- The best coastal towns in AbruzzoAbruzzocoastal9 towns · smallest 2,302 residents
- The best beach towns in AbruzzoAbruzzoclean beach10 towns · smallest 488 residents
Similar
Towns like Roseto degli Abruzzi
What all six share with Roseto degli Abruzzi: on the Adriatic coast · over 10,000 people · near sea level
Ortona
Province: Chieti
both have a railway station in the comune
Pineto
Province: Teramo
both have a railway station in the comune
Gallipoli
Province: Lecce
both have a railway station in the comune
Polignano a Mare
Province: Bari
both have a railway station in the comune
Monopoli
Province: Bari
both have a railway station in the comune
Comacchio
Province: Ferrara
The letter
Roseto degli Abruzzi 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: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Roseto degli Abruzzi comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Scheggino, 97 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.